Question:
Our 2 year old black lab. has severe skin allergies. We have had her
allergy tested and she began getting serum shots about 6 weeks ago. The vet
is giving her low doses of serum twice a week. She is itchier than ever and
chews her paws constantly. It breaks my heart to watch her in such
distress. I give her antihistamine every day as well but it doesn't seem
to help much. Has anybody out there had success with allergy shots? Does
it work? Will she get better? I really need some encouragement.
Answer:
Imagine a dyke that protected a town. Now imagine that one day you discover
a leak in the dyke. You are told that the solution is to find some cork and
stick it in the holes as they form. Have you solved the problem? Your
attempting to fill the holes on your dogs problems. Is it a solution? No!
Will it get better? No! And what will all of those antihistamines do to your
dogs health over the long run? You don't want to know.
If it seems to be getting worse, how about asking for a referral to a
dermatologist who could do some in-depth investigation for her ? I have a seven year old Dalmatian with severe skin allergies. The serum
shots reduce some of the symptoms but don't always alleviate it all
together. Sometimes dogs have trouble initially with the serum due to the
preservatives which requires special handling by the dermatologist involved.
If she continues to chew her paws they may want to dilute the solution until
it builds up in her system. Make sure the dermatologist is aware this is
happening. I have been told that allergies in a dog get more severe with age. We are
holding our own with shots and antihistamines. The antihistamines are
combined with a either Amitriptoline or Doxepin to try to reduce the
chronic chewing and in our case rubbing.
You must be patient. Sometimes it can take up to a year.I'm not sure on your
shot schedule. When I did this I started out on a very weak serum and then
built up. If you notice your dog more itchy this is a good sign. You may
need to try another antihitismine,and back off to a weaker serum. I hope you
are taking your dog to an Allergist instead of just a vet. They have so much
more knowledge.
