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Old 11-14-2008, 05:28 PM   #1
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Default Allergy Testing

Johnny got another steroid shot yesterday. It seems like the shot keeps his itching/scratching/biting under control for at least 3-4 weeks but that's no way to live so the next option is allergy testing.

Can anyone share their experiences with this process?
thank you
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Old 11-14-2008, 05:41 PM   #2
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Where is he scratching?
What food is he on?
Have you tried changing it?

In my opinion, allergy testing for food is just about a waste of money.
The only way to see what foods an animal is allergic to is with an elimination diet, so you don't get false positives and false negatives. Or is it environmental?
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Old 11-14-2008, 05:53 PM   #3
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He's on no grain, limited ingredient, fish and sweet potato from Natural Balance right now and has been for 6 months.
The previous 6 months, he was on a vet's prescription diet, rabbit/potato.
There were no changes with diet.
We've tried Atopica with good results except for the vomiting so that's not an acceptable alternative.
Temaril-P is helpful also but brings loss of bladder control.
Hydroxyzine helped in the beginning/July but seems to have lost it effectiveness now.
Any thoughts?
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Old 11-14-2008, 05:59 PM   #4
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It doesn't sound like food since you've tried switching. Could you post the ingredients to both of those though? Is is mainly his face, ears and paws or is he itchy everywhere? Does he have humps, rashes or spots? Everything else been ruled out?
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Old 11-14-2008, 06:10 PM   #5
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He had red blotches yesterday, mostly on his back. Other times, the red blotches are in "arm pits." Skin scraping was done about a year ago with negative results. He's also taking Canine Whole Body Support and Inflam-Ease.
Itching is mostly front half of body including head and biting of feet.



Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets™ Sweet Potato & Fish Dry Dog Food is made with:
Fresh Salmon Single premium quality protein source not commonly used in pet foods.
Fresh Sweet Potatoes Single premium quality carbohydrates, rich in potassium and a highly digestible energy source.
Canola Oil Low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Excellent Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid profile.
Salmon Oil High in Omega-3, source of DHA
Flaxseed An excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. No Artificial Preservatives, Flavors, Colors or Bleached Ingredients.
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Old 11-14-2008, 07:16 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cobird2 View Post
Johnny got another steroid shot yesterday. It seems like the shot keeps his itching/scratching/biting under control for at least 3-4 weeks but that's no way to live so the next option is allergy testing.

Can anyone share their experiences with this process?
thank you
i have been dealing with this for 4 years and sounds like environmental because if steroids and atopica stop the itching then not food as they only work for environmental -- join our allergy group as you will learn a ton -- go to yahoogroups.com and search allerdog and join as allergies can only be managed not usually cured you need to do weekly baths with hypoallergenic shampoo to keep allergents down and tshirts help alot -- the best allergy testing is VARL - my private email is dwert35@aol.com if you want more info but 10% of time it is food allergy and 90% environmental which is the worst and most frustrating but the food you are on is good so stick with it but your situation is more environmental
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Old 11-14-2008, 07:26 PM   #7
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I just went through intradermal allergy testing with Doogan and am pursuing Allergen Specific Immunotherapy for him. Luckily, he does not have any food allergies combined with the enviromental allergies so we should have positive results within a year.
The testing was quite interesting. If you would like to know more, just let me know.
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Old 11-14-2008, 07:31 PM   #8
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Cali has bad allergies and I did the food and environement testing which showed nothing. We have tried everything and besides steroids the only thing that has worked is Atopica. It is pricey. It runs 60.00 for a month and she still scratches a bit. We did have trouble in the beginning with vomiting but the vet had her take a very small dose of steroids the first 2 weeks and that got her over it.
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Old 11-15-2008, 04:37 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Patti View Post
Cali has bad allergies and I did the food and environement testing which showed nothing. We have tried everything and besides steroids the only thing that has worked is Atopica. It is pricey. It runs 60.00 for a month and she still scratches a bit. We did have trouble in the beginning with vomiting but the vet had her take a very small dose of steroids the first 2 weeks and that got her over it.
It sure is expensive, especially when you don't know if it's started working before it gets vomited.
My vet has a generic of it which is a bit less expensive unless you're not comfortable using generics.
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Old 11-15-2008, 04:39 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by bakerylady View Post
I just went through intradermal allergy testing with Doogan and am pursuing Allergen Specific Immunotherapy for him. Luckily, he does not have any food allergies combined with the enviromental allergies so we should have positive results within a year.
The testing was quite interesting. If you would like to know more, just let me know.
Definitely, please share anything you've learned, either through this thread or by email.

