Anyone gone through Allergy Testing?
So, the vet wants to do allergy testing. Anyones dog gone through this? What type of results did you get? She said he might have a dust allergy and we'd be looking at injections! |
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Hendrix's Mom wrote: I posted back in the fall 2011 of Hendrix having this terrible open sore on his hip. It's come back a couple times since October 2011 and the vet and I both agree that the medicine is taking the sore away but not for good. It looks A LOT like a hot spot, but it's not. He licks it to the point of bleeding and it looks like he's been scalped, absolutly disgusting. So, the vet wants to do allergy testing. Anyones dog gone through this? What type of results did you get? She said he might have a dust allergy and we'd be looking at injections! Yes, I have. You need to go to a specialist who is a dermatology/allergy vet (specialist). The test itself is quite simple. They narrow down what your dog is allergic to & then formulate a serum for you to give to the dog as an injection. You start out with a small amount & increase it in small increments weekly until they feel the dog is finally desensitized. Then you are on a maintence dosage generally weekly but possibly every 2 weeks or 3 weeks as the dog ages & desn't need it quite as much. Each dog is different. My girl years ago was allergic to housedust & housedust mites. The key is a good specialist & patience. It takes several weeks before you finally realize your dog isn't scratching & chewing & licking as much a before. Took an entire year for her coat to grow back in that area enough so that I could continue to show her. She was diagnosed at the age of 14 months, finished her AKC championship at the age of 3-1/2 years & went on to earn her CGC, CD & Versatility Award. She lived until the age of 11 years 2 months & was the grand dame of the kennel, letting all the dogs & visiting dogs know she ran the show.  Most intelligent dog I have ever owned. The vet should show you how to give the injection so you can do so yourself at home. Our vet let us come in on Saturday mornings before office hours. He did the injections for the 1st few weeks, having us watch what he was doing. Then he had us give the injections the next few weeks under his supervision & then we were set to go. |
| Wow, thank you so much for all of the info! Were the injections pricey? So, if I understand correctly your dog was not on the vaccines for lifetime? |
Hendrix's Mom wrote: Wow, thank you so much for all of the info! Were the injections pricey? So, if I understand correctly your dog was not on the vaccines for lifetime? The serum was good for 1 year. As the year progressed of course it's potency decreased. I don't remember it being particulary pricey in the fact that I ordered it from the specialist (they made it right there in their own lab), they shipped it overnight & it was a year's supply paid for all at one time. I always had some left at the end of the year (which was disposed of). And yes, she was on injections for her entire life. But we started out weekly in gradually increasing amounts until we hit the plateau where she was densensitized. She stayed on weekly shots for a few years but then we were able to back off to every other week & eventually once every 3 weeks. |
| I had it done for Bailey when she was a puppy out in Seattle. She had pulled out all of the hair on her rump. They shaved a square area of fur and tested just like they would for a person. It cost me quite a bit but was definitely worth it. They gave the results in scales - according to how allergic she was. She was allergic to a few things but "massively" allergic to wool, of all things. I was never able to have any wool rugs or any wool that she would come in constant contact with. Same with dust mites, mosquitoes, fleas, etc. But once you know what triggers it, it's much easier to help prevent. I never did injections. I hope that it works out for you. Betsy |
| So they tested the infected area or a random other area? Hendrix licked a part of his back to the point of looking like he's been scalped! He's already on a gluten free diet, takes allergy pills and gets a fish oil caplet once a day. |
| I'm not sure exactly what area they took the test from but it was called a skin punch test (back then). It might not matter because they just need to get a sample from your dog to find out what he's allergic to. He's not allergic to something only in 1 area of his body, it just manifests itself in 1 area. Melody's happened to be the outside of her left thigh. Basically, their body is sensitive to the allergen & they are itching from the inside out when it is an inhalant allergy. Contact allergy might be a bit different but I have no experience with that. I do know that they had to be off all medication (other than Heartworm meds) for a specific numjber of days before the test so the vet could get a true reading & the meds were not masking anything. I had to take her off pred & an antihistamine. You will want to let the specialist know everything he eats or takes as a supplement so they can tell you what to do in that area. It sounds terrible having to take them off meds that are helping at least somewhat but the long term results from proper allergy testing is well worth it. |
We went to a specialist as well and they tested Bailey on her side, by her belly. Shaved a rectangular area but the hair above the area fell down over it so you couldn't really see the bare spot with all of the little prick spots unless she was lying on her side  She did not have to go off any meds because in Seattle, you did not give Heartworm medication. I hope that it all works out - poor puppy will feel so much better. In the meantime, are you giving the dog Benedryl or antihistamines? Has the vet suggested that? Just trying to help  Betsy |
