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Dog with allergies - Options?

Options
13

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  • dawnie1972
    dawnie1972 Posts: 2,428 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    My dog Dolly suffers badly in the summer, we believe it to be a reaction to bites from field midges etc. This time of the year she's fine and her coat is in amazing condition but as soon as the fine weather comes she reacts badly. She's been on and off steroids like a yo-yo and in August of last year was diagnosed with Pancreatitis (I believe this to be as a result of the steroids), therefore I'm really worried about what will happen when the fine weather returns this year - the vet has suggested Atopica but I'm so worried.
    A home is not a home ..... without a dog :heart:
  • GoldenShadow
    GoldenShadow Posts: 968 Forumite
    edited 2 January 2015 at 10:58AM
    My golden retriever has had skin issues most of his life. Started at a year old, and he is almost 6.5 now. But in the best condition he has been in since a year old.

    I am not someone that like steroids. I hate Atopica, having read many things on it. There is a very new one out too that is selling out like hot cakes (Apoquel..?) but I do not want to try something like that until he is at death's door. Atopica works in a way which basically promotes the growth of tumours. Some of which can be cancerous. And that is why I would never use it until it was a very last resort, and on an old dog, at that.

    I would far rather try and have my dog in optimum health, only using medication where necessary. Quite often, my boy's ears will flair up as a secondary effect to taking medication for his skin. I try to listen to him and the signals his body gives off.

    Is this condition covered by pet insurance? There is a new test available in America called Nutriscan. By Dr Jean Dodds. Cost about £300 I think (including carriage) and my insurance paid for it all. Tests for intolerances, not allergies. My dog's results came back clear for all allergies, but Nutriscan showed he seems to be intolerant to white fish and corn/maize. I have since cut those out of his diet, and he is certainly no worse (only a few weeks ago so waiting to see long term effects). Allergies cause reactions very quickly (sometimes more strong reactions too), but intolerances cause symptoms less quickly, hence food trials make it harder to pinpoint intolerances.

    Rupert is raw fed. He has had pancreatitis also. He reacts to vaccinations. I've spent his whole life trying to 'make him better' really and am more than happy to talk to anyone about things I've tried if they feel it might help. Rupert is steroid free 99% of the year now. He gets Moxxor oil capsule supplements daily and that is it. I raw feed him (with the logic that processed/cooked food makes the pancreas work harder, and whilst raw is higher fat, the pancreas has to work less to digest it).

    My dog food knowledge is pretty good if anyone still wants a recommendation of something without x,y or z in it. Zoo plus have some more 'out there' ones too. Fishmongers do fish and potato based foods with no rice.
  • gettingready
    gettingready Posts: 11,330 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    There is a very new one out too that is selling out like hot cakes (Apoquel..?).

    This is what Zara is on, it is NOT a steroid, there is shortage of this one everywhere but it helped her when nothing else did so we are going to stick with it.
  • lisa701 wrote: »
    the blood tests suggested various grasses, which we have also avoided.

    Silly question - but wondering how you manage to do that?

    Maisie (and one of our other dogs had) is allergic to various grasses but I have yet to come up with any reliable way of avoiding them - how do you identify them among other grasses? thx
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  • This is what Zara is on, it is NOT a steroid, there is shortage of this one everywhere but it helped her when nothing else did so we are going to stick with it.

    It does have an impact on the immune system, though. I won't give my boy anything that does that unless he is in a very severe way which, thankfully, he is not at the moment. With his skin issues he very often gets infections, so that is another reason I wouldn't be keen on Apoquel. He is only 6, too, and I've only found study info for two years of Apoquel, not any longer. Cancer isn't that rare in my breed either, again, something Apoquel (not dissimilar to Atopica) can sadly help promote.

    It is a very serious medication, and all I hope is that owners do research and weigh up the pros and cons before they decide what to do. Heck, they have to be serious drugs to be able to control the symptoms they do. I have met owners who's vet has dished out Atopica before doing any tests to try and find out what causes the itch, which doesn't seem right :(
  • Katiehound
    Katiehound Posts: 8,125 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Fortunately I haven't had to use the products on my dogs but these 2 seem to (maybe) calm itchy skin. Perhaps worth a look?

