karly101 Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Food is an easy one to trial ... but my derm doesn't think much of z/d and prefers to do a single protein single carb based elimination diet. Z/d would have been much cheaper for my skinny dog! My boy is currently involved in the drug trial. I highly recommend seeing a derm.. adding up your general vet bills can turn out to be more than what you would spend at a derm and you may not get a result. I visited the derm and we made a treatment plan - first we started on the blood test and the test involving allergens injected. We've trialed booties, food, antihistamines, cortisone and all that confirmed atopy and got him into the drug trial. Without doing the basics first (the blood test) you can be stabbing in the dark and the desensitizing injections will be most effective for long term relief. I'm disappointed my boy just didn't show a strong enough result to start them. Just be prepared, skin is tricky to treat and unfortunately the medications can be costly. Once you have done the diagnostics and get your treatment plan then fortunately most can be handled by your regular vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Umn... the Pfizer drug trial is free - even the initial assessment and my initial assessment wqas with a dermatologist - I haven't paid a cent - and after almost three months of free supply of an expensive drug and regular dermatology follow-ups her skin is as close to normal as its ever going to get. And her itching has essentially gone. So why wouldn't you consider it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Hills ZD made my boy have such an upset stomach he cant handle kibble. Vets are quick to jump to conclusions regarding food allergies but its really hard to say its food only if they havent been tested for atopic dermatitis Poor him! So far my girl is ok on it (even though I hate myself for feeding her this processed crap), and she never had stomach upsets on her previous diet (when I thought dogs with allergies tended to have upset tummies etc as well as itchiness) Sorry if that sounds like a dumb question, but can a regular vet test for atopic dermatitis, or is that something only a dermatologist can do? I know what you mean re vets jumping to conclusions. I almost had the impression mine was going through an often repeated speech, ending up with the compulsory low allergen food Only the dermatologists do proper allergy testing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Umn... the Pfizer drug trial is free - even the initial assessment and my initial assessment wqas with a dermatologist - I haven't paid a cent - and after almost three months of free supply of an expensive drug and regular dermatology follow-ups her skin is as close to normal as its ever going to get. And her itching has essentially gone. So why wouldn't you consider it? What does the drug do ? What's it called? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Umn... the Pfizer drug trial is free - even the initial assessment and my initial assessment wqas with a dermatologist - I haven't paid a cent - and after almost three months of free supply of an expensive drug and regular dermatology follow-ups her skin is as close to normal as its ever going to get. And her itching has essentially gone. So why wouldn't you consider it? What does the drug do ? What's it called? It's a clinical drug trial where you have a 50/50 chance of the control drug or the experimental drug if your dog is eligible (ie itchy enough). Because of the nature of the trial I shouldnt discuss online except to say I suggest you discuss with you vet if youre interested - most of them know about it I think. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 hey gang, unfortunately Ike has been diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis.. is anyone else's dogs dealing with this skin condition, and if so how are you combating it?? My dog was diagnosed with this condition and has been been on Cortisone since he was a baby puppy. We have been through all the normal avenues and more. The only thing that bring comfort and controls the symptoms in his case is Cortisone which he has been on for 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Umn... the Pfizer drug trial is free - even the initial assessment and my initial assessment wqas with a dermatologist - I haven't paid a cent - and after almost three months of free supply of an expensive drug and regular dermatology follow-ups her skin is as close to normal as its ever going to get. And her itching has essentially gone. So why wouldn't you consider it? What does the drug do ? What's it called? It's a clinical drug trial where you have a 50/50 chance of the control drug or the experimental drug if your dog is eligible (ie itchy enough). Because of the nature of the trial I shouldnt discuss online except to say I suggest you discuss with you vet if youre interested - most of them know about it I think. :) We wanted to be part of the trial but we couldn't do the Cortisone witholding period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 (edited) There doesn't seem to be any history of allergy in her lines either If it's atopic then there is a genetic component. Most dogs are in pet homes and most pet homes don't have regular contact with Breeders, allergies have become so common that most dog owners wouldn''t even think to report it to a breeder. It only has to be one dog related by blood somewhere who for example used to itch on a certain grass to have a family connection. Edited April 4, 2012 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 wow so much discussion is great! just thought id let you know that i have booked ike in to see the derm on the 17th of this month, hopfully they will find whats actually triggering all his scratching. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Umn... the Pfizer drug trial is free - even the initial assessment and my initial assessment wqas with a dermatologist - I haven't paid a cent - and after almost three months of free supply of an expensive drug and regular dermatology follow-ups her skin is as close to normal as its ever going to get. And her itching has essentially gone. So why wouldn't you consider it? What does the drug do ? What's it called? It's a clinical drug trial where you have a 50/50 chance of the control drug or the experimental drug if your dog is eligible (ie itchy enough). Because of the nature of the trial I shouldnt discuss online except to say I suggest you discuss with you vet if youre interested - most of them know about it I think. :) I don't think we would be eligible as he has been on desensitization injections for almost 20 months so it would throw the study out. Where is the study being held and through which uni? I guess when the drugs available to the general public I will have a look at it as I would be interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 There doesn't seem to be any history of allergy in her lines either If it's atopic then there is a genetic component. Most dogs are in pet homes and most pet homes don't have regular contact with Breeders, allergies have become so common that most dog owners wouldn''t even think to report it to a breeder. It only has to be one dog related by blood somewhere who for example used to itch on a certain grass to have a family connection. Yes it's definitely in the genes, my boys sister who went to Guide Dogs also has allergies but not as severe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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