Cyclosporine For Allergies

[hankdog]

Jake has persistent itchiness. When he's been in kennels he comes home perfectly clean skinned and non itchy, after this time in kennels we spent two days inside and he was fine. First day out in the garden and he was red and itchy within two hours so I think it's safe to say he's allergic to grass. We have done all the elimination diets etc.

The vet has suggested cyclosporine but I've read the potential side effects and I'm hesitating. At eight years old and on Prozac permanently I feel more drugs might be too much for his organs. He already gets ear problems so I'm not keen on that and I'm terrified of the cancer risk but then I realise that being constantly itchy must be awful. If this could eliminate his itchiness then is it worth the risk?

Edited July 19, 2015 by hankdog

[*kirty*]

I think it's worth a try. As you say, it can't be nice to be itchy and sore all the time. His ear problems might be linked to allergies too, so it might help with that as well.

[Jumabaar]

Being itchy is horrible- talk to anyone who has had chicken pox!!

Quality of life should be the first aim of any treatment. Does this medication improve Jake's quality of life- I think it does, significantly.

That being said I would chat to a vet about doing a full allergy work up on him as it might be possible that he also has bacterial or yeast infections that are adding to the itchy feeling. Treating all the secondary infections can reduce the dose of the Cyclosporine needed to keep him comfy.

Recurrent ear infections suggests that there is 'more' than just the grass allergy going on which is why I suggest a full work up. So this could clear up the ear infections as well and generally make him feel awesome.

[JulesP]

Try rinsing him off when he comes inside. A damp face cloth etc.

[Dogsfevr]

So when hes in the kennels he never gets on grass??

[hankdog]

He is on concrete I kennels, gets a small amount of time on grass for training. He can't be near other dogs so he stays in a special suite.

We do lots of skin management but it's the trade off between diminishing his immune system function and the possible cancer and infection risk that carries versus having a non-itchy dog that doesn't need all the lotions and potions and constant washing.

Edited July 20, 2015 by hankdog

[Dogsfevr]

He is on concrete I kennels, gets a small amount of time on grass for training. He can't be near other dogs so he stays in a special suite.

We do lots of skin management but it's the trade off between diminishing his immune system function and the possible cancer and infection risk that carries versus having a non-itchy dog that doesn't need all the lotions and potions and constant washing.

So he doesn't react to there grass? So what grass type do you have to them??

I now we board alot of Staffies that don't itch in our kennels but do at home .

[_PL_]

He is on concrete I kennels, gets a small amount of time on grass for training. He can't be near other dogs so he stays in a special suite.

We do lots of skin management but it's the trade off between diminishing his immune system function and the possible cancer and infection risk that carries versus having a non-itchy dog that doesn't need all the lotions and potions and constant washing.

Cyclosporine has been a blessing for my itchy old boy. He is 'normal' now :) We rescued him older, itchy, and with great lumps of hair pulled out.

We tried everything and he was still unhappy. Itchy and very cranky. Recurrent smelly greasy yeasty skin as well.

The frustration of patiently treating and trialling (and thinking you've hit a winner but it's only temporary) like exclusion diets, shampoos, lotions, herbal stuff, antibiotics, antihistamines etc was, I suppose - worth a go when you consider the possible side effects but for Hamish aka Haystack lol, cyclosporine has been incredible. He's come down to 1ml every 2nd day and has never looked better and never been happier or more playful.

As a bonus; his sudden bad reactions to food (like a colitis attack) are also pretty much zero so I can only assume he had an immune mediated condition lurking like IBD as well because even when we found a diet he could handle he would still get bouts.

[karly101]

My dog is 4 and he's been on cyclosporine for 3 years. No side effects apart from developing an allergy to the gelatin capsule! He is on 1ml every 2 days and seasonally needs to be bumped up to every day. I do yearly blood tests with him too to check he is not having any issues. Qaulity of life is important and he is incredibly itchy and miserable without treatment.

[hankdog]

Thanks guys that good to know positive experiences. Since he's 8 which is old -ish for a bulldog I'm thinking even if he did get cancer then the non-itchy quality rather than quantity of life would be better.

We have sir Walter buffalo, I actually had him great in summer and only having honey that I get from up the road, no anti-histamines or cortisone spray at all. We have just come through a rough patch and are on a high level maintenance at the moment. For Jake that's slightly pink skin in his groin and tummy but no broken skin or bumps. He will scratch when bored but isn't constantly at it. So if I'm in the garden he gets a bed with mat to lie on and a bone to chew, when we come in he will have a paw wash and tummy and face wipe. Since he's an inside dog it's not that hard to limit his grass time.