Hi, I have a 6 year old yellow lab and he's always had bad allergy problems. We've tried lots of different things but i must admit of late I'd kind of given up. Yesterday we took him to the vets for his jabs and the vet said he was very concerned and that his allergies were very serious. We got given some steroids and to bring him back in three weeks. In the past we tried some very expensive injection treatment and the vet is pushing for us to do that again. I worry that it will just hurt our budget (We are probably talking thousands a year which we can't really afford). Currently all we've been using is cheap antihistamines but it obviously not enough. Does anyone have experience of these injections that actually worked in the long run? Any other suggestions? (We already have him on allergy food and on an allergy bed).
Hi and welcome to the forum What sort of things is he allergic to? Our dog is allergic to things like pollen (ie not a food allergy). We find that a combined steroid/antihistamine (tablet form) keeps it well under control. And it's not expensive at all.
My parents GSD is on steroids for allegeries. She was on a daily dose but has reduced this now to a few times a week. It is on repeat prescription but has worked so well. She would chew her feet etc and had a greasy patch on her back. All of this has stopped since the steroids.
A neighbour's dog gets the injections (after tests to determine exactly What she was reacting to) and they work for her. She was tried on Atopica, which is a lessor evil than Prednisone, but it didn't work on her. In my readings I learned "allergies" tend to worsen over time so your girl probably needs the tests again as now she is likely reacting to more things than she did before. Allergies in quotes because I read that dogs don't really have allergies, they are called sensitivities or intolerances. Consider too, some Vets now believe these issues stem from the gut. It certainly seems to be true for Oban. He was on Atopica for three summers till he got horribly sick and was diagnosed with Lymphangiectasia. He is one of the lucky dogs to seemingly make a full recovery and now his gut is in shape he is not itching. He is also on TCM. Good luck, it's awful to see them itch.
Do you wash your dog? An anti fungal, anti bacterial shampoo that you leave on for 10 mins before rinsing off might give your dog relief - usually expensive, from the vet, but worth it in our experience.
My last Lab had skin problems. As MF says above there is a prescribed shampoo that can help (it wasn't especially expensive in the UK) - the one I had was Malaseb. My boy also needed occasional courses of steroids (prednisone/ prednisolone can't remember which) but these were tablet form and certainly didn't run to thousands of pounds a year. We found a much lower dose than first prescribed did the trick. You do need to keep on top of the scratching as (apart from it being horrible for your dog) otherwise infection can set in. Have you had him allergy tested, or are you guessing at what's setting it off? I wonder if it might be possible to control some of the allergens by changing his diet, bathing etc. I hope you can find a way to keep him more comfortable.
Quinn has seasonal allergies and last year we weren't sure the cause and did a combination of antibiotic (to treat skin infection) and steroids for itch. This year we have put her on apoquel which helped within 24 hours and she has no itch, skin is cleared up and coat is growing back. We started her on it before any infection this year and will likely continue with this each year as long as it works. We also have an anti bacterial wash that I use once ever couple of weeks or when she seems to itch.
