Dobes on Allergy Shots

EmilyB · 08-28-2008, 02:34 AM

Just wanted to get some feedback from others giving allergy shots.

Did you have a tough time getting your dog to the correct amount/schedule?

I think I am finally arriving at a better place, at .8ml once a week. It's been a long haul, and sometimes I have trouble getting the antigen to arrive on a timely basis. It also seems towards the end of the bottle, things go downhill and I am starting to order sooner and throw out the last part.

EmilyB · 09-03-2008, 02:36 AM

I have the ONLY dobie in the world to be on allergy shots?

**doberkim** · 09-03-2008, 07:26 AM

No, not the only doberman. But probably one of the only dobermans on this board.

My dog is on them, in fact, he has to have two separate vials as his allergens cannot be mixed (very complicated). I am not sure they really help - knew this would be the case when we started, as these allergens are hard to hyposensitize to.

I have seen some mild improvement on him, but that still hasn't stopped this summer from being his worst breakout ever, and he still needs breakthrough drugs (Steroids). My vials don't seem to expire early, and the company (HESKA) warned me that they can take up to three weeks to formulate and ship (though you can expediate them in a rush if yoU REALLY want it and will pay for it!).

I haven't had a problem getting my guy to accept the shots- he gets cookies when it's his time to get them (remember he gets them twice as much as other dogs) and that's enough for him.

dobes4us · 09-03-2008, 09:36 AM

Kim, How long has yours been on them? I was thinking of starting Riggs, but my vet wanted to wait until the winter to get him started. Don't know if we will start them or not. He is on Temeral P, 1 daily and she said it is such a low dose that he could stay on for a long time and he is doing great with his allergies while on it. Is it Ok to keep him on this? Thanks for any advice.

akutenshi79 · 09-04-2008, 12:07 AM

We are waiting for the official test results from our dobi. The vet already got a fax that showed he is allergic to 16 out of 40 tested environmental allergens.
We are going to start him on the shots right away. He is having open sores on all four feet, he is lethargic and has trouble walking. I really hope this will work

**Chaz** · 09-04-2008, 12:23 AM

Mensa's on antigen. We're about at the end of her second long-term vial. I have noticed her wanting to scratch a bit more than when we began the current vial.

The difference now compared to when we began (first of the year) is like night and day. With a few exceptions, she only scratches once in a while now. About like a normal dog, sometimes better.

akutenshi79 · 09-04-2008, 01:04 AM

God I hope you are right. I just cannot see him like this any longer. We are desperate!!!

EmilyB · 09-04-2008, 01:41 AM

You have to have the steroids as an option, has your dog been on those? It provides relief, just not so good for the long term, plus they gain weight, lose hair, etc. It's still a way to cope while struggling through the shot regimen.

We used cyclosporine for about a year, very effective, and very expensive.

Storm actually asks now for a shot. You may not believe that, but she gets them once a week, and when she is after something and I don't know what, I say Shot?
and she is ecstatic.

Go figure, maybe I'm nuts...

**doberkim** · 09-04-2008, 08:34 AM

What was storm allergic to? What company are you using for her shots?

Unfortunately Rah has mold allergies, which are the least responsive to the shots - and one of the only year round environmental allergies!

Rah did not tolerate Atopica (Cyclosporine) at all his first trial - within 1 hour of his first dose, he was vomiting up all his food, and once I got his second dose to stay down, he had raging diarrhea for three days. I am getting close to trying it a second time, but he is showing for the next three weeks, so I am going to wait til those shows are done

I even caved and brought Rah to a dermatologist (Who said I did a great, thorough workup, go me!) - with only a few other ideas. SHe wants him to be bathed more - but the problem with being a blue on top of this is that it also makes all the remaining hair fall out if we bathe him too much

Sue -
Temaril P is my favorite steroid, and my first line defense - it is what Rah is on. The actual steroid content of Temaril P is so low, that yes, it is MUCH SAFER than being on straight prednisone - being combined with the antihistamine allows for a synergistic effect of the two drugs, and that dose is very low for a dog his size - (you would be starting at 4 pills twice a day, I believe).

I hesitated to put Rah on steroids for over a year - I feed an all natural diet, my dogs are raised holistically in many ways (ironic for what appears to be a very traditional vet, I know) - but in the end, nothing else was working and my dogs comfort level had to be addressed.

EmilyB · 09-04-2008, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doberkim

What was storm allergic to? What company are you using for her shots?

Storm is allergic to dust, dust mites, alder trees and cats. I'm allergic to cats as well, so we didn't need to bother adding that to the antigen mix !
I'm not sure what company, it's in Quebec I think, the animal CARE centre orders it for me.

It was so hard in the beginning because her paws got so itchy, she would rip her paw pads off. One day I looked at her and it looked like she was pulling on a piece of rubber, and I realized it was the pad skin. She has spent a lot of time in socks while her feet heal.