Hair Analysis...anyone else had this done?

[Lily122511]

It seems to me that allergy testing is a grey area and different vets have different opinions. For the price of the hair test that @karenben told us all about I would do it. You have nothing to lose from getting these results and trying to take out stuff that shows allergic reactions to. Who knows ..... it might just work, or at least improve the situation!!!

That's exactly what I'm hoping for. I need some answers here.

 

[Lily122511]

Not necessarily, pollens can cause skin reactions by contact, so it is more of a contact allergy but hopefully your pup will build up antibodies that will fight seasonal allergies. So what your puppy may be having a reaction to now she may not have a reaction to it next year. The best thing is to blog or write down dates that your dog is having issues, then next year you can compare.

Unfortunately with bulldogs the reactions get worse as they get older, but the right food can help make the immune system stronger, thus creating antibodies needed to ease seasonal allergies. I hope I am making sense?

It does make sense. The whole time she was biting & licking & rubbing she was on Fromms beef. That's what I don't get. I know Fromms is a great food.
That's why I was thinking it was a food issue.
I am now switching her to Meadowfeast but I don't even know if it is the food.
I just feel so clueless.

I always wipe her down after she comes in from outside but she still would still lick & bite & rub. Even after a bath.

I've tried everything I can think to help fix the issue.

 

[cowsmom]

if its one thing ive learned having a bully is that most of them have food and environmental allergies. more environmental for sure but if you can get them a food that is good and has nothing they are allergic to in it then you have building blocks for a better dog. for them to be stronger to fight the environmental allergies. sarah was a mess of yeast till i had her tested and now i have her on a food that she is not allergic to and she is getting better. do we still have to give her benadryl and zyrtec yes as she has outside allergies but it is no where near the amount as before. her yeast is also going away slowly. i give her a probiotic and vitamins at the moment also. so for some dogs yes getting an allergen free food is a cure and some no as they have other allergens as well that are environmental but you can have a better dog to start with if your not putting something in their body to hurt them to begin with. just my opionion.

 

[karenben]

I'm really looking forward to getting the results back. Waiting is the worse part. I just sent the hair out yesterday.
So the food allergies usually start at around 12 months? She was on Fromms beef but she still has been licking & biting her paws and rubbing her chin & face the whole time on the Fromms.
I always wipe her down and clean her paws when she came back in from outside but still she would lick & bite.
That's why I was thinking it was food issues but I just don't know.
I am switching her over to Earthborn meadow feast. And I don't give her anything but her kibble.

Have tou considered raw feeding?,there are a few here that do and they do it very well,you will get help and support ,I raw fed Annie for 14 months but it turned out she was allergic to spelt and rye which is what most farm animals are fed here in the uk,so I was actually putting allergens back into her!,allergies full stop usually appear between 1 and 3 years,food allergies are far more easy to control in my opinion,when you get the test back take your time studying it ,take in all the allergens listed and remember that if for instance your dog is allergic to wool then even wearing a wool jumper will affect him,if allergy to chicken then even beef handled by hands that have previously handled chicken and those hands are not washed thoroughly then the beef will be tainted by chicken at it will affect your dog,you are in for the long haul,I have to also say that allergies cannot be cured just maintained this I have been told by vet and holistic practitioner so all you can really do is maintain your bulldog and get his immune system as strong as possible ,karen

 

[Meggs19]

I see what you are saying now, [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION]. You mean that a poor food/diet can cause a weak immune system and make it more difficult for the dog to fight the allergy symptoms? I do credit our food choice with not having to deal with any issues with Tonka's coat or yeast infections in the folds or ears etc. Tonka does shed and he does get some bully acne but that's fairly normal even on a good food isn't it? He is on the Fromm Beef Fritatta. We switched him to that from Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish and didn't notice any difference in his allergy symptoms so I believe most of his allergies are environmental. So if our dogs are on a high quality food/supplements, and still suffer from bad allergies is that just our bad fortune? It doesn't mean they have a weak immune system, correct?
When we had the blood allergy test done on Tonka at around 8 months or so, he showed no significant numbers for food allergies. His highest numbers were environmental. I know the shots wont keep him from developing new allergies to environmental factors potentially or wont completely get rid of his current ones but I do hope they will help with and lessen his symptoms to his current major allergies and decrease his sensitivity to them. These are some of the most common/prevalent allergens present in the environment so hopefully this will help him out. Our dermatologist told us if the shots work it could prevent his allergies from getting worse. I guess we would just have to hope he didn't develop new environmental ones then. He's been through all the different allergy seasons now since he's 11 months old so hopefully he's been exposed to everything out there and had the chance to react.

