Allergy Test Results

[x19er]

As lots of us are struggling with our dogs allergies thought Dino's test results might be of interest. Looks like he is allergic to living in the countryside :(
Trees and weeds (or wild flowers if you prefer ) and also cats! Top of the list ragwort, mustard, timothy grass, sycamore, oak. Some of the things don't grow in the UK like russian thistle aka tumbleweed - so guess he'll have to put his acting career in western films on hold .

As he can't spend the summer in a sealed bubble with his own oxygen supply we are going to try the desensitisation injections although this will take a few weeks to be organised - comes from the USA and has to undergo a sterilty test, vet has to apply for a license etc etc.

Meanwhile where's my weedkiller!

 

[GoCougs]

Sorry to hear that. Our AJ is just as bad. Allergic to everything under the sun. We had to rehome our cat because AJ was allergic to her. Interesting that your vet tested for things that don't grow there. My vet ran skins tests for weeds, grasses, etc that are native to our area.

Good luck with the shots. I've found them to be only marginally effective. They help to a degree, but I haven't seen drastic improvement in the 3 years we've been giving them.

One thing you will find with environmental allergies is that you will experience a lot of ups and downs. :(

 

[x19er]

Thanks for the input GoCougs - I suspected it was going to be a long haul. This is all new to our vet and the lab/serum seems to be based in the States which is why I suspect some plants not native to our area are in the results - he is keen to try as are we - nothing ventured nothing gained as they say - fingers crossed.

What else do you do with AJ to help her?

 

[GoCougs]

AJ is on a combination of desensitization shots, as well as a drug called "Atopica", which is just a brand name for cyclosporin. The combination keeps the disease "managable".

And the biggest thing is that I feed raw. Boosting the overall immune system helps his body manage the condition naturally. I've found since being on raw, I can give the pill less frequently than prescribed. It's still needed, but I actually give him the same dose once per week, instead of twice, and get similar results.

 

[x19er]

I'm keen to give raw a go for him - my dh is coming round to the idea too.

Sorry, I see I called AJ a her when he is in fact a boy not a girl - I'm a

 

[Morgan3]

Must be the day for results Scooter got his back today also. Although frustrating, it is good to know what they are allergic to. Good luck with the shots. I have heard good things about them.

 

[carole]

Can you let us know how you get on with the shots?

Finn got his test results back last year. He luckily just has a few allergens, mould (seasonal) and storage mites. We are holding off with the immunotherapy as his allergy on flares up between September and January so unless it gets worse he wont be getting it. We are controlling it with GLA capsules (starflower and EPO) and a bioforce luffa complex to boost his immune system.

 

[x19er]

Can you let us know how you get on with the shots?

Will do - I'll post some updates as we go through the process - I'm glad we have insurance, it's good being able to make decisions without thinking how much it costs

 

[slwhiste]

I don't post on here much since I have boston's instead of boxers but I deal with the bad allergies on one of my dogs (Mar"tini"). We had her tested and she gets shots and takes the drug atopica every other day. I agree with the others that said the shots are only marginally effective. Tini has been taking them for almost a year now and the thing that helps the most is atopica. This is a very expensive pill (around $4.00 each) and would probably cost more for the larger breed dog. I also feed my dogs a holistic dry dog food called Verus fish and potato. They love it and the extra oils are very good for their skin. I have also been making homemade wet food. It's really not that expensive but it is time consuming. I just found a dehydrated raw food that you can buy but they've only been eating that for the last two days. Here's the website for this food if you want to check it out www.thehonestkitchen.com Good Luck!

 

[SILLY6PAK]

Can you let us know how you get on with the shots?

Finn got his test results back last year. He luckily just has a few allergens, mould (seasonal) and storage mites. .

Jessie was also very allergic to storage mites. We switched to raw.
Between the food change and the shots Jessie is having a much happier season (early as it is).