Thank you!
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Old 11-15-2008, 04:49 AM   #11
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i have been dealing with this for 4 years and sounds like environmental because if steroids and atopica stop the itching then not food as they only work for environmental -- join our allergy group as you will learn a ton -- go to yahoogroups.com and search allerdog and join as allergies can only be managed not usually cured you need to do weekly baths with hypoallergenic shampoo to keep allergents down and tshirts help alot -- the best allergy testing is VARL - my private email is dwert35@aol.com if you want more info but 10% of time it is food allergy and 90% environmental which is the worst and most frustrating but the food you are on is good so stick with it but your situation is more environmental
I agree as does the vet as it's not his foods but will keep him on the grain-free limited ingredient as it's good for him.
I was doing weekly baths with an antihistamine shampoo-Histacalm-that gets massaged in for about 10 minutes but didn't see much of a change. He hair gets oily too so I have another shampoo to control the oiliness-Sebolux. Vet suggested decreasing bathing to about once a month to help with oiliness. That has helped.
Thanks for sharing the yahoo group...will be joining!
Is the VARL allergy testing a blood test or skin test?
I'm posting here, not emailing you personally, only because the info will get out to more people. You can email me if you want.
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Old 11-15-2008, 06:38 AM   #12
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What are the triggers for environmental allergies? Mine also has excessive scratching and licking, mainly of head and paws. I was going to bring it up to the vet at our next visit.
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Old 11-16-2008, 06:02 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cobird2 View Post
Johnny got another steroid shot yesterday. It seems like the shot keeps his itching/scratching/biting under control for at least 3-4 weeks but that's no way to live so the next option is allergy testing.

Can anyone share their experiences with this process?
thank you
OMG It's been some time since we talked and My little one has started up again really bad I know it's not food she has been on Wellness core ocean which she loves and we don't give her many treats. I have not done the allergy testing either I wasn't sure it would help since the only thing we can do is treat her not cure her.( and thats what I've been doing) Trixie out of no where got so red and she scratched the back shoulder area so bad it was raw ... I have A&D ointment on it that seems to help heal it without getting a big scab on it.. I'm thinking maybe mold spores since it's been so wet this past week... I'm going out of my mind.. I still keep her shirt on her or else she bites herself too..greasy too just like Johnny... How old is Johnny??? I'm just curious as to when he became so bad with the itching. So far everything I do is short term and every day is different.. She does seem happy most of the time... Very playful and she eats well...It's just this crazy skin thing????? Let me know how you make out...
Warm Regards
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Old 11-17-2008, 05:19 AM   #14
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What are the triggers for environmental allergies? Mine also has excessive scratching and licking, mainly of head and paws. I was going to bring it up to the vet at our next visit.
Right now, we don't really know what in our environment causes to the itching and scratching. Allergy testing would show that.
We looked back into his med history and found he started when he was about 4-5 months old and by the time he was 6-7 months old, he was itching and scratching so much, he got some infections.
How old is your pup?
Definitely bring it up at your vet's appt before it gets infected.

I see you're in NY too. We're in Rockland County and wonder if you're nearby? It could be similar issue if we are.
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Old 11-17-2008, 05:32 AM   #15
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OMG It's been some time since we talked and My little one has started up again really bad I know it's not food she has been on Wellness core ocean which she loves and we don't give her many treats. I have not done the allergy testing either I wasn't sure it would help since the only thing we can do is treat her not cure her.( and thats what I've been doing) Trixie out of no where got so red and she scratched the back shoulder area so bad it was raw ... I have A&D ointment on it that seems to help heal it without getting a big scab on it.. I'm thinking maybe mold spores since it's been so wet this past week... I'm going out of my mind.. I still keep her shirt on her or else she bites herself too..greasy too just like Johnny... How old is Johnny??? I'm just curious as to when he became so bad with the itching. So far everything I do is short term and every day is different.. She does seem happy most of the time... Very playful and she eats well...It's just this crazy skin thing????? Let me know how you make out...
Warm Regards

We looked back into his med history and found he started when he was about 4-5 months old and by the time he was 6-7 months old, he was itching and scratching so much, he got some infections.
Johnny's oiliness is controlled super-well by a shampoo the vet gave called Sebolux. Weren't you trying something from Equinat or Skin-eze?
I'm thinking about mold/mildew just like you. There were hardly any days last week when it didn't rain so mold and mildew counts must be high. I hope this cold weather will help some.

Like Trixie, Johnny eats well-Natural Balance-Sweet Potato and Fish-Limited Ingredient Diet, is playful, LOVES his walks, and doesn't have vomiting unless I give Atopica (he's off that now).

Johnny just doesn't have a beautiful swimming pool to relax next to!
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