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Originally Posted by 107barney  Our dog Daisy has severe allergies and we use Atopica with excellent results. I would be very reticent to use allergy shots (presumably steroids?)
If it were me, I'd take the dog to a board certified veterinary dermatologist and see what they have to say unless this has already been done. |
No, allergy shots are not steroids. Basically, they are small amounts of the actual allergens in an injectable form. They are used to stimulate the body's response to allergies. The serum is made to specifically match the allergies of the individual. It's the exact same process using for human allergy shots. In order to prepare the serum, they first conduct skin allergy testing, which the previous owners did for this dog. The results have been used to create a serum of the allergens. The dose slowly increases over time to build up tolerance to allergens.
The place that did the allergy testing is (based on my understanding) a reputable animal allergy clinic (
AADC - Animal Allergy & Dermatology Clinic | About Us).
I think this dog was treated with Atopica in the past (according to his records) but the previous owners were advised that allergy shots would provide long-term, and possibly even permanent, relief (assuming the allergy shot regimen is followed).
I got the impression from talking to the person at the clinic that the family just didn't want to follow up with the hassle of the shots, and hence surrendered him to the pound. The sad reality is that while the shots do have to be administered frequently (especially in the beginning) they are not expensive (about $22/week). I have no problems giving this little guy shots if there's a decent chance of it helping him. He's one of the sweetest, most fun little dogs I have ever seen. He deserves a chance to be itch-free!