Dog with Allergies

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Wirehairs

New member
Anyone have a dog with allergies? Mines been going through quite a time since the end of october. First we thought he was allergic to something in the field, gave him a shot and he was ok for a while, then he broke out again, food allergy is the thought, started feeding the prescription dog food, seemed like he was getting better and today he is bad again. Vet drew a blood test today to send in for testing. $200 for the blood test. I hope this gets us to the bottom of the problem. Has anyone else had any problems like this and what have you done about it?
 
Yes, Food did it and I switched to native. Food alergies are traced to grain in the food often. Also shampoo like Bio Spot has caused it for me, and flea colars. Since avoiding all the above, no trouble. One other rash causing thing was cedar chips.
 
Wirehairs said:
Anyone have a dog with allergies? Mines been going through quite a time since the end of october. First we thought he was allergic to something in the field, gave him a shot and he was ok for a while, then he broke out again, food allergy is the thought, started feeding the prescription dog food, seemed like he was getting better and today he is bad again. Vet drew a blood test today to send in for testing. $200 for the blood test. I hope this gets us to the bottom of the problem. Has anyone else had any problems like this and what have you done about it?
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I have an allergy dog. I've been around the block with this subject so i'll share with you what I have learned over the years.

First, food allergies are not real common. Less than 10% of allergies are food related, and normally that is a protein source. Not impossible, just not likely. Most allergies are inhalant or airborne. Some are contact (dog has come in direct contact with something). But far and away it is an environmental (airborne) variety that is most common.

As far as testing.

1. Blood tests typically known as RAST & ELISA. From what I was told they present less accurate results many times due to so- called false positives. The tests were originally designed for humans as I understand .

2. Intradermal skin testing. This is far and away the preferred test by Veterinary dermatologists and most accurate. The dog is sedated and a small area is shaved. Then different antigens (many times up to 60 or more) in very small quantities are injected and observed for a raised reaction. It works quite well with many atopic dogs. Unfortunately it was inconclusive in my own case.

You can read more on testing here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2144&aid=504

Here are some other options. Some are more expensive and some not. Talk to your vet about what to try and formulate a game plan. Usually seasonal allergies crop up at the same time each year and you can set your calendar by it and head it off before it gets a chance to get ugly.

Antihistamines (Zyrtec, benedryl etc..)
Ask your vet for dosages.
Most antihistamines given in the correct dosages give roughly 20% of the dogs some relief, some may work better than others. Sometimes used in conjunction with steroids and may even reduce the amount of steroid needed. There are several that you can try and your vet may suggest trying one for 2 weeks to see if it works before trying another.

Atopica (trade name for cyclosporine), works very well in about 75% of the dogs with atopy. I have tried it on my pooch and it worked well. I elected to try and manage it another way as initially Atopica can be quite costly. However, if you do go the Atopica route normally you will see good results in a couple weeks and then the dosage can be tapered off and that lowers the cost considerably. The other thing about Atopica is that there are few if any side affects, and they offer rebates quite frequently. Ask about a generic version as it may be cheaper


Steroids/antibiotics:

This is the route I elected to go with for cost reasons, that and the skin testing did not reveal what the dog was allergic to in my case.
If you go the corticosteroids route you may have to experiment on just the right amount to keep the symptoms at bay. Normally the dog will only need steroid for a relatively short time. Initially the dog is put on a low dose steroid every day and then the frequency is backed off and eventually weened off altogether. Also common with allergies is the onset of a secondary bacterial skin infection and a combo of antibiotics and low dose steriods usually treats the symptoms very well. Find the right combo and start treating before the allergy season gets going and you can lessen the severity of the symptoms drastically. Long term steroid use can present side affects, but for short times (month or two) in low doses, it is quite effective with minimal if any side affects.

A lot here to digest, I know, but be diligent and you can come up with a plan that works. Hope you find out what the culprit is.
 
I have a gsp with severe allergies. It started at one year of age. Everytime I would take her hunting she will breakout in a horrible rash. The only time I can take her hunting is late in the season when everything is frozen. After working with my vet for two years there is no easy fix. She lives on 5mg of predisone every other day and 20mg of zyrtec. This has also been the most cost effective way to give her relief. The allergies will never will go away but I can keep her comfortable. She has become my high energy house dog. I ended up getting a gwp this spring. Thank god she has no allergies. The allergies have been a horrible experience. I had thoughts of putting her down but could'nt do it. The worst thing is that she is a awesome bird dog. She can always find a pheasant. I hope your dog just has seasonal allergies that can be treated easier.
 
