allergy testing?

[gypsyterrace]

my 7 1/2 year old maltese simon has been suffering from skin allergies, and its just getting worse and worse. i changed his food to innova (all natural, no corn), but that didn't seem to help. he gets cool baths with oatmeal, and benadryl to help him rest. still not much relief...

tomorrow we're going to the UGA vet school for allergy testing. i'm really upset and nervous about all this. i was just wondering if anyone else has had their dog tested for allergies and had any luck with it?

he is my baby...and it kills me to know he's suffering just from being itchy

 

[Chewbecca]

I'm not sure about environmental allergies (pollen, dust, grass, etc.), but I know that food allergy testing is not always accurate.

If you are looking for food allergies, the best way to find out is a food trial.
But a food trial must be extremely strict.
One meat and one carb for...I think it's at least 3 months.
And you cannot go off that diet. No treats, no table scraps.
NOTHING, but the food.

I'm sorry your poor pup is suffering. Allergies are not an easy thing to figure out at all.
And benedryl does not work for every dog, I know this.
Hopefully they can give you some answers and are able to give him something that will bring him some relief.

 

[Khrysty]

Seasonal allergies, to my knowledge, do have accurate tests. When a human is tested for allergies, small amounts of it are "deposited" into the skin to see the reaction. It's an annoying process, but yeilds pretty accurate results, and then it can be treated.

I don't see why they wouldn't do the same kind of testing on animals, but I could be wrong. None of my dogs seem to have allergies.

 

[Bellalee]

Where's the itch? Belly? Face? Ears? Tail?

 

[gypsyterrace]

thanks for you input guys... he chews constantly on his feet, his entire belly is red and hot (and raw in places), and its now moved to his face-mostly to the left of his mouth, and it looks like its starting around his eyes. as well as making his eyes really red. usually baths help, but it doesn't seem to ease it at all this time.

i've taken him to the vet before to get a shot that gives maybe one week of relief, but considering its $100 a visit, i think i'm better off paying for the allergy tests in hopes of finding a real solution.

i haven't given him any treats or anything from my plate in two months to see if the new food would help any. my mom, who hates cats, keeps telling me he's allergic to my cat. the vet said it could be a combo of things he's allergic to. my poor little man.

 

[Saphira]

does he have mange?

 

[gypsyterrace]

does he have mange?

his regular vet examined him and said its allergies, but his constant chewing has caused a bacterial infection. he's had problems with skin allergies off and on his entire life. but it seems to be getting worse and worse as he gets older.

 

[LizMarie]

I feel your pain even though my dog allergies aren't as serious. Due to her allergies she gets a bunch of ear infections because she's constantly scratching them, chewing her legs and very dry flaky skin. A few years ago it was so bad that her vet suspected that she popped her own ear drum. It's such a pain sometimes, especially all the vet bills. I can't remember the last time I took her to the vet and I didn't spend less than $180! He said it might be a combo of food/seasonal/air bourne allergies because it's most severe during the spring time and has gone down ever since we changed her food and I only feed her fruits and veggies as treats (Apples and Carrots are what we mainly use) sometimes if we have a little extra cash we'll get the hypo allergic treats but the smallest bag is like $8-$10.

The doctor has told her that we should get allergy testing done to narrow it down but the expense of having it done is what has been holding us back, but we thank God that is has gone down A LOT and her allergic fits what I call them are a lot less often. I now feed her Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato Diet and fish oil tablets to help with her dry skin. She is also banned from any food that's for human consumptions except for the fruits and veggies animals are allowed to have because I'm terrified that she might eat something and it'll happen all over again.

I hope everything works out for you and your little doggie because I can sympathize.

 

[Saphira]

do you feed him any oils? or eggs? dry skin can be a shortage of oils in the diet..which causes itching, aggrevated by the allergies. poor thing. I have a friend that is having the same problem with her dog.

 

[gypsyterrace]

i used to feed him eggs every so often, but i haven't been feeding him anything other than the innova food for two months. but it does have eggs as an ingredient, as well various other good fats and oils.

LizMarie....i did forget to mention that simon also gets ear infections. last month he had one in his right ear, this month it has been in both ears. we do have medicine that clears it up for a at least a couple of weeks.

i am blessed that i have saved up just enough for all of the testing, although that was supposed to be money to help get my car paid off sooner but if he needs anything beyond the tests and a round of meds, i don't know what i'm going to do. i'm hoping that whatever he is allergic too, it'll be something i can help eliminate from his life, not something he has to routinely get shots for.

 

[Daidra]

I just had to put one of my dogs on medicine for allergies and it has cleared all his allergies up within 4 days,he doesn't chew anymore and he is much happier,I can pm you later if you like with what medicine he is on for his allergies.

 

[LizMarie]

LizMarie....i did forget to mention that simon also gets ear infections. last month he had one in his right ear, this month it has been in both ears. we do have medicine that clears it up for a at least a couple of weeks.

