hi I have 7 month black male lab who has been scratching lot recently is up to date with all flea treatment etc!! Took him vets 2 wks ago gave him steroid injection and antibiotics as had ear infection to !! She thinks it is caused by allergy but who knows what could be vet seemed think time of year pollen grass cutting etc!! Know the scratching is back!! Was wondering if anyone had similar problems any help tips advice I could try before taking him back to vets as don't really want him having loads steroids and also cost of trips vets was over £100 last time of course if that only answer he will have it but any help /advice be appreciated !! He is fed dry food with tin makerrel added few times wk!! X
My Pointer developed allergies at about the same age. He had blood tests in the end to see what he was allergic to, came back as loads of pollens and foods. The food allergies were easy to deal with, we just cut out all the iffy ingredients. The pollens were dealt with by immunotherapy injections, this course lasted 18mths but he responded really well and was totally cured, he's now nearly 10 and hasn't had a problem since. In Bracken's case it was money well spent but there is a small chance the immunotherapy doesn't work with some dogs.
You have options: blood tests, skin scrapings, injection tests. Then injections or drops based on the results, but it can take a long time to get the remedy just right. Nutriscan can test for many food intolerances but might be very expensive if you are not in the U.S. I did it with Oban very interesting, especially when we thought his allergies were seasonal environmental. Probably now food as allergies typically worsen. Glacier Peaks, also U.S. tests more than food but my issue with them is there is no Vet on their staff. Antihistamines worked for one summer for us. Then we went to Prednisone, scary stuff. Then to Atopica (Apoquel is similar) an immune suppressant called Cyclosporine in human use and still scary but a lesser evil than Pred. Oban no longer itches. He got sick with something else, western meds failed to help, and we went to a limited, novel ingredient, home cooked diet, TCM and acupuncture. Then we went to raw. Then he got sick again, we now have a diagnosis and are now on a special kibble that is also for allergy dogs and going into summer three of no itching. Still do TCM, and acupuncture. Also cold laser. Many, more and more, Vets believe there is a direct link between allergies and gut issues. It sure seems to be true for us but the gut issues were at first very hard to determine, though in hindsight there were clues. I'm telling you this because the diet and TCM made a remarkable difference but allergies were not why we did them. However a limited novel ingredient diet made an immediate difference and might be worth considering. Good luck
Luckily I've never had to deal with allergies in a dog, but I think I would prefer to have some tests and try to identify the cause so that a treatment plan can be worked out.