    This has a money back guarantee (and 10% off until Jan 4th):
    http://www.aromesse.com/skin-problem/natural-healthcare-dog-products.html

    Looks like this one has 25% off, or a sample spary for £1.50
    http://www.anicura.co.uk/products/dogs/
    Being polite and pleasant doesn't cost anything!
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  • Hi all,

    I've just registered here s I saw this post and have previously been a lurker on the forum.

    Have any of you looked into immunotherapy treatment for your dogs? My Doberman has quite bad allergies, mainly grass and tree pollen, and the treatment has been a god send. It's not cheap, but very non invasive, and very effective in his case. It simply involves getting vials of the specific allergens made up and giving him regular small doses via injection so he has a more normal reaction during peak season.

    I've just started keeping a record of my dogs health on a blog, and he is due to receive the next batch soon. If it would be of any use I'm happy to write up a detailed post about it.

    It costs us roughly £350 a year, but causes no long term side effects like steroids. As he had the allergies very young we really didn't want him on long term medication.

    Happy to help if anyone has any questions.
  • Sorry, just re-read the original post and realised you've been advised on regular injections. To my last post though, Immunotherapy should have no long lasting effects on your dog. You are not giving medication, but actually injecting small doses of the specific allergens on a regular basis so that the dogs histamine reaction is less severe when the allergen enters the blood stream.

    Happy to discuss if you'd like to. It's genuinely been great for our dog over the last 5 years.
  • vroombroom
    vroombroom Posts: 1,117 Forumite
    I haven't read all the replies so apologies if I repeat anything.

    I lost my almost 10 year old Westie in Feb last year and he was plagued with allergies all his life. I spent ££££'s in vets (I have all the invoices and receipts for the 10 years I had him - enough for a deposit on a small house) and he had every pill, steroid, cream or injection going. I eventually got him tested and the results came back as being allergic to meat, wheat, dairy, pollen and grass (he was 6 at this point)

    The vet wanted me to put him on steroids, Atopica and their own brand food. It was in excess of £140 a month and the insurance never covered it. I did it for three months and saw no improvement. My boy was lethargic, grumpy and becoming totally withdrawn. He didn't like my other dog either. It was so sad.

    I spent ages doing research on food, homeopathic treatments and holistic vets. I spoke to one at great length and they gave me some great advice. I changed his diet to a fish based one - Natures Diet and JWB do salmon and potato kibble so I would give him small amounts of this, but also white fish/tuna sachets. He also had fresh veg - carrots were a huge favourite - and tinned fish from the supermarket. He lived successfully on this diet and it was a lot less than the £140 the vet wanted! In those year he never had any steroids or pills, just his vaccine.

    It's been almost a year but when I buy dog food now I still always look at the back of the packet to see if it would be suitable for him, I miss him so much, my little scratchy boy:A
    :j:jOur gorgeous baby boy born 2nd May 2011 - 12 days overdue!!:j:j
  • lostinrates
    lostinrates Posts: 55,283 Forumite
    I've been Money Tipped!
    We went through something very similar with one of our cats when she was quite young. We went first to a dermatologist, who said it was allergies and suggested dietary control and then the methods suggested seemed increasingly complicated.

    Luckily I have former colleagues who were really help ful and are specialists in this sort of thing ( researching vets and scientists) and they suggested raw. As someone who had looked at diet for my other animals I was ashamed I'd been feeding my obligate carnivores with a grain allergy a dry diet designed to tackle her grain problem.

    Now....on raw, no issue. Its not always possible to be totally raw. We have back up food for various situations and in height of summer we occasionally feed dry food as we live on a dairy farm and I don't think maggots are any better for them thAn grain really.

    My dogs likewise Re fed raw, but I'm not inflexible. There are times I have been to unwell to monitor diet and responsibility has been shared with someone not confident, so ....we've had to for go thAt.

    But...on raw, we've had one of the oldest dogs of its breed, dogs that have never needed dental work....and a cat with allergies that doesn't aggravate those allergies.
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