| Yes, vet suggested 8 Kirkland (costco's generic) allergy pills a day. Their smaller so Hendrix needs more of them. I haven't noticed a difference with him taking them, but I guess that's because he's got a bigger allergy then those little pills can fix. Thanks everyone! Going to the vet tonight to see what she says about it. I never even thought about not taking meds and I just gave Heartworm preventative on 3/23. She'll have to give meds to fix his wound and then i guess I'll be making the separate allergy appointment. |
| Good luck. Betsy |
| I am pretty sure they can be on Heartworm meds when tested. Just double check to make sure. It's more steroids & stuff that might mask the symptoms. |
| At Michigan State University, they do both intradermal testing and RAST (blood) testing as part of diagnosing environmental/seasonal allergies. The punch testing Bumble had was to rule out mites and diagnose pyoderma due to a particular staph. We've exhausted all testing options on Bumble... I do need to ask about the punch testing Marilyn mentions. Here's MSU's pre-tesing requirements and test fees. Fees will depend on where it's done and they may have different requirements. http://cvm.msu.edu/hospital/services/de ... letter.pdf For intradermal allergy testing, the dog is sedated, they shave down an area on the side, mark a grid and inject small amounts of different allergens into the skin in each quadrant to see if there's any reaction.  A positive reaction will display a wheal or raised, itchy area. They record any reaction... I think it also includes the size of the wheal. There can sometimes be a delayed reaction... Darby did this with Ragweed. I tracked the local pollens before testing to see what was prevalent when she started reacting in late August. (We had only done RAST blood testing a couple years before this and Ragweed was not pinpointed as a cause.) I narrowed it down to 3 specific pollens and requested they be included in her testing. It was a day or so after the testing that I noticed she'd developed a hard, very itchy lump in the Ragweed quadrant. So keep tabs even after the test if intradermal testing is done.  If there's a reaction, that allergen is part of the custom serum mixed for your dog. You start out with frequent injections of small amounts, building up higher amounts less frequently. Dosage is dropped when a new bottle is started due because of the decreasing potency of old product compared to new. Seeking help from a board certified dermatologist is the best approach. Dr. Rosser at MSU had access to about twice the number of allergens compared to my local vet. Hoping you'll get some answers.  |
| Back from the vet! She said she’s seen a lot of animals come in with allergies this week because allergens are HORRIBLE right now with everything budding early. So, his infection is either an allergen or a flea bite (even though I give him preventative). So, she cleaned his wound up and shaved about a hand size amount off of his butt. So he’s walking around with a huge shaved spot on his butt. She gave me meds to kill the infection and make it heal. Luckily I still had the shampoo to make it heal too. Then I talked to her about allergy testing and we went with a blood test. I thought they'd go right into knocking him out and doing a full scale test. She said, this blood test should do it... hopefully! So this blood test goes to a lab and they run it against 90 known allergens in the Midwest. Then the lab test results will come back in 10 days and report back to what he’s allergic to. It might be something that they have a prescription for (so if it’s ragweed, we might need a larger/stronger allergy med) or if it’s a more complex allergy (let’s say dandelions and dust mites) then they’ll create a vile for him to get injected. The vile lasts for a year and it costs $250, so $20 a month. Now, the 10 day wait! |
Hendrix's Mom wrote: Back from the vet! She said she’s seen a lot of animals come in with allergies this week because allergens are HORRIBLE right now with everything budding early. So, his infection is either an allergen or a flea bite (even though I give him preventative). So, she cleaned his wound up and shaved about a hand size amount off of his butt. So he’s walking around with a huge shaved spot on his butt. She gave me meds to kill the infection and make it heal. Luckily I still had the shampoo to make it heal too. Then I talked to her about allergy testing and we went with a blood test. I thought they'd go right into knocking him out and doing a full scale test. She said, this blood test should do it... hopefully! So this blood test goes to a lab and they run it against 90 known allergens in the Midwest. Then the lab test results will come back in 10 days and report back to what he’s allergic to. It might be something that they have a prescription for (so if it’s ragweed, we might need a larger/stronger allergy med) or if it’s a more complex allergy (let’s say dandelions and dust mites) then they’ll create a vile for him to get injected. The vile lasts for a year and it costs $250, so $20 a month. Now, the 10 day wait! He'll start to feel better soon & so will you. He'll be thanking your for not wasting anymore time. |
