i am SOOOO mad! *follow up to my post about allergy testing*

[gypsyterrace]

i posted a couple of months ago about starting allergy tests on my maltese simon at the UGA vet school. he's been on a food trial for 9 weeks now and still no better. today they did the tests where they stick him with 62 diff allergens. i've worried and stressed over it all week.

each time we go, he sees two vet students and one actual vet. its never been the same students or vet, it's different people each time.

so my mom and i take simon in for the tests, they tell us what's going to happen, and say it'll probably take an hour and a half or so, so we decide to go get lunch. when we get back the vet asks if simon has ever had a seizure before, bc he had one as he was coming off the valium they sedated him with. i freak bc this has never before. he descibes what happened (head tilted back, twitching, whimpering and he peed himself), and says not to worry about it. i tell him i always worry about simon. the vet actually replied back "well, it's just a dog."

how can he be a vet and say that to someone?!?! i am beyond livid! i put simon's life in his hands and he doesn't even care? simon may be just a dog to some, but he's MY baby. my sweet pea....and sometimes, the only reason i feel like getting out of bed. he depends on me for love and care....he won't even eat when i'm not at home! he'll wait all day until i get in.

i swear....today had really made me want to be a vet. i would love and care for each animal like it was my own. i just don't have the heart to deal with all of the sad things that come with being a vet.

oh and the tests determined that he isn't allergic to any common allergens. back to the food trials we go. but we WILL NOT go back to the UGA vet school again! NEVER! :main_angry:

 

[gypsyterrace]

oh...and this is simon and his boo boos

 

[ariana]

id demand to talk to his boss!
thats ridiculous, i wish you the best of luck with your simon though, he is a cute lil bugger

 

[Barbel]

OMG! Your poor little baby! That vet obviously doesn't care about the animals. I would definitely complain to someone about the horrible treatment and find another vet!
I found my vet by reading reviews online. He is so awesome and cares only about the animals and not the money. He didn't even charge me for dog's first exam with him, because he knew I needed to make payments on his tooth extraction the next week. There has to be someone like that in your area as well, you've just got to find him/her! Good luck!

 

[Obsidian Tears]

The vet's attitude toward your baby was very unfortunate, even more so because I'm sure that it extends to all his patients. One definitely shouldn't pursue a career they don't have a passion for, although then again, perhaps he was just having a bad day. Either way, I agree, definitely time to find a new vet. But on a lighter note, Simon is adorable! Those eyes are amazingly cute.

 

[Jeanne]

Wow, that really stinks that Simon had to go through all those tests and they found nothing. One thing my Vet said is that dogs can be severely allergic to flea bites. One flea bite can make a dog go through the reactions for 6+ months!

Has Simon ever been put on Steroids? And, if so, did they help?

 

[gypsyterrace]

Wow, that really stinks that Simon had to go through all those tests and they found nothing. One thing my Vet said is that dogs can be severely allergic to flea bites. One flea bite can make a dog go through the reactions for 6+ months!

Has Simon ever been put on Steroids? And, if so, did they help?

thanks you guys....this whole thing has really got me down today. i'm trying not to think about it, but....*sigh*

i am going to talk to simon's regular vet tomorrow morning. he is actually really nice, but he doesn't do the dermatology stuff, so he had referred me to UGA. hopefully he can find someone new for us to try.

they did test him for flea allergies yesterday. as well as other common household insects and pests, molds, fungus, pollens, grasses, etc etc. no reaction to anything. it's so frustrating.

simon has been on steroids, and they do help tremendously. he is back on them right now. i asked about long term usage, and it is highly discouraged bc of the side affects and damage the steroids can cause. i've read about giving Atopica for allergies, but i'm still researching it.

i really do hate it when people say "its just a dog." it makes me feel like i'm crazy or my feelings are not valid.

 

[BalloonzForU]

Wow, a vet saying something like that? That would be like a human doc saying, "ooops" when someone dies under his care.

I'm sorry you're little guy is going through all this, I know what it's like, I actually had that done to me a few times when I was a kid, not fun at all!!!

 

[Jeanne]

I had a tooth break on me last month, and my Dentist told me that it will cost $1000 to fix. I told him that i didn't know if I could do that because of all the money I was spending on Abbies allergy tests, and pretty much did the same thing, said your spending your money on a dog, like I was crazy. Well, I will never go to him again, and he has been my Dentist for about 8 years.

My Vet put Abbie on the Steroids and she did very well on them as well, and she said that the fact that she did so well on them says that she was probably allergic to an inhaled allergy, not food. So, I would probably skip doing to food trials again. I

I wish you were local so you could go to my vet, i am sure she would have already had an answer for you. I hope you get this figured out soon.

 

[gypsyterrace]

I had a tooth break on me last month, and my Dentist told me that it will cost $1000 to fix. I told him that i didn't know if I could do that because of all the money I was spending on Abbies allergy tests, and pretty much did the same thing, said your spending your money on a dog, like I was crazy. Well, I will never go to him again, and he has been my Dentist for about 8 years.

My Vet put Abbie on the Steroids and she did very well on them as well, and she said that the fact that she did so well on them says that she was probably allergic to an inhaled allergy, not food. So, I would probably skip doing to food trials again. I

I wish you were local so you could go to my vet, i am sure she would have already had an answer for you. I hope you get this figured out soon.

i wish i was close to your vet too. she sounds awesome. i am trying to find a holistic vet right now. i think i'd stand a better chance of getting a vet that really cares and isn't just in it for the money.

i did find a poem i wanted to post here....it made me feel better.

