Allergy Update: On to steroids - Vetalog and Dexamethasone

[sheshistory]

Some of you might remember that I wrote in a previous thread about an upswell in Truman's itchiness due to a food change that did not agree with him. I switched him back to his former food but his allergies got out of control and have persisted to the point he seems like he's itching all the time.

After a skin infection and constant itching, we went to the vet and tried the anti-histamine hydroxyzine, which didn't work at all.

So now we're on to trying steroids to get Truman's system to "reset" and let some of the itchy spots heal up in the hopes it gets his allergies under control.

Truman was given an injection of 2 steroids: Vetalog and Dexamethasone. One is a long lasting steroid and one is for short term relief.

For the first morning in the past 6 months or so, Truman did not run out of his cage and start itching like crazy so I can see that it's working but I would like to know if anyone has any experience using either of these steroids for allergies on their bullies. I know neither of these options are great for the long term but I don't know much else.

If anyone has any experience with these steroids, I'm all ears!

 

[karenben]

Steroids will elevate some of the problems but will not resolve the underlying problem,long term use of steroids bring other problems and do a lot of damage,you need to try and figure out what is causing the itching by eliminating the things your bulldog eats and his environment,it could be just a simple thing or a few things that he's allergic to,if you cannot figure out what the problem is then allergy testing is the only way,personally steroids are a big no no for me they would be a very last option,only my own opinion ,research all you can regarding long term use of steroids and make your own mind up,vets are not always correct in the way they treat our dogs tho they like to think they are!,karen

 

[sheshistory]

Yes, I posted this because I know steroids are not a long term solution but the vet seemed to think they are valuable in getting things under control to the point where an antihistamine will work. I did some digging and asked the vet explicitly and, used in the short term, steroids are safe for the dog - unless, of course, he had some side effects. Typically Truman isn't bad but I made a food switch that caused both of my bullies to lose hair and develop skin problems. The vet was thinking if we do the injection of steroids as a one time thing, it will help us get on top of the itching and rashes, which are made worse by Truman's incessant licking.

I was thinking about an allergy test but then I noticed that so many of the things that people find their dogs are allergic to cannot be controlled or avoided (especially airborne allergens) so I am going to see how Truman does after we get on top of this disaster of a food change and go from there but it may be an option in the future.

I'm still interested in anyone that has experience with these two steroids!

 

[Bella'sMom]

I don't know if I can help at all, here is my experience.

Bella got bit by some kind of insect and she woke up with half of her face terribly swollen (for the second time). The vet gave her an injection of Dexamethosone to get immediate response (or quicker so to speak) then sent us home with predisone and benedryl. She did fine. It also helped with her seasonal allergies from the Florida summer pollen. Now the predisone makes one of our dogs have a uncontrolled bladder, but it does not affect Bella like that. She does drink a lot more and have to pee more often, but she is able to control it.

When I was young my parents bulldog (AKC show stock) had allergies to grass. Monthly my mom would take Richard in for "allergy shots', this was the 1975 era, where we didn't care about long term effects. The vet did warn her that it would damage his kidneys and through time she would notice an huge increase of drinking. My mom continued to keep giving Richard his shots on a monthly basis and decided that a shorter happy life would be better than a longer, miserable life. He lived to be over 12!

 

[izstigspunks]

I think [MENTION=2091]BabyDuke[/MENTION] uses steroids from time to time.

 

[BabyDuke]

Some of you might remember that I wrote in a previous thread about an upswell in Truman's itchiness due to a food change that did not agree with him. I switched him back to his former food but his allergies got out of control and have persisted to the point he seems like he's itching all the time.

After a skin infection and constant itching, we went to the vet and tried the anti-histamine hydroxyzine, which didn't work at all.

So now we're on to trying steroids to get Truman's system to "reset" and let some of the itchy spots heal up in the hopes it gets his allergies under control.

Truman was given an injection of 2 steroids: Vetalog and Dexamethasone. One is a long lasting steroid and one is for short term relief.

For the first morning in the past 6 months or so, Truman did not run out of his cage and start itching like crazy so I can see that it's working but I would like to know if anyone has any experience using either of these steroids for allergies on their bullies. I know neither of these options are great for the long term but I don't know much else.