 

[BulldwgR56]

I just recieved my results back from Holistic remedies and posted them up. Check them out and see if it's something of interest to you. Everyone seems to have different opinions of what's good, better or best. Allergy testing is a very gray area it seems. I'm not sold on any form of testing really, results can be interpenetrated/skewed etc... Good, Bad or ugly I hopefully got some answers that can at least point me in a direction.

 

[karenben]

I just recieved my results back from Holistic remedies and posted them up. Check them out and see if it's something of interest to you. Everyone seems to have different opinions of what's good, better or best. Allergy testing is a very gray area it seems. I'm not sold on any form of testing really, results can be interpenetrated/skewed etc... Good, Bad or ugly I hopefully got some answers that can at least point me in a direction.

All the things we thought Annie was allergic to got flagged so I believe the test is as accurate as it gets and a lot was flagged that I would never have thought of and most of them I was feeding her regularly!,karen

 

[Meggs19]

When you are sending in your hair samples for the tests, where are you sending it? Is it a local place or is there a place that will accept hair samples from out of state etc.? I am thinking if it's reasonable (price-wise) that I may have one done just for comparison purposes. I have had the blood test and the skin test and I would be very curious to see how they compare and check out similarities and differences. If it turns up similar items as the big allergic items on my other tests, that would really be some good confirmation!

 

[cowsmom]

[MENTION=3445]Meggs19[/MENTION] i just bumped up the post in this section that has the link to the site. its have your bully allergy tested for 35 english pounds or something like that. its in the uk i believe

 

[bullmama]

I see what you are saying now, [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION]. You mean that a poor food/diet can cause a weak immune system and make it more difficult for the dog to fight the allergy symptoms? I do credit our food choice with not having to deal with any issues with Tonka's coat or yeast infections in the folds or ears etc. Tonka does shed and he does get some bully acne but that's fairly normal even on a good food isn't it? He is on the Fromm Beef Fritatta. We switched him to that from Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish and didn't notice any difference in his allergy symptoms so I believe most of his allergies are environmental. So if our dogs are on a high quality food/supplements, and still suffer from bad allergies is that just our bad fortune? It doesn't mean they have a weak immune system, correct?
When we had the blood allergy test done on Tonka at around 8 months or so, he showed no significant numbers for food allergies. His highest numbers were environmental. I know the shots wont keep him from developing new allergies to environmental factors potentially or wont completely get rid of his current ones but I do hope they will help with and lessen his symptoms to his current major allergies and decrease his sensitivity to them. These are some of the most common/prevalent allergens present in the environment so hopefully this will help him out. Our dermatologist told us if the shots work it could prevent his allergies from getting worse. I guess we would just have to hope he didn't develop new environmental ones then. He's been through all the different allergy seasons now since he's 11 months old so hopefully he's been exposed to everything out there and had the chance to react.

Yes I think at 11 months you are safe at getting an pretty accurate test. Your food choice is great, and since Tonka did not show any severe allergies to any ingredients it is very good.

Other things to consider is contact stuff (carpets, doggie beds) and shampoo. Those are two things many owners don't think about that can actually be the source of all their woes.

I use a antibacterial/antifungal shampoo now, I have noticed a huge difference in how long between baths and smell. Also laundry/bedding should be done in Free and Clear detergeants and fabric softeners. Facial problems (chin acne, facial redness) could be toys that need cleaning, plastic bowls, dirty water and bowls, plastic or rubber toys, anything that goes into or around the mouth. Also water left on the fur after drinking.

