Dog with allegies?

GoldenShadow

Misty_Blue wrote: »

That's what my dog is on, and it really has worked miracles for him. The last resort for us after that if it hadn't worked was an injection that had to be made specifically to order for him, and imported from France.

He has been on the Atopica for about 2 years now.

The vaccine route was never even an option for my lad because they've never been able to pinpoint triggers or causes. The one thing we know he does react to is vaccinations.

I think it's like steroids, can work absolute miracles but obviously if we can avoid it then we do so. Certainly for me that is the very last route. Cancer is common in my lad's breed as it is and he is trundling along ok on just supplements at the min (Moxxxor, £50 a pot get through one a month). That's not to say his condition isn't severe. His life is considered to be at risk if he is administered with any vaccination and it's plastered all over his records to take great care and assess heavily before any are given. He was nearly put to sleep when he was 2, skin conditions are horrific especially when you can't do much for them

It's just very important to make sure we do have a good all round knowledge. Sadly I know owners who's vet did not describe the potential side effects of Atopica at all it would be wonderful to be able to think all vets had our pets best interests at heart but sadly I don't think they all do. A surprising amount over vaccinate, that is, give vaccinations more regularly than the manufacturer of said vaccination recommends in their own guidelines..!

ceewash

Has anyone any experience of dogs growing out of their allergies as children sometimes do?

orlao

ceewash wrote: »

Thanks for all this advice. I need to find out more. I have an appointment with vet. Obviously this is quite common. We really want to adopt this dog so trying to be positive about it.

What about taking him as a long term foster instead of adopting?
A lot of rescues do this with animals that have health conditions as it means they are out of kennels but they will pay the vet bills.

orlao

ceewash wrote: »

Has anyone any experience of dogs growing out of their allergies as children sometimes do?

Sadly IME it's usually the opposite - the allergies get worse unless you can remove the allergen completely ie an animal that's only allergic to one type of food. More usually, especially if it an 'environmental' allergy (grass, pollen, mites etc) which are nearly impossible to avoid at least some of the time, every reaction seems to make the animal even more sensitive to it and I believe that as the immune system goes into overdrive it is more likely that they will become allergic to even more things! That's why it's so important to try and avoid the allergens as much as possible rather than just treat the symptoms...

I hope that makes sense

Smokey_Joe

Misty_Blue wrote: »

That's what my dog is on, and it really has worked miracles for him. The last resort for us after that if it hadn't worked was an injection that had to be made specifically to order for him, and imported from France.

He has been on the Atopica for about 2 years now.

I had a Jack Russell for many years who after having tests for common indoor and outdoor mites and pollens was found to have an allergy to house dust mites, about 5 types altogether IIRC. She was tried on steroids but as these made very little difference it was decided to put her onto an "exposure therapy" (not sure if that's it's proper name?) programme using injections that were made up specifically for her.

These were imported (I think it was from France) and she had these injections weekly at first building up to a higher dosage over time but reducing the frequency to monthly. After about 3 years or so her tolerance to the mites had increased enough that she was able to be weaned off the monthly injections, which was a big relief to both of us but probably a bigger relief to Petplan who had picked up most of the bills!

I'm pleased to say these injections really did sort the problem out once and for all but alas for the poor girl (and Petplan) not long after she was weaned off the injections she had to go and get her rear left knee dismantled and rebuilt using about 4 pins to hold it together due to chronic arthritis.

After that she became my "bionic" friend and thankfully had a number of years without any more major medical hiccups. I would absolutely recommend that anyone who can afford the premiums for Petplan use them for their insurance as I have never had the slightest problem with them paying out, they can if your vet's agreeable make direct payments to the vet and the cover is reinstated in full each year. They really do provide cover for life though the premiums do jump sharply once the dog becomes a senior. Worth every penny as far as I am concerned and one area of my life I absolutely would not try and save a few quid on (apologies to Martin but I really don't agree with cost cutting on pet insurance).

<ducking into my Anderson shelter>

ceewash

I am pleased you got sorted and your insurance paid out but as this is a preexisting condition then I would have to foot the bill.
Thanks for tip about Petplan I'll take a look at it.

ka7e

The real downside to being allergic to lots of things is that it indicates a faulty auto-immune response. There are lots of conditions that they can be more likely to develop - diabetes, athritis, colitis and dermatitis.

I have an "allergic" cat that reacted terribly after an op and started bleeding internally and under the skin. It took a week of intensive nursing ££££ to get him fit enough to come home and months of recuperation.

I'm afraid a dog or cat with a poor auto-immune system will continue to suffer new complications as they get older - all of which can be excluded by insurers if they deem they come under the same "auto-immune" umbrella

ceewash

Oh dear this is so hard. Should I just choose another dog. 🙈

ka7e

Maybe . It's a hard decision. But unless you can get an undertaking from the rescue to fund "all and future costs relating to her condition", you may be letting yourself in for some big vet's bills in the years to come. If you are going to be financially strapped in the future, will you resent the dog or maybe even have to hand her back to the rescue?

Orlao's suggestion of fostering her might be a good compromise, if the rescue agrees.

ceewash

I have considered all this advice and no-one has said anything that has convince me I should adopt this dog. I am hoping the vet is helpful and yes some commitment to helping with costs might be good.