If anyone has any experience with these steroids, I'm all ears!

Hi
I have a few threads on here about Duke's story and why we have him on a steroid regimin. I don't have any experience with the two you mentioned . Duke takes 10 mg of prednisone every other day along with two zyrtec. this is the regimin that along with his dermatologist we finally came up with after literally a year and a half of ear infections, swollen paws, food trials, allergy tests and allergy shots.. All of which nothing was working for our poor guy. Duke is allergic to wool which was an easy fix but he is also allergic to common molds. virtually impossible to get around. We tried allergy shots for 6 months. Finally after month after month Duke scratching his hair til it bled and ear infections one after the other our dermatolgist sat us down and told us this was the regimin he wanted us to try. I was competely against it at first but he explained to me two things , if we didnt' Duke would be on antibiotics for ear infections for the rest of his life AND really have no quality of life. he talked to us about feeding him good quality food and excercise to keep him healthy. We were able to make it work with 10 mg every other day , the original plan was every day. I am happy to report he will be 5 in Aug and his recent blood work came back " excellent" we have his blood checked every 6 months. Duke has never ( touch wood ) had another ear infection since so no more antibitics or creams either . I do think steriods are a last resort and there are pros and cons and you can't just say steroids are a no no .. I would never want Duke to live an unhappy and unhealthy life so each case really has to be looked at individually. there are EB who have taken steriods and lived to be 11- 12 ( I know a woman who had a dog with horrible allergies ) Dukes breathing is excellent and he has a healthy heart.
so again do I wish he weren't on them absolutely but I would absolutely recommend them if the case was studied as Dukes was to be an option. Ultimately it is up to you..

Best of Luck

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I have experience..long term..with prednisone and our Rottie. Also a Dobie who lived to be 15 years old! They both did have to drink much more and in turn pee more. But I never noticed any serious problems attributed to the steroids. We did follow up blood tests and there was NEVER a sign of damage. While obviously, we all would like to avoid excess and unneeded of ANYTHING...I wouldn't think twice if it was a proven method and it had a chance to make my dogs life better. I hear people say..Stay Away From Steroids, but the alternatives are few and far between. And I would try everything available before giving up. I owe my dogs more.

 

[bullmama]

Many of you know about my battle with Sarahs allergies. The problem with steroids is that so many vets just give it to peoples dogs without coming up with a plan, or treating the source first.

We were traveling when we had Sarah and so I was visiting different vets throughout the USA. The first time they gave her a shot of steroid and pills to take daily. When she became itchy again, I would go to a new vet, ask for the same, repeat, repeat, repeat. I had NO idea that what she was getting was not advised for long term and I can tell you each vet did not mind me paying the bill.

It was when I returned home and saw our regular vet was when he told me "we need to treat the source, not mask the symptoms.".

So my point of this is that finding the source is very important. It could be summer or spring that your boys are reacting to and not the food at all.... However with doing well on their previous diet their immune systems were probably nice and strong, and the food change caused it to deplete. Thus you could be having a reaction to possibly the environment, and with the antibiotics and such that have now depleted their immune system even further, so it may take a few months to get them back to where they were on the NVI. I believe the steroid will help you get back there, and I do think you need to wean them off as well once you see them getting back to their old selves again. Make note on your calendar for a possible seasonal allergy as well so you will be prepared for battle next year.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[KMARINO]

I DO!! I DO!!!! Vegas was between the ages of 1 and 2 and our now retired vet gave him shots every 5 weeks of Vetalog and Dexamethasone. It was the BEST he has EVER done!! Then my vet retired and we had to find a new vet that refuses to do the shots. I knew the consequences, yet I went for the steroid shots. Now he no longer gets the shots and we deal with his allergies on a daily basis. IF I could find a good bully vet that would give them again, I would do it all over again. It is so frustraiting to see your baby itchy and miserable, when all it takes is a shot. Yes, I knew it could shorten his life span, but the way I looked at it was...he was plain and simple miserable and this gave him relief for now. Again I would do it again in a minute, it was like a miracle for Vegas.

 

[sheshistory]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Just an update on Truman: I haven't noticed Truman drinking more than usual or any other ill side-effects but the results are dramatic as far as the itching. He's been a different dog!