I have allergy issues with my weim. Mine are mostly food allergies but there is something else that comes up from time to time. The majority of our problems went away when we went to grain free foods. There is a food called California natural grain free that is very limited ingredient. Basically chicken and peas. We started with something similar and found our problems stopped so we figured it was a grain. We then went to another grain free with more ingredients and still no problems.

Not long ago my dog broke out again and I couldn't figure it out. I'm sitting in the kitchen one night and my wife asked me " did you just throw the dog an almond" didn't even think about it until she asked. No almond no rash.
 
Ahh yes Birdshooter.:D This food subject. He has dealt with alott on here with this topic. But Food allergy is not as uncommon as it seems. Even if it is 10 percent, factor that with how many millions of dogs there are and the # is plenty big. Simply picture 10% of all dogs in your town. Better odds then a pull tab to have reactions to something in the food. Corn is a proteinn source they talk about all the time that many suspect. All I know is I got away from a diet with the so called ?able ingredients, and 2 years later no issues at all. The worst for any dog was the shampoo for me. The one dog lost a whole bunch of hair because of that flea shampoo. Never even had fleas, I just did it anyway. Not any more.:D The grain free diet is working across the US for people. Some say it is also starch, either way it is still related to grain. the wild k9 diet they claim does not include grain.
 
FCSpringer said:
Ahh yes Birdshooter.:D This food subject. He has dealt with alott on here with this topic. But Food allergy is not as uncommon as it seems. Even if it is 10 percent, factor that with how many millions of dogs there are and the # is plenty big. Simply picture 10% of all dogs in your town. Better odds then a pull tab to have reactions to something in the food. Corn is a proteinn source they talk about all the time that many suspect. All I know is I got away from a diet with the so called ?able ingredients, and 2 years later no issues at all. The worst for any dog was the shampoo for me. The one dog lost a whole bunch of hair because of that flea shampoo. Never even had fleas, I just did it anyway. Not any more.:D The grain free diet is working across the US for people. Some say it is also starch, either way it is still related to grain. the wild k9 diet they claim does not include grain.
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Ok Ken, let me clarify. I hope you weren't implying that I had been around the block HERE at UPH on this subject. Just sharing the knowledge I have gained in the last 4 years of dealing with allergies and consulting with a veterinary dermatologist. :) So I guess you could say I have been around the block with this. It can be very frustrating trying to not only identify what the dog is allergic to, but also a treatment plan that works consistently and is affordable. You learn as you go.

As for food allergies. You do know that I was talking about 10% of ALL allergy cases being food related don't ya? not 10% of the dog population as it seemed by your post. Even so, 10% is still relatively small number when you look at the total number of cases that a typical dermatologists sees in a given time.

To be honest, a food or elimination trial is the only way to truly identify a food allergy and that usually means using one of the prescription diets or novelty diets such as duck, venison with one carbohydrate such as potatoes. Basically something that is not contained in one of the mainstream diets. Until you can eliminate the offending ingredient through trials your stabbing in the dark. Grain free diets only work if grains are the culprit, and then which grain is it? Not an easy task at all.
 
mngwp said:
I have a gsp with severe allergies. It started at one year of age. Everytime I would take her hunting she will breakout in a horrible rash.
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That is basically how I first experienced it with my younger dog. Although, now it seems to have nothing to do with hunting, but rather the time of year. In my case it starts in early November and lasts till April. Coincidentally that is also the average home heating season here in Minnesota.:confused:
 
Yea BS, I know how this has gone on other threads is all I meant and I know you have seen that, it can get carried away, how? I have no idea.:D Yes I Bill Clintoned and miss read. 10%. Now when I consult our vet who I rate as good, he claims he sees it fairly often. And he also talked about having to give a new food a long try, up to a year. If you switch, don't expect a change over night. Also look for similar ingredients in foods you have tried for a possible link. Then try one with less or none of a suspect ingredient.
Any way I hope you can get it figured out. A dog miserable is an owner miserable.
 
