Well, allergy shots officially began at 11:30 this morning!! It's really not that hard of a regimen. He gets a shot every other day for a month or so, and then it slows down to every other week for the rest of his life! For $140, I got 6 months of vaccine and the syringes. After the initial round, it's way cheaper because he just needs a maintenance dose.
He also saw the vet today. The vet was not too concerned about his bloodwork given what was known about his past owners. She agreed it was likely a combination of stress and malnutrition. I may seek out an additional blood panel in about a month or so, once he's had a chance to be stress-free and happy. He's clearly healthy, though. Tons of energy and has already gained an WHOLE pound (in just a week). The vet prescribed Zyrtec to be taken daily, especially while we wait the 6+ months for the allergy shots to take effect. She said that the allergy shots can definitely provide relief, but they are life-long and require commitment from the owner (no problem there!)
The allergy testing process does not require full sedation. According to the place I just went to, they give the dogs a kind of twilight sedation so that they are not completely under. The testing is the expensive part, and the shots are the cheap part (they just require commitment).
As for this little guy's former owners....the story I got today was, basically, they didn't want to deal with the hassle. They refused to do anything more than give the antibiotics and would not stick to any particular treatment regimen. They were "busy" and didn't want to be bothered with giving shots, giving him decent food, taking care of medical needs, etc. So they dumped him off at the pound.
Ya just really got to hate some people. But fate works in mysterious ways and he is now MOST DEFINITELY in his forever home