Before I found my vet Luna would get ear infections atleast every 2-3months sometimes before the infection even cleared another was right on its toes. The vet I had before dealt with it by only giving her ear flushings which were expensive. When I found my new vet he was like NO WAY that is unnecessary and if anything causing more of an issue because its basically flushing everything out of her ear good or bad and they were way to frequent. He mixed up some liquid with some powder and stuffed it in her ears, it was suppose to soak up the infection and any moisture that might help aid the infection then he gave us some oily ear drops that were to help lube up here ear so the powder/infection could come up again. After that it was almost a year that she didn't get an ear infection and since then they are less and less, and when they do happen is a mild infection only infecting one ear. Their secretary is so used to see me there that we have become good friends and when the vet isn't looking gives up discounts.

I REALLY hope you can narrow down the cause of the allergies.

 

[Khrysty]

Their secretary is so used to see me there that we have become good friends and when the vet isn't looking gives up discounts

Hah, my vet too. Sam has ear infections constantly, but it's because of a malformed ear canal, not allergies, so we're always taking him in for a cleaning, for a drying solution, or occasionally for surgery (hair grows on his eardrum..it's awful and super itchy for him!). Our secretary there gets so excited when we come. She's like "Sam! I missed you, how are you big boy, you're so pretty..." etc lol. And Sam loves the doctor, too. Crazy boy lol

 

[gypsyterrace]

I just had to put one of my dogs on medicine for allergies and it has cleared all his allergies up within 4 days,he doesn't chew anymore and he is much happier,I can pm you later if you like with what medicine he is on for his allergies.

that would be great. thank you so much

thanks everyone for sharing your doggies' stories as well. feeling a little overwhelmed between him and the gecko eggs i'm uncubating. so overwhelmed i'm trying to find a good loving home for my cat bc he gets no attention

 

[LizMarie]

that would be great. thank you so much

thanks everyone for sharing your doggies' stories as well. feeling a little overwhelmed between him and the gecko eggs i'm uncubating. so overwhelmed i'm trying to find a good loving home for my cat bc he gets no attention

It'll be ok. I have a cat too but she's a pain. She's stuck in the terrible two's.

 

[Bellalee]

Thats not a food allergy.. thats a outside allergy type thing.. haha.. sorry studying too much!

 

[JordanAng420]

In my experience, allergy testing & injections work about 50% of the time...It sure SOUNDS like an environmental or possibly even a contact allergy...
-Does he eat out of a metal bowl or a plasic bowl?
-Do you have carpet or tile, and is there anything strong/fragrant that you use to clean
with?
-Do you wash his bedding or anything he sleeps on in anything with fragrance?
-Is the grass outside where he pees treated with anything?

I had the testing done through a lab called Greer...Mandy ended up being allergic to a certain type of mold, mango, and a bunch of other stuff I don't recall right now...I had the serum made up specifically for those allergens she tested "positive" for (which really means that if the reaction reaches a certain number or higher, it's considered positive) and they worked for a few months. I was also giving a drug called Atopica (Cyclosporine) which is actually an immunosuppresant, and honestly that helped more than the injections did. At $150 per box, it darn well better! Maybe you could ask about a generic form, which they have now & didn't have when I was giving it...Dermatology in vet medicine is like, one of the most expensive areas, IMO

I hope that he's had a skin scraping to rule out dermatophytes, but I assume after all the visits with the vet he has....?

 

[JordanAng420]

edit: I meant fungal culture, not skin scraping, although he could use one of those too. Fungal cultures test for ringworm and other fungus, and the skin scraping tests for dermatologic parasites, such as demodex or scabies. Just to clarify myself.

 

[techgirl]

JordanAng hit alot of good points. Also should have a thyroid check done. Low thyroid can cause skin issues in some cases. I have a pit with allergies. Right now I have her on a grain free diet, use Apple Cider Vinegar to help acidify her skin to prevent fungal infections and bathe her routinely with Malaseb shampoo. This has worked well for me. Raw honey works well for mold allergens too. Good luck with Simon and let us know what happens

 

[gypsyterrace]

JordanAng420...
he eats and drinks out of metal bowls. my apartment has carpet, so its always possible its something in the carpet (like dust mites, etc). i could stand to vacuum more, but i do have the carpet steam cleaned every so often. he sleeps in my bed, and i only use regular scented gain and clorox 2 when i wash the sheets and comforter. as far as the grass...he pees on pads so he doesn't go outside too much.

he's had some tests done on his skin before, but i'm not sure what all the vet tested for. we're going to the university of georgia vet school tomorrow. before they do any allergy testing they're going to do all kinds of tests on his skin, as well as testing his thyroid so they can determine if they allergy test part is really needed.

i've made a list of all detergents, cleaning products (mostly all natural) and anything else i thought might be important for them to know in the testing. i have also wrote down the meds you guys have mentioned, so thank you for your help. i just want my baby to have some relief