Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie May  Don't worry about it. If a general vet can't treat allergies, there's a problem somewhere! You're not really going to rule out food allergies while the pup is on steroids. And some vets will just have you try drugs for a few weeks to see if they get their bodies over the "hump." Some of them will consider waiting til winter to see if allergies go away (in very mild cases). If they don't go away, then food becomes more likely. An elimination diet is good to do, but for a lot of dogs it isn't going to work while using steroids. |
actually most vets do exactly what her vet is doing so I disagree - most just throw the dog on steroids without trying to find the root cause and the first step is food allergy has to be ruled out. California is different then a state like where you live as we have NO SNOW. We bloom all year round so DD issue is year round never lets up in the winter ever. This is why cali is the worst state for allergies as we never get a break with an allergy dog.
Dogs with allergies need to be on a limited ingredient diet and while i agree steroids will not stop a food allergy in most cases but this does need to ruled out. Even if not food allergy dog needs to be on limited ingredient diet as to not over tax system with potential allergents.
I went to vets for 1 year prior to dermatologist - I went to holistic and I went to a regular vet before going to a dermatologist and there is a HUGE difference in how they approach an allergy dog. Vets throw the dog on steroids to mask the problem and dermatologist try to do it more naturally and use the least amount of drugs steroids being the very last drug of choice. I understand the cost aspect but sometimes a little more money upfront saves you a ton in the long run. I spent thousands before I got to the dermatologist and the vet gave wrong doseages of atopica etc it was a nightmare actually until i got to the dermatologist - the wrong doseage of atopica was when i said I am done with vets and going to dermatologist as that over dose of atopica would have made her sick. This was back when atopica was pretty new too and I had done my homework on it prior to asking about it as i learned about it from a lady at the pet store