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dwerten · 11-13-2009, 11:03 PM

I am not a fan of flea meds and here is why

the flea med does not prevent the flea from biting the dog so the allergy dog can still get bit and it only prevents the population of fleas so if you brush your dog daily you should see if there is a flea and you are bathing weekly as well. So putting a chemical on their skin that is already irritated did not sit well with me so i would not use them. If you want to and you have a bad flea area the dermatologist recommends frontline plus

ok so you ruled out thyroid, food, flea and you still have a problem then it is environmental which is 90% of the time anyway BUT even if environmental a allergy dog should be on a limited ingredient diet as to not over tax the system.

Allergents are PROTEINS -flea saliva, pollen, and protein in food

So what can you do with Environmental here are your options

Local raw honey from a farmers market on finger build up tiny amounts on finger daily to build up immunity to the local pollens

Hyposensitization shots from dermatologist by using a blood test and VARL lab is most accurate but blood CANNOT determine food allergy only environmental - skin testing is the most accurate with a dermatologist and you should only pay for these things blood and/or skin if going to do shots. The shots take one year to start working and it works only in 85% of dogs and the reason is your dog could be allergic to 100 things but only 15 things can go in the vile to desensitize your dog so if they do not get those top 15 things right it will not work so it has to be one of the things your dog is most allergic too as well as in the area you live. Some claim it has made their dogs worse but it is the one thing I did not try and sorry i did not as it is the most natural and you should go more natural if you can.

Ok next is Atopica an immune suppressant drug that is safer than steroids but still a drug. It can cause GI upset and may make the dog vomit which it did mine so ideally given on empty stomach but usually have to give with food. It is not cheap will cost about $100 a month depending on how severe your dog is. The bile acids need to be done on yorkies since they have liver issues prior to any drugs i strongly recommend.

If this does not work all you are left with is steroids. The best is temarilp as it has prednisolone and tavist and prednisolone is broken down so less stressful on the liver than prednisone and less side effects than prednisone as i have used both and prednisone my dog looked like a cushings dog and it was horrible but no real symptoms on temarilp and best if doing steroids long term to use steroids every other day NOT every day and it can affect joints and ligaments so dogs with luxating patella on steroids are more prone to acl tears as steroids can deteriorate the joints and tendons.

11-13-2009, 11:03 PM	#21
dwerten BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 11,073	I am not a fan of flea meds and here is why the flea med does not prevent the flea from biting the dog so the allergy dog can still get bit and it only prevents the population of fleas so if you brush your dog daily you should see if there is a flea and you are bathing weekly as well. So putting a chemical on their skin that is already irritated did not sit well with me so i would not use them. If you want to and you have a bad flea area the dermatologist recommends frontline plus ok so you ruled out thyroid, food, flea and you still have a problem then it is environmental which is 90% of the time anyway BUT even if environmental a allergy dog should be on a limited ingredient diet as to not over tax the system. Allergents are PROTEINS -flea saliva, pollen, and protein in food So what can you do with Environmental here are your options Local raw honey from a farmers market on finger build up tiny amounts on finger daily to build up immunity to the local pollens Hyposensitization shots from dermatologist by using a blood test and VARL lab is most accurate but blood CANNOT determine food allergy only environmental - skin testing is the most accurate with a dermatologist and you should only pay for these things blood and/or skin if going to do shots. The shots take one year to start working and it works only in 85% of dogs and the reason is your dog could be allergic to 100 things but only 15 things can go in the vile to desensitize your dog so if they do not get those top 15 things right it will not work so it has to be one of the things your dog is most allergic too as well as in the area you live. Some claim it has made their dogs worse but it is the one thing I did not try and sorry i did not as it is the most natural and you should go more natural if you can. Ok next is Atopica an immune suppressant drug that is safer than steroids but still a drug. It can cause GI upset and may make the dog vomit which it did mine so ideally given on empty stomach but usually have to give with food. It is not cheap will cost about $100 a month depending on how severe your dog is. The bile acids need to be done on yorkies since they have liver issues prior to any drugs i strongly recommend. If this does not work all you are left with is steroids. The best is temarilp as it has prednisolone and tavist and prednisolone is broken down so less stressful on the liver than prednisone and less side effects than prednisone as i have used both and prednisone my dog looked like a cushings dog and it was horrible but no real symptoms on temarilp and best if doing steroids long term to use steroids every other day NOT every day and it can affect joints and ligaments so dogs with luxating patella on steroids are more prone to acl tears as steroids can deteriorate the joints and tendons.