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Oh how I know about this one. One of our dogs has allergies and lots of them. She requires shots, special baths and a daily dose of Zyrtec. We also have to put her on steroids every now and then when the itching gets a little too much and she starts to rub spots on her body raw. With the weather right now, it's a bit of a battle to keep her skin calm.
Atopic (airborne) and flea allergies are more common than true food allergies...I've had a few dogs with flea and atopic allergies.
The only shots I've ever had done were a long time ago; steroids for a dog who had severe flea allergies. This was before the advent of effective flea control meds, though.
Mostly it's been about management...good diet and fish oil, medicated shampoo, keeping ears cleaned regularly, topical flea meds from the vet, Benadryl or Tavist for mild itching and eye drops for itchy eyes.
I know someone who had a dog with miserable allergies; they had very thorough testing done at MSU, then a "custom cocktail" injection every so often. It helped a great deal, although it was mad expensive!
Our dog had an allergy test--- those aren't cheap. The challenge is they have to be off of anything used to control their allergies for two weeks. Our dog could only have oatmeal baths to calm her skin down during that 2-week period. Because of that, we waited until late fall, when less things bothered her, to have the test done. Today, she requires a weekly shot (I administer it).
The reason I started this topic is because recently out of nowhere, my dog got flakey skin on his backside near his tail. His whole body turned "pink" and he has/had crusty areas near his private parts. I was worried and wanted the Vet to do something. They gave me meds, which he's still on which is an antibiotic, Keflex, and a medicated shampoo. They suggested a dermatologist, but decided to draw blood instead. I thought he was allergic to the food he's on since he's had numerous of food issues that resulted in bloody stools. But instead of food allergies, he has allergies to different types of grass and flea saliva~? Never heard of flea saliva. A friend told me all dogs are allergic to fleas, but he's on a monthly preventative. He scratches which I thought was normal for a dog and licks his paws which I thought was normal, and perhaps he was cleaning himself. So am I making a mistake by starting him on allergy shots~?
My dog is allergic to grass and will bite her paws raw if she spends too much time in the grass.
My (late) black lab had terrible seasonal allergies and was on Benadryl daily for years. Have you tried an antihistamine yet?
It would be nice if the solution were that simple.
My dog is allergic to grass and will bite her paws raw if she spends too much time in the grass.
My (late) black lab had terrible seasonal allergies and was on Benadryl daily for years. Have you tried an antihistamine yet?
It would be nice if the solution were that simple.
I was overly concerned with his whole body being pink and was more noticeable on his belly. The Vet told me that the crusty area I saw was a bacterial infection but had nothing to do with the allergies he tested positive for. Benadryl was never brought up in the conversation nor an antihistamine.
My basset is going nuts lately. He's scratching his face and snout, scratching his ears, and rubbing his chin on the carpet and grass outside. His eyes had some discharge last week. I talked to the vet about it, and he was going to give me eye drops, but somehow we ended up coming home without that medication. I have a medicated shampoo I'm going to try. We're definitely heading back to the vet's next week. We did discuss Benadryl but decided against it because it never works and only makes them tired. I'm interested in knowing if Zyrtec works and if it causes sleepiness. I've never heard of Zyrtec for dogs.
A friend of mine told me "it is normal for dogs to be allergic to fleas, and that is why you give the monthly flea meds like Frontline". She also told me "it is normal for a dog to scratch and lick its paws", where another neighbor told me "he did have a dog with allergies, even a cat where they had to give allergy shots". Also, my friend told me "what are you going to do just walk him on the concrete and make him pee on the concrete" (something like that)~?
Long story short, I'm still concerned.
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Allergy Shots: Yes or No
