Very serious allergy problems

1557 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by IronstayK9, Aug 31, 2006

21natalie

Discussion Starter · Aug 30, 2006

I have a 3 year old half american half english bulldog that will not stop scratching no matter what i do i have tried changing his food to a all natural i have given him up to 4 benydryl a day i have given him a bath almost every day i have spent hundreds of dollars at the vet and nothing ever helps i feel so bad for him he scratches his eyes until they bleed and when they are not bleeding they are stuck shut from all the goop in his eyes he also has scratched a huge hole in his neck,ears,top of his head,and scratched his stomach to were it bleeds all the time please someone help me out i love my dog but i just cant see him suffer like this i will take any advice

Save

1 - 8 of 8 Posts

Jenn

· #2 · Aug 30, 2006

Have you had the allergy testing done to see what he is allergic to?

Save

gazar

· #3 · Aug 30, 2006

What are you shampooing him with?

Save

msvette2u

· #4 · Aug 30, 2006

Your dog can have 10mg/lb. of benadryl. So if he weighs 40lbs. he could have 40mg at ONCE.

Save

-removed-

· #5 · Aug 30, 2006

you can have allergey test's done? do you go somewhere special for that or should my vet be able to provide that, never thought of that

Save

Jenn

· #6 · Aug 30, 2006

I suppose it depends on the vet, I'm not really sure. Yes though you should just be able to get it done at your vet's. At my vet's office they charge $250 take some blood, and send it into somewhere else. I'd assume most would have to send it off for results.

Save

Chico.Heidi

· #7 · Aug 30, 2006

You can get it done at your regular vet but not all vets know how to properly interpret the results. I would definitly go to a canine dermatologist. It's probably the same price, an arm and a leg. :wink:

Save

IronstayK9

· #8 · Aug 31, 2006

Unfotunately I a am a seasoned veteran with dog allergies. I have a westie that has food/airborne allergies as well as a genetic skin disease called Epidermal Dysplasia (ED). If we dont keep the allergies under control, the ED flares up and vice versa. Heres how we managed him:

1. Had him allergy tested! We did this at the clinic I work at and sent it to BioMedical Services, I doubt any vets do this kind of testing "in house"
2. Made food adjustments and ordered antigen (allergy shots) when the results came in.
3. Medicated baths, we use Sulfoxydex to flush the hair follicles and Ketochlor to control the yeast from his ED
4. Hydroxyzine (Atarax) tablets as an antihistamine, these are prescription only, one step up from benadryl.
5. Antibiotics and Ketoconazole to control any skin infections that manage to pop-up (need to do skin and ear cytologies to know which meds are appropriate)
5. Steroid injections a couple of times per year to help smack down flare ups before they get ugly.

We are in control of his allergies right now and the difference between his comfort 2yrs ago and today is amazing! In addition, we have not had to resort to using long term steroids like prednisone, he just gets a simple Dexamethasone injection a couple times a year when his allergies are at their worst. We never once went to the Dermatology specialist, they are $$$ since you cant see the specialist without a referral. We are planning on makin the 5hr drive to Houston, TX to consult with a westie breeder/vet friend of mine about his Epidermal Dysplasia and talk about long term management as it is getting more and more difficult to manage.

Allergies are initially pricy to start management but once they are under control, its easy! Our RAST (allergy) testing was about $350 but we also added on a few test with it. His antigen was about $250 for induction phase and is now $123 for maintenence. Antigen lasts us about 7-8 months. A 100 count bottle of Atarax is about $30 and lasts us several months. Dexamethasone injections cost us nothing, I own a bottle cause of this bugger, but they are fairly inexpensive. Rowdy's other expenses included a Bilateral TECA (total ear canal ablation) due to chronic ear infections: approx $2000, skin biopsy to diagnose the ED: approx. $500 (we had to amputate a dewclaw at the same time too) and countless visits to try and get his ears under control before we did the TECA. A visit to the derm specialist would have broken the budget!

Hope this was helpful! Feel free to pick my brain more if needed.

See less See more

Save

1 - 8 of 8 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month