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Originally Posted by gracielove  Is there allergy testing for dogs? Maybe finding the source of the allergy would mean you could stop medicating you pet. |
It's been so long ago, I can't remember what the vet said about the costs of allergy testing -- it was definitely available, but it was a long ways away from being cheap; and lilke human allergy testing -- you could test and test and test before you "happened on" whatever your doggie is allergic to. My vet is the one that suggested Benadryl instead; and it definitely works - it is a tiny tiny dose that I give Miss Kitty that does nothing to her except slow down her licking. (A bottle of Benadryl lasts me at least six months.) The Benadryl, at this small dose, doesn't make her sleepy or hyper or sick or anything. My vet said it was safe to continue dosing her with the Benadryl, and so I do. (I sometimes miss a day or two a week in dosing her -- so she's not getting it EVERY day; but I do have to be fairly consistent in giving her the Benadryl, or the licking kick starts back up.) I mix the baby Benadryl with her daily liquid vitamin, and she likes the taste. Now, if Miss Kitty had hot spots or places where she had licked down to bare skin or had flaky spots or any other obvious signs that allergies were plaguing her -- I would spend the money on testing her for allergies. But, since excessive licking is the only thing I'm trying to treat - I decided to pass on the expensive allergy testing. Again - I don't want to mislead anyone; Miss Kitty still compulsively licks SOME - mainly when she is sleepy. I think she is licking to "self sooth" herself to sleep on those occasions. BUT--without the Benadryl, her licking was definitely obsessive, occurring at all times of the day or night. Back then, I COULD temporarily distract her with chew toys or engage her in a play session, and I COULD command her to stop licking. But --what I hated about commmanding her to stop licking --although she would stop when commanded, most times it would cause her to move away from me so she could surreptiously start licking again. I love her cuddling with me -- I never want to do anything to drive her away from me -- have her looking for a "better" place to hang out !! So, I was happy to find out that Benadryl offered Miss Kitty some real relief from the need to lick--without me nagging her about that licking. Licking is her only annoying habit; I'm so happy we've managed to get it under control. So, Benadryl for everyone !! PS I absolutely forbid anyone from pointing me to an article suggesting that Benadryl causes doggie cancer. Do NOT go there !! Miss Kitty needs this stuff. It is the elixir of life, IMHO.