birdshooter said:
That is basically how I first experienced it with my younger dog. Although, now it seems to have nothing to do with hunting, but rather the time of year. In my case it starts in early November and lasts till April. Coincidentally that is also the average home heating season here in Minnesota.:confused:
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I cannot get my dog off of the predisone. I wanted to do allergy testing on her but was told the dog would need to be off steroids for a month for the testing to be effective. If I take her off of it for more than two days she breaks out. No way she could make it that long. Wish it would have been just a food allergy. Ive tried every kind of natural and grain free dog food and no luck. My vet has another allergy dog that he has seen for nine years thats on predisone and antihistamines. They still can live comfortable but there are side effects long term with steroids that I have noticed over the last two years. Im sure there is other routes that one can take but it comes down to how much you want to spend. For me it seems to be a money pit with no guaranteed outcome.
 
I have a friend in Buffalo, MN that has a Small Munsterlander that developed a skin problem a little over a year ago. He was giving the dog prednisone and also using a spray steriod on her. After several months of battling the condition he finally took her to the U of M. I don't remember what it ended up being but using all the prednisone and steriods was masking the problem. I'll email him and get some more details. I know he was feeding a special dog food but that wasn't the issue either and she is now on regualr dog food.
 
Got a response back from my friend. It all began with the dog scratching and chewing on her feet. His local vet called it an allergic reaction and prescribed prednisone tablets. Then the dog started to loose hair on her ears and the edges of the ears were dark and dry. Looked very much like mites or mange so the dog was given Ivermectin injections. If had no effect so he continued with the prednisone tablets and spray. It helped quiet the problem down but really was just masking the problem. After while he was convinced that the vet had misdiagnosed the problem as the vet was blaming it on dust, grass, dog food, her bed and normal allergy issues. That's when he went to the U of M, vet school. They diagnosed it as a fairly advanced skin infection possibly brought on by a few flea bites when the dog was boarded at a kennel. The treatment was 500 mg tabs of antibiotic 3 times a day. The dog started to improve right away and if back to normal using no special foods or medications.

I believe these things are extremely difficult to sometimes diagnose. Symptoms for allergies, mites or infection can be very similar.

Back in the 70's I had a Springer that would get the worst rash on her underside if she was wet or damp for very long. Shampoos and other things would help but not completely resolve the problem. But one shot of Cortisone would clear it up immediately.
 
Tony is allergic to the ash from the Mt St. Helen's eruption. Yes it is still around where the ground has not been plowed. The CRP has a nice ground layer. He gets a rash on the inside hind quarters and that area in general. A good shampoo wash job usually clears it right up............Bob
 
I got the blood test results back and according to the test Otto is allergic to
Orchard Grass, Bermuda Grass, Ryegrass, Johnson Grass, Wheat Grass, Pigweed, Lambsquarter, Cedar trees, Oak trees, Elm trees, Cladosporium Fungi, Stemphylium, Nigrospora, House dust, Chicken, Turkey, Soybeans, Oats, Potato, Brewer's Yeast and Tobacco Smoke.

In talking with the Vet, I think we will be OK by watching his diet, giving him Benedryl daily, and doing a steroid shot before pheasant season next year. I am also going to try a chest protector early in the season and Neoprene vest later in the season to help protect his skin. I need to keep him away from Cedar bedding also.

If all this doesn't work then we will travel to see a dermotoligist.
 
If you suspect your dog has allergies or has some type of skin issue, I would first check the dogs thyroid level. Thyroid issues create a lot of problems. I think most people assume a dog has an allergy issue when indeed it may very well by thyroid related. Prednisone is not healthy for dog. I would have every test possible done before I put a dog on it long term.
 
The problem with the blood test is it's accuracy can sometimes be suspect and throw a false positive back. The Intradermal skin test is far more accurate. No question that long term steroid use will have side affects.

MNGWP,

I hear ya about the costs of all the testing and such. Been there done that. I will just say that the Intradermal skin test is going to be your most accurate test for finding out what she is allergic too. If you should decide to give it a try you will want to let her off the steroids for a given time and if she has a flare-up in the meantime that is the best time to get tested.
 
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