Lucygoo updates/Lucygoo has passed

Have they identified what he's allergic to?

Could be a diet issue, which would be easy to resolve, or environmental, which would not.

If he's constantly being exposed to what he's allergic to, I imagine it's impossible to control.

A dog from our diabetes forum recently had some testing done. Here's her post: http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/show...t=1042&page=20

Quote:

---

I thought food allergies would always show up in skin issues. This is NOT true. Food allergies show up in many different ways. In a diabetic it means glucose out of control due to an inflamatory response every time they eat. The only time I responded to a food allergy is when Andys skin broke out, or turned red or his ears turned red. I always looked for an outward physical manifestation.

Turkey and Chicken did none of those things to him so I felt he was not allergic to them. But internally it was causing an allergic response that played havoc with his glucose control. Not to mention making him sick and lethargic.

If your dog is hard to regulate and you feel you have ruled out infection, I would recommend you get the RAST test done. You can have the food panel only run for approximately $200. It is just a blood draw that is sent off to a lab so you can certainly shop around for best price. The individual Vet does not do the test so it does not matter where you go.

And yes there are a lot of opinions about the RAST test versus skin prick testing pros and cons. The skin testing is probably better if you are looking to test for airborne allergies and opt for allergy shots. But if you are looking for food allergies the RAST test is a very good one. Cheap by comparrison and easy to do. All I can say is that it changed Andy's life and mine too!

---

Apparently it wasn't terribly expensive and has really helped her dog.

Gina, Barkley was on cyclosporin for years to control severe allergies, & this is a real surprise to me that the cyclo did not control this pup's issues as it was extremely effective for Barkley. As Natalie has said, food allergies may be a possibility, but since cyclo has been used that would give me a doubt as to the treating vet suspecting food allergies. Do you know if the treating vet is a GP or a dermatology vet? If this vet is just a GP, it definitely sounds like it's time to head to a derm vet. Dr. Lewis, my derm vet, did a superb job of taking care of Barkley for about 5 years. Chewbacca has developed allergies that are severe enough that he underwent skin testing & has been on allergy injections for almost 3 months. The shots are slowly but surely helping, but they are definitely not a quick fix. I really, really would recommend that Dino go to a derm vet especially since he's already had the ear canal ablation, ( I think that's what it's called in the one ear). Also, when it comes to over the counter antihistamines not all types work for all dogs. You have to try one for about 2-3 weeks, then try another one, if you think the first one isn't effective. For instance, Chewbacca was taking 3 Benadryl a day without a lot of improvement. I moved him to Zyrtec once a day, & it has been like very helpful. My derm vet gave me a whole list of OTC antihistamines with appropriate dosages to try. This is another good reason for Dino to head to a derm vet.

Debbie

Gina,

I second a consult with a derm doc for Dino. That's what I finally had to do with my Munchie and it was worth every $$$ I spent.

Louise

Hi guys...

Thanks so much for your help. Debbie, the cyclosporin worked I think for about a year, and now it's declining in effectiveness. Dino's vet is a GP, but he's going to consult with a derm. vet. I too think he should be actually seen by the derm vet. Right now they're going to try him on an anti-fungal. The GP vet said the area we live is notorious for bad allergies, which makes sense, since you're in Arizona and Louise is in So. Cal. too. (They tried him on some kind of prescription anti-allergy food, which didn't do anything, so they don't think it's food allergies.)
In the meantime, she's going to try the Zyrtec too.

Thanks so much!:)

Gina

Gina, Dino's Mom needs to clear the Zyrtec with her vet. I'm almost positive that my derm vet has a clinic in the S. California area, not exactly sure where. You may want to check out the following website, dermvet.com, Dermatology Clinic for Animals. Dr. Lewis & company run 8 derm clinics in the western US.

Debbie

Thanks, Debbie...

I'll pass on the info to my sister:)

Gina

Hi everyone...

Lucy's doing okay, but I had a question about her prednisone dose. She's been doing well on 2.5 mg for the past month or so, but for the past two days she seems like she's more arthritic, panting excessively, etc. She's 68 lbs now, so I'm wondering if she needs more. I hate to do that, however, because it makes her drink and pee even more than she does now. I gave her half a carprofen the day before yesterday with a pepcid, and I'm going to give her another one today. She's going to be 12 in Dec., so I know she's getting older, but I hate to see her uncomfortable.

Is there a table of doses for pred I can reference?

Thanks!

Gina and Lucy

Hi Gina,

Here is some dosing information from http://www.petplace.com/drug-library...ne/page1.aspx#. BUT, I would check with Dr. B... don't know how the other meds would factor into things;):

Quote:

---

Anti-inflammatory doses range from 0.1 to 0.3 mg per pound (0.2 to 0.6 mg/kg) up to twice daily.

Immunosuppressive doses range from 1 to 3 mg per pound (2 to 6 mg/kg) up to three times daily.

Doses for various diseases range between 0.1 to 3 mg per pound (0.2 to 6 mg/kg).

---

-Susy

Hi guys...

Lucy's doing great these days, but I had a question concerning a friend's dog who was just diagnosed with kidney failure, and given only a couple weeks. Of course he's heartbroken. He's in Michigan, somewhere outside of Detroit. Is anyone from that area, and know of a good vet? And does that sound right, 2 weeks to live from kidney failure? I'm going to ask Dr. B if he knows anyone there, but figured I'd check here first.

Thanks:)

Gina

Hi Gina,

I am so sorry about your friend's dog that was diagnosed with kidney failure, this is so sad, please let him know that he is in my thoughts and prayers.

I don't know much about kidney failure, so I can't give you any answers there.

I am very happy to hear Lucy is doing so well, when does she go back to see Dr B again?

Love and hugs.
Lori