Below is the our cover-page of our allergy discussion handout. Most of the 9-page handout is a copy of an article where 5 veterinary dermatologists had a roundtable discussion of allergies. These are some practical working points. Feel free to stop by and pick up a copy. If you like, call, and we'll mail you a copy.

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. Some foods to try are fish and potatoes, duck and peas, pinto beans and brown rice, venison and brown rice, etc. etc. Feel free to call us for recommendations of a couple of commercial foods that can be used on a trial basis. The novel food has to be fed for six weeks to test for a food allergy.

Inhaled:   Dust and dust mite, weed and tree pollens, molds, other pets. Biggest cause of allergies. Note Well: NEW information out of the universities is telling us that these allergens can actually adsorb through the skin (!), thus the new "Outside-Inside" theory.

1). Allergy testing - Blood test to Ft. Collins, Colorado. Cost has come down very much in the past two years thanks to new technology. Success (cure) rate is about 75%. 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 -

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.       Antihistamines: Usually a poor (20%) response. The favorite of vet dermatologists is hydroxyzine or Temeril-P.

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.

H.   Newest modality = Allerderm Spot-On. Tightens up the skin pores against allergens. Also helps to soften the haircoat. Applied once weekly for 4 weeks then once every 4 weeks.