Itchy Dog Advice. I Need Some Help Please.

[Clyde]

Thanks so much Danielle. Just squizzing at this in between clients so will come back and re read it tomorrow.

Will withhold the MEgaderm for a while. Will keep her on the phernegan until she is well and truly on the z/d. I was told to introduce the zd over 7 days.

Last night was the first time in so many weeks that we both havent been kept awake with her scratching and chewing, she slept like the proverbial baby yay phenergan).

Ive also blocked access to out back and will give it a good rake this avo to see if there's anything sus.

[zayda_asher]

Thanks so much Danielle. Just squizzing at this in between clients so will come back and re read it tomorrow.

Will withhold the MEgaderm for a while. Will keep her on the phernegan until she is well and truly on the z/d. I was told to introduce the zd over 7 days.

Last night was the first time in so many weeks that we both havent been kept awake with her scratching and chewing, she slept like the proverbial baby yay phenergan).

Ive also blocked access to out back and will give it a good rake this avo to see if there's anything sus.

No worries ;)

The Phenergan should be fine to leave her on through out the elimination diet... I'm glad to hear it is working for you! Its mostly the other supplements that you need to be careful of as they could all be allergens too. We are on Phenergan ourselves and were going to trial Zyrtec as a change for Zayda, but have had to put it off as they have lactose in them, so it is worth checking everything, but normally antihistamines are fine.

If you look in the link to the other thread I posted up Zayda's latest intradermal test sheet so you can see all that they test for (although this will vary slightly in different areas, but you can get an idea). We are also in the process of redoing an elimination diet for her too, which is why we had to hold on the antihistamine change.

They can even be allergic to things like moths and ants so there's heaps it could be without testing and, therefore, knowing for certain its hard to tell!

good luck with her!

[stormie]

It's a wonderfully in depth subject atopy, isn't it!

Derms told us that the most common cause of allergies in dogs <6months was food, and that food allergies were a lot more common than people think. And I'm talking true food allergies involving histamine etc, not just intolerances.

The company that runs the SPOT test (which gives food allergy results) have data showing dogs symptoms improving by up to 30% by simply following the food results. Many atopic dogs, as Zayder will know, have allergies to many things, such as pollens, insects and food, so it's important to cover all aspects to get the best out of your treatment.

We've done two blood tests, in the hope of comparing results. First one came back with about 25 positives, all of which are in very close proximity to Orbits environment. The second test gave us poor results as we were told by someone poorly informed that we didn't have to withhold cortisone, when if fact you do. But what small results we did get, closely matched the first test, so that's something. The blood tests aren't cheap, and I probably wouldn't base results purely just on the results of one test. And I wouldn't go down the immunotherapy road unless under instruction of a dermatologist. It's an expensive process that needs to be done right in order to get the best results. I'd like to get skin testing done but there really is no way on earth we could withhold cortisone for the time needed. 3 days off it and Orbit's practically ripping himself open. Maybe some day though ;)

[sas]

This subject is so full of contradiction. The 'Experts' commonnly disgree with each other.

For example, some experts say there is no such thing as food allergy - it's food intolerance and it's the rearest form and others say it's the most common form.

I think we have to be careful on threads like this because one persons experiences aren't neccessarily going to be what fixes another.

[ausgirl]

Clyde, try megaderm - a concoction of omega 3, omega 6, zinc and trace elements.

I cannot praise it enough - Kluska's summer itches have disappeared since we started her megaderm.

Do you dose everyday and all year or just through the summer months?

How soon should I expect to see results - I am wondering whether to buy onepack and share between my parents and I to test on our dogs for a couple of weeks before going the whole hog and getting the litre and much cheaper pack.

Will 2 weeks be long enough to see results?

Edited December 31, 2008 by ausgirl

[Rappie]

Clyde - PM sent