Anyone have experience with dog allergy shots?

[Raven]

My poor Shelta is allergic to practically everything in nature...grass, weeds, dust and on and on. Last year she had 4 bouts of chewing herself raw and was put on steroids. I don't like what steroids do over time so I decided to go with the shots. She has had 3 so far and has tolerated them fairly well but today I noticed that she is raw again in places. The Vet said that this would happen until she builds up the resistence. I'm due to give her her 4th shot tonight. Any words of wisdom/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[sgsmith]

1. I had a Sheltie with the same problems

While the shots did a lot of good, they weren't a end all solution.

We got to the point where I'd fill the syringe, show it to him, and he'd lay down on his side to take the shot. No sign of discomfort, and he'd jump right back up.

[Raven]

2. Good to know, thanks...I

was very nervous at first about giving her the shot but she did almost the same thing your Sheltie does...she sat there and wagged her tail...go figure...she must know it will help her.

[AngryOldDem]

3. My dog is fine, but the cat has had allergy shots.

They certainly weren't a cure-all for her and what you describe with your dog is exactly what she experienced. The shots seemed to work for awhile, but then the licking, sore spots, and bald spots came back with a vengeance. We have her on sensitive skin formula food, which has helped, but she still licks herself bald in some places (on the insides of her back legs and lower stomach), so we just keep an eye on it and if it gets too bad we take her back to the vet for another poke. Right now things are calm, and I'm hoping that holds through the fall.

The vet also suggested steroid shots for her, but we are really reluctant to go that route because there is some risk of diabetes. (Don't know if that's true for dogs.)

Just another perspective.

[RebelOne]

4. I had a shelter dog that would chew himself raw.

I changed his food and it cleared up.

[Kali]

7. my first instinct - always

[femmocrat]

5. I was terrible at giving shots to one of my corgis.

And he was terrified. We stopped the shots and gave him weekly baths with special shampoo instead. His allergies go away in the winter, fortunately. Right now he is only on eye drops for itchy, watery eyes. He hasn't started scratching and chewing himself yet. We think he's allergic to the leaves on the ground, but his blood tests came up with all kinds of allergens. Some of them we don't even have here!

Good luck to your pup. I know how miserable they are with allergies.

[don123]

10. Allergens not "here"

Pollens can travel for miles to irritate an allergic pet, the allergen doesn't have to be in the backyard to cause the pet to react. I hope he gets better next spring. Best of luck to you.

[Kali]

6. what kind of food are you feeding it?

most pet allergies are diet-related and it may be cheaper in the long run to feed the highest quality food you can afford - or even prepare fresh.

[LiberalEsto]

8. Kali raises a good point

My daughter's dog had constant diarrhea until I read that many dogs are allergic to corn. We changed his diet and he's been fine ever since.

Dr. Michael Fox, a veterinarian, writes in his column that pets can be allergic to carpeting, house and floor cleaners, and the fragrances used in cat litter, among other things. His column appears Thursdays in the Living section of the Washington Post, for those who live in the DC area. You can check out his web site, http://drfoxvet.com/info/index.aspx

Fox is against giving dogs too many vaccinations and supports a holistic approach to animal care.

Here's a Q and A on dog allergies from an older column:
http://drfoxvet.com/info/QandA/post/2010/09/05/We-have-a-1-year-old-cockapoo.aspx

Good luck, Raven

[don123]

9. No, it's not

Food is NOT the most common cause of allergies in dogs. Environmental allergies are far more common.

[Kali]

11. OK

a quick google indicates you may well be right.

although I found one source claiming fleas were the worst, and several agreeing with me

at any rate, food allergies are fairly common and the symptoms frequently mimic contact allergies - itching, licking and chewing, poor coat, stinky ears etc and these symptoms can be dramatically alleviated by a change in diet

and welcome to DU

[grasswire]

12. is seborrheic dermatitis allergy related?

That's what I'm fighting with my border collie.