Just a Dog

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise." "Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog." just smile, because they "just don't understand."

 

[Jeanne]

That poem is perfect!! Thank you for sharing it!

 

[clegault]

I was wondering what the outcome with Simon was? Did you end up getting his allergy situation figured out? My co-worker has a black lab that is allergic to lots of different things and she doesnt like to use steroids with her (cant blame her- stops the itch but changes their behavior) anyways she uses a product called The Missing Link Plus and its a supplement you add to the dogs food and it really has helped reduced the itching as well as improving her skin and coat overall

 

[GeckoGal]

Have you heard of Addison's disease? my dog has it and it comes with many different symtoms... you can goggle it

 

[goReptiles]

Try Auburn. I know UGA is probably closer, but I've had really good results with using Auburn with MIA. They are all very nice, and typically remember your dog. You'll still run into having different students and probably different vets, but the customer service and treatment is really good.

We've only had one issue, and that was when one of the students basically dragged MIA away and then she cam pulling back- on 3 legs mind you. Her eyes were blood shot and her gums beat red. My dad was heated. He told the student the next visit to carry her.

Other than that they generally comply with out wishes of sticking her in whatever leg we ask (we try to give the lone front let a break and have them stick the back ones).

Food trials generally take time. They have to be on the food for a certain period so that the allergies from the old food are completely out of the system and the new food can be tried out. Then after that period, it has to be done again if the new food causes a reaction.

Good luck.

As much as I'm not an Auburn fan, I'll have to say they really treat MIA well there. Everyone loves her and knows about her. Even when we get a new student, they're always like, "I've heard so much about her and her case." Even if they're faking it, they do a good job.

 

[gypsyterrace]

sorry for the really delayed update. we are actually still having a very hard time with allergies and i've been spending a lot of time in a maltese forum trying to get input from other maltese owners.

we tried the second food the vet school offered us. hill's prescription d/d (venison and potato). simon was actually doing very well for nearly two months. then all of a sudden he started itching...scratching and chewing. he was back on an antibiotic and not looking well. i did some research on natural foods that are good for allergies. i decided to switch him to natural balance brand food. again, he did really well for over a month. and now within the past week, he has been chewing and biting non-stop.

i had talked simon's regular vet about putting him back on steroids until the holidays are over to give both of us some time to relax. he advised me against it, and said maybe we should try the atopica the uga vets had prescribed. he had to order it, and it came in today. tonight will be simon's first dose, and i'm incredibly nervous about it. i've heard both good and bad things, but i suppose its worth a try. *cross your fingers for us*

i'll keep you guys updated

 

[GeckoGal]

thanks for the update, I hope he gets better soon!!!

 

[goReptiles]

You may want to consider EVO it's an all natural dog food that is great. Lamb is generally a good dog food for dogs with alelrgies, as is nutro natural choice. I'm not sure which ones you've tried

 

[JordanAng420]

For the record, i've had WONDERFUL results from Atopica. It's worth the (very large amount) of money you shelled out for it...I'm NOT sure if there's a generic form of Cyclosporin yet or not, but if it's something you're going to use long term, you might want to consider looking out or asking for that.
I hope it works for you.

Dermatology is so super frusterating. Everything is so expenisve, and then you end up with all this stuff that doesn't work. I understand your frusteration.

Just out of curiosity, what are the bad things you've heard about Atopica? I've never heard of any side effects and i've been recommending it to clients for years....

 

[gypsyterrace]

JordanAng420 - i'm really glad to hear that your clients have had such great results with atopica. we live in a very very small town, and simon's regular vet (who had been a vet for 40 years) is just now trying his clients on atopica. simon is only the second one if i remember correctly. he said that the other dog he has on it is doing well, but he does still have to take it every day, rather than cutting back to every other day after the first month. it did end up costing me $75 for a month's worth, so i hope we can at least cut back to every other day.

as for the bad things i've been reading...i've gotten some input from the maltese forum i am a member of, and read a few posts in random forums after doing a google search for atopica. i've read several stories of the atopica making the dogs vomit, and so some were put on cerenia to help their stomachs, on top of the other med. and one lady i've spoke with said that since her maltese has been on atopica she repeatedly gets staph infections (maybe bc of compromised immune system?)

i spoke with dr. mcdougal (simon's vet) about my concerns it will make simon vomit, and he said that hopefully if i stick to the no food two hours before, or one hour after, simon will not get sick. the problem with this is that simon has always been a "nibbler" and i can't get him on a regular eating schedule. but i gave him the atopica last night right before bed, and he didn't get sick. i should know, because i didn't sleep a wink worrying he would...lol. we will see how it goes from here.

goReptiles - i have not tried EVO, i have tried the innova, hill's prescription z/d, hill's prescription d/d and we are currently on natural balance venison and sweet potato. there are some other ones i've tried, but i honestly can't remember. i'd know them if i saw them. i may try a lamb and rice forumla next if the atopica lets us down.

right now is just wait and see i guess.

 

[goReptiles]

I've heard good things about the venison and sweet potato, hopefully that one will work for you so you don't have to keep switching foods.

Evo is a great food, if you ever decide to try it.