| Ask the vet for a syringe and practice with an orange. It's playing with the syringe (you can draw water up and inject the orange) that will make it more comfortable for you. A thinner skinned orange is better - you are learning to feel the difference between the skin and tissue under the skin. The vet will show you how to remove air bubbles from the syringe - it is important that you are consistent in the way you draw it up so the dose is correct. And it is a good idea to have a bottle of benadryl on hand in case of a reaction. Even better if you can have it premeasured (maybe the "spoons"). If you have it, you tend not to need it. |
 I had a blood test against allergy on an oes ten years ago.He tested positive on everything outdoors and indoors......so what to do then? To make a long story short; The only thing he was allergic to was mite. He had wounds that wouldn't heal. His skin were pink where it should be white. (Very often dogs are allergic to mite and fleas.) When we got all the mites killed the dog didn't show any sign to illness or allergy at all.   So a long and complete cur against those small invators could be a good suggestion,because mite might sometimes be difficult to find. |
| I'm glad you posted because my vet thought maybe he got bit by a flea. I give him preventative monthly. Should I put a flea colar on him? How do you get rid of mites? I vaccuum daily! |
Hendrix's Mom wrote: I'm glad you posted because my vet thought maybe he got bit by a flea. I give him preventative monthly. Should I put a flea colar on him? How do you get rid of mites? I vaccuum daily! The best thing is to ask your vet, because he or she knows or should know what kind of fleas your dog can get where you live. And it is nice to have a correct diagnose! If there is cat- and dogfleas where you live it is not enough to vacuum daily.  (And you need to treat all your animals.) The cat- and dog fleas can breed big colonies indoors pretty fast. Doesn't help how much you wash your dog and your house. You need to use Indorex spray or Staykill spray.....or smt simular that kills eggs, larvas and the adult fleas. Maybe flea color is a good thing (that protects against ticks too); I heard that Program vet (substance is Lufenuron) is good, then the fleas who drinks blood from your dog cannot breed, the larvaes dies and cannot grow up to adult fleas. In Norway were I live we don't have cat- and dogfleas and it is easier to get rid of the kind of fleas we got, because they need blood from animals that lives outdoors to multiply. After having the mite problems I use Staykill or Indorex spray once a year at all the floors and where the lay down.......sofa, bed. I shall never have that probem again!!!!!!!  If the problem is mite you need other medication; Stronghold ( if I remember it correct?) or Interceptor and I think there are some more options - ask your vet. You also need to treat the floors indoors with Indorex spray or Staykill and vacuum a lot.  If fleas or mite is your problem the dogs or other animals your dogs play with could be infected too.  I hope your vet finds out what the problem is and that Henrdix gets well. I've seen how much a dog can suffer because of mite. He was biting in his wounds - awful - some dogs get very ill when thay have mites while other dogs doesn't get ill from it at all. (Sorry if my english is bad.) Best wishes to you and Hendrix from us!  |
| RESULTS ARE IN! So my vet called me today with Hendrix’s blood allergy test results. She said he’s all over the place on the allergy board. He has a major allergy to weeds, bluegrass, pines and hickory trees. He has an extreme allergy to dust mites and food mites. Her solution was to go with the custom allergy vial for allergy injections. She also suggested buying smaller bags of dog food (not happening, I would be buying food weekly) and put it in in an airtight container (I already do). So, she then suggested cleaning out the container between each bag. I’ll have to give injections every 2 days then gradually move to monthly. I’m just relieved we’re on the road to recovery and bringing him to a comfortable state. She said she teared up when she saw how high his allergy levels got, she said, “he just must be in pure agony.” |
| At least now you have something to go on! The big thing now is to remember to be patient. One shot isn't going to show you instant results. It will take some time for his body to work with the serum to achieve the desired results. But you WILL see results. And I applaud you for going the distance to find a solution & for dealing with the solution.  A lot of people would just give up & get rid of the dog. |
| Glad you found out the source of Hendrix's troubles. Our first OES, Quincy, was highly allergic to dust mites as well. There's only so much you can do to limit exposure, as the dog is basically allergic to us and themselves, but here is what we did. 1. Bought new vacuum cleaner with triple HEPA filtration. Regular vacuums suck up the particles, and blow many of them back out through the fan. 2. Put a UV light on our furnace system to zap dust mites 3. Put all pillows and mattresses in allergenic covers 4. Wash dog beds at least once a week 5. Leave doors and windows closed, especially with additional pollen allergies. Basically, we go right from heat to air conditioning. 6. Bathe dog frequently in gentle shampoo, to remove allergens from the fur. 7. Dust and vacuum every other day. 8. Change furnace air filters once a month. I also gave Quincy allergy shots. I was deathly afraid of needles, but it was a breeze. Far easier to suck it up and do it rather than drive Quincy 40 miles round-trip to the vet. Laurie and Oscar |
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