Dog With An Allergy

teddysmum

dawnie1972 wrote: »

My dog (10yrs old) suffers with skin allergies - normally in the summer, last year she was on steroids so much so got pancreatitis. As a result she went onto Hills Prescription Diet Low Fat I/D food and this year only had one skin problem which cleared up with steroids. However a couple of weeks ago she had a really bad reaction, gnawed herself so raw until she was bleeding - she never gets a reaction this time of year. Vet gave her steroids, antibiotics and a medicated shampoo, it cleared up but now she's off the tabs she's all itchy again. I've also been told that her blood readings show that the steroids may have caused damage to her liver as her ALKP and ALT readings are high and nothing is decreasing them.

Was she on steroids for several weeks, as I understand that vets are reluctant to give more than very brief courses, because of possible side effects ?


The only dog I had on long term steroids had cancer so quality of life won over side effects in the future.


Have you tried Johnson's ExmaRid shampoo, as Teddy finds that soothing and it smells nice, too ?

rising_from_the_ashes

teddysmum wrote: »

Was she on steroids for several weeks, as I understand that vets are reluctant to give more than very brief courses, because of possible side effects ?


The only dog I had on long term steroids had cancer so quality of life won over side effects in the future.

Sometimes there is little other option - yes, it's not ideal BUT they usually work and they are affordable.

They're certainly preferable to the dog scratching themselves silly / suffering

Rev

My boy has skin issues. Massive hives and rashes.

His main issue is grains. Which sadly are in the vast majority of pet food. He also gets stomach issues if he has processed chicken/turkey/beef/fish.


I swapped him to a raw diet and he hasn't had a single stomach issue since. He's also not once had to have steroids for his skin since the switch. Which he was on regularly.


All the things he can't tolerate when processed he is fine with when raw. He has an antihistamine every day and SF-50 powder just to help boost his immune system.


I also never change my washing up powder (he had a massive reaction to fabreeze and bold). Or air freshener. Or perfume etc. Anything that could be an irritant to him.


I'd at the very least be looking to eliminate all grains from his diet to see if it helped. And processed chicken is quite commonly an allergen to dogs so I'd want to avoid that too.

teddysmum

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Sometimes there is little other option - yes, it's not ideal BUT they usually work and they are affordable.

They're certainly preferable to the dog scratching themselves silly / suffering

The side effects of long term steroids can be horrific; hence vets' reluctance to use long term. There was no choice in Benji's case ,as his cancer was inoperable. He gained a few months of pain free life, but he ballooned to three times his size and was permanently hungry.


However, for itching/scratching ,there are other alternatives (eg Atopica, which has it's risks, but it has not harmed Teddy), so long term steroids can be avoided.

rising_from_the_ashes

teddysmum wrote: »

The side effects of long term steroids can be horrific; hence vets' reluctance to use long term. There was no choice in Benji's case ,as his cancer was inoperable. He gained a few months of pain free life, but he ballooned to three times his size and was permanently hungry.


However, for itching/scratching ,there are other alternatives (eg Atopica, which has it's risks, but it has not harmed Teddy), so long term steroids can be avoided.

The optimal word in that is 'can be' - side effects from any drug 'can be' horrendous - it depends on how each individual reacts / tolerates them, exactly as you've said.

Great that you've found one that suits your dog, that's not always possible for everyone.

Long term steroid use 'can be' and often is the only alternative for many for a whole host of reasons and, if that's the case, then they are preferable to letting the animal suffer.

They don't all result in weight gain and with careful management the animal can remain on them long term without any side effects - just the same as with other treatments .....

chookmom

A thread on itchy dogs! A subject very much on my mind at the moment.
My dog has had a summer seasonal allergy for years managed with Piriton (I will try the wiping over with the cloth next summer).
This year it started late, in September, and hasn't cleared since. The Piriton wasn't enough, steroids helped a bit but not enough. Apoquel at 2 x16mg a day was a miracle cure but as soon as it was reduced to the maintenance of dose of 1 a day he has been itchy as it wears off.
He has grain free, salmon kibble and I have put him on Yumega and I am just trying Dermacton (which has some rave reviews but it's hard to put cream on a hairy dog)
I don't understand why the pattern has changed and I don't want him to have to take tablets for ever, not least because it is so expensive.
In my search for answers I have found a number of reports of expensive testing not proving helpful.

Wooftastic

My dog has several food and environment allergies. We paid £350 for him to be tested and from this they identified the allergens and developed a personalised vaccine which he receives every 4 weeks. By knowing his allergens we have altered his food to remove his exposure to them and he is thriving. The best money I've ever spent. I wish you and your dog all the very best xx

Rev

chookmom wrote: »

A thread on itchy dogs! A subject very much on my mind at the moment.
My dog has had a summer seasonal allergy for years managed with Piriton (I will try the wiping over with the cloth next summer).
This year it started late, in September, and hasn't cleared since. The Piriton wasn't enough, steroids helped a bit but not enough. Apoquel at 2 x16mg a day was a miracle cure but as soon as it was reduced to the maintenance of dose of 1 a day he has been itchy as it wears off.
He has grain free, salmon kibble and I have put him on Yumega and I am just trying Dermacton (which has some rave reviews but it's hard to put cream on a hairy dog)
I don't understand why the pattern has changed and I don't want him to have to take tablets for ever, not least because it is so expensive.
In my search for answers I have found a number of reports of expensive testing not proving helpful.

I've had great results with dermacton!

They do a spray too, may be better for a long haired dog? My dog is short haired, and actually haS barely any hair on his cheST and non at all on his stomach which is where he mostly gets rashes so cream is not an issue (although he acts like I'm applying poison which will kill him immediately!) But I use the spray on his bed and when he really flares up use the shampoo bar. Usually within 5-10 minutes the redness will lessen and he will settle.

Previous to finding dermacton when he had a flare up I'd sit all night with him with a bag of ice wrapped in a tea towel patting him down with that to cool his skin enough for him to get some sleep! I'm very grateful for dermacton haha.

sheramber

A friend had her springer allergy tested and he was found to be sensitive to pork and rice.

No problems of he doesn't eat these .

Well worth the money

chookmom

Rev wrote: »

I've had great results with dermacton!

They do a spray too, may be better for a long haired dog? My dog is short haired, and actually haS barely any hair on his cheST and non at all on his stomach which is where he mostly gets rashes so cream is not an issue (although he acts like I'm applying poison which will kill him immediately!) But I use the spray on his bed and when he really flares up use the shampoo bar. Usually within 5-10 minutes the redness will lessen and he will settle.

Previous to finding dermacton when he had a flare up I'd sit all night with him with a bag of ice wrapped in a tea towel patting him down with that to cool his skin enough for him to get some sleep! I'm very grateful for dermacton haha.

I am pleased to hear this as I too am having some success. I have bathed him with the shampoo bar (practically snatched the package off the postman and began running the water!) and have both the spray and the cream (Itchy dog starter pack).
The 1 tablet wasn't holding him and after 2 days with the Dermacton I have been able to reduce him to half a tablet :T