Update on Springer with skin allergy

Hi

I posted a couple of weeks ago about my Springer who we rehomed coming up to 4 months ago.

Since she arrived with us she has bitten and scratched herself causing some nasty sores. So, I took her to the vets and on their advice changed her diet and had her bloods taken for allergy testing. They also put her on a course of steroids to get the condition under control and make her more comfortable. Two weeks of new diet and steroids and she is much more comfortable, but as soon as she was weaned off the steroids the scratching started.

We have just had the allergy test results back and she is allergic to a number of grasses. So, the vet has given us a couple of options to think through. The first is we start her on immunotherapy, which involves initially weekly injections and then over time monthly injections. This is a treatment she will have to have for life, which is also costly. Our second option is to keep her on steroids, but that will have side effects that will no doubt shorten her life and cause her to put on weight etc. I'm not keen for her to be on steroids for life but equally I'm not sure that we can fund immunotherapy and I'm slightly skeptical about it.

Somebody (dog groomer) recommended I try giving her one piriton tablet per day, she said it worked for her dog. I have talked this through with my vet, she says I can try giving her piriton but she thinks it has about a 5% success rate.

Has anybody got any experience of this type of allergy - immuotherapy, steroid treatment, piriton?

I'm wondering if there might be some good alternative treatments out there?!

Any ideas / advice much appreciated.

I

out of the three options listed i'd go for the immunotherapy, i'd not have a dog living on steroids.

How much have you been quoted for immunotherapy treatment?

Coles has immunotherapy treatment but I wouldn't say it was costly (to me anyway). It costs me £100 a year for the solution and then £12 every month for the injection making a total of £220.00 per year.

Have you been quoted more than this?

I'm glad to read you have got to the bottom of her allergy. Coles was also on steroids but because he had demodex mites he had to come off the steroids and can never have them again. I asked my vet about piriton and he said it wouldn't work well enough for Coles’ allergy to dust and storage mites, so pointless for him.

Although the immunotherapy treatment does work to a certain extent it does not totally rid him of his symptoms but he is a lot better off than before the immunotherapy treatment. I also use demacton spray when he gets a bit itchy and that works wonders for itchy dogs. I also bath him in demacton shampoo bar twice a week, which is very good too.

There are some other options.

Unfortunately, environmental allergies are the most common however it does mean these are trickier to deal with.

I would recommend that you tell your vet that you would like to explore an alternative route.

Have a look here for a homeopathic vet near you.

They can make up bespoke remedies to help you.

http://www.bahvs.com/

In addition you can add some things to the diet which can minimise reactions.

for example

Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine and the worse thing that can happen if you give too much is the squits.

It may not mean you can avoid steroids altogether, but it can REDUCE the amount you need to give.

My Winter is on immunotherapy treatment, I think the two vials are about £100 and I inject him myself monthly. It has helped him, he is so much better. If I wasn't able to inject him, my vet would have cost £5 month, so not overly expensive IMO.
Hope you get him more comfortable.