 

[Meggs19]

[MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] Thank you for the market gift, first of all! Second, I will have to keep an eye on any food reactions Tonka might develop in the future since we had his blood test done when he was about 8 months so although it showed nothing significant at the time in the way of food allergies, I guess in the future it could always happen since he will be older. On his environmental skin test he was allergic to 15 different items though, yikes! Our vet said most dogs react to 8-10 items and that Tonka is definitely an allergy bully! We do use an organic/chemical and perfume free laundry detergent on his bedding and our bedding and we did get the antibacterial/antifungal shampoo as well and you are right, that stuff is awesome! He smells so good...and for a very long time!! I've noticed less dander too. I think I need to give some of his toys a good washing and that might help with his acne--he does have the stainless steel bowls and I do try to wipe his chin after he gets a drink although he hates that! Thanks for the info.!!

 

[RiiSi]

I had this done to Usko awhile back and got a list of things that he is allergic. Have avoided them the best I can (automobile exhaust is difficult to avoid totally in the city). I haven't noticed any difference, but then again he hasn't had any real problems, maybe just the tear stains that bug me. I just got the results for myself. I don't have any signs of allegies, I never have had any. Getting older and feeling crappier sometimeshappens. One thing the test says is that I'm allergic to DOGS and beer! I have lost my faith in the test, sorry guys. I'm just lucky I have a BULLDOG.

 

[Vicaroo1000]

I think the only way to REALLY KNOW is to do that expensive skin test thing like they do on people. Outside of that, watching EVERY MORSEL that goes into the dog and paying very close attention is the best one can do. In my journey with these two, at one point they were eating ONLY VERY LIMITED INGREDIENT Duck/Potato food with actual duck meat mixed in for the gravy. That's it. Nothing else. Not a morsel. It's "starting from zero". Their shampoo, laundry detergent, drier sheets --- all hypoallergenic. Each time we went in the house, it was a complete wipe down. I was desperate to find the trigger and I don't know that I have yet but I had to start from zero to get anywhere. The best guess I have is environmental because of all of the above. Grass. Bo's tummy looked fabulous yesterday morning and after a romp in the park, in the freshly cut lawn, he's spotted again. Bea too. They both had to have a benedryl. So do I keep them out of grass? No way. They're dogs! They love grass. I just try to keep Bo from eating it -- as he can graze like a cow sometimes and I wipe, wipe, wipe and wipe with hypoallergenic baby wipes. (Pampers "one and done" Aloe Cucumber smell good too as a bonus). It's all I can do until I can easily spend the 600-800 bucks -- and the myriad of visits -- that the doggie dermatologist wants to do skin tests.

 

[Saalwi]

Ok ...so I just got Schultz's results back from this UK lab (actually forgot I sent off a sample) as I'm still consumed with Coccidia at the moment..... I sent it off thinking for the price any information might be helpful, Schultz's dermatologist here in Ohio does not think hair or blood analysis tests are very accurate but I thought what the hell ....we'll see......it can't hurt.....all the info I sent was Schultz's gender, dob, breed, and some hair..... What came back was interesting to say the least......#1 report indicated non vertebral misalignment Coccidia (what....how can anyone get that from a hair sample? Makes me think rest of report might have some value) #2 Schultz's report indicates several foods that he maybe allergic to that he gets regularly - it will be easy to test by cutting them out of his diet no more carrots and sweet potatoes for a while #3 most of the stuff on his report he doesn't come into very regular contact and that makes me feel a little better.....
my gut tells me to support the immune system with the best diet I can manage and limit exposure to known allergens to keep his reactions under a threshold point....once I get this Coccidia under control and I will...his immune system will straighten out.....
I was curry brushing Schultz yesterday and thought to myself he's looking really good and while he scratches and licks here and there it's not out of control ....I'm interested in seeing if subtracting carrots and sweet potatoes from his diet makes a difference with that.....oh and he's apparently allergic to mosquitoes (who isn't?) it a good thing someone here on EBN reminded me to stock up on Avon's skin-so-soft! Ha ha....knowledge is power that's why I love this place!