This is the cover-page of our allergy discussion handout. Most of the handout is a copy of an article where 5 veterinary dermatologists had a roundtable discussion of allergies. These are some practical working points:

Allergy Discussion Sheet

 The problem could be Food Allergy, Inhaled Allergy, Contact Allergy or a combination of the three.

Contact:   Eliminate contact (i.e. the new wool rug, carpet shampoo, nylon collar, floor rinse such as  mop-n-glo, etc.).

Food: Elimination trial of 3 to 6 weeks on a novel diet never before eaten by the pet.  Should do this before allergy testing  because it might save the cost of doing the blood tests.

                                Fish and Potatoes

                                Duck and peas                                                       

                                Pinto beans and  brown rice

                                Venison and brown rice           

                     Other ? novel proteins and carb sources

(Commercial diets are available but you have greater control over the purity with homemade). NO treats allowed during the trial.

Inhaled:   Dust and dust mite, weed and tree pollens, molds, other pets. Biggest cause of allergies.

1). Allergy testing - Blood test to Ft. Collins, Colorado: fairly expensive (^300 dollars); 70% of animals benefit from allergy shots; about the same success rate as human allergists. Give shots at home following Heska’s schedule.  6 months to one year. Looking for cure.                                                                                                                          

           2). Palliative treatments - helps the signs but not going after a cure.

A.      Misting, adds water back to skin. Helps the itch.  Use a plant sprayer +/- alpha keri lotion from Jewel-Osco.

B.       Room air filters, hepa filters - very beneficial. Put in room where pet sleeps.

C.       Rinse the pet off in the tub twice weekly. Flushes off thousands of allergens!

D.      Omega-3 fatty acids - a must-do! Blocks prostaglandin cascade.

E.       Benadryl. Over the counter at drug store. Dose = 1 milligram per pound of  body weight, given 1, 2, or 3 times daily. Rarely causes sedation as in people.  If doesn't help too much there are many other antihistamines that may help.

F.        Silver Bullet: Prednisolone. Cheap.  Nothing works as well as far as palliative treatment. Causes increased drinking, urination, and appetite. Not so much though if used at reasonably low doses every other day.  Though not desirable, many dogs on pred for lifetime.

G.       Cyclosporine. Relatively new. See article for information. Many pets can go off steroids after starting cyclosporine. Cost has declined in recent years.