Extremely SEVERE allergies... has anyone dealt with something this bad before?

[bullmama]

Alright everyone, here's the update thus far!!

So today we woke up and she actually was looking better already... still definitely having lots of irritation but very little blood and the redness/swelling was significantly less than it has been this weekend. I took her to the vet and they tried to sell me all the items that I had purchased over the weekend and had been using, so that saved me over $200 since their prices were so inflated! Then they tried to get me to purchase an antibiotic shot for her that would last two weeks for $120, so I asked why we wouldn't just give her pills and he said "oh, cause I thought this would be more convenient"... so I requested pills which saved me another $80... I guess it's not that this particular vet doesn't know what they're talking about, it's that they're always trying to overcharge me! But I digress.... So now she has antibiotics to take for the next two weeks and he also prescribed hydroxyzine tablets which are apparently stronger than Benadryl and should relieve the itching a lot more. They said if the antibiotics don't work then they'll give her some steroids. It was definitely an allergic reaction though, no mange or ringworm which is what the internet had previously had me worried about! I'll update in a few days once she's on the medicine for a bit! Thanks again for all the advice!!!

Glad you got her on the mend, and saved a bundle too! Looking forward to her update. Hope she gets better very soon so she doesn't feel lousy anymore.


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[rjisaterp]

Alright everyone, here's the update thus far!!

So today we woke up and she actually was looking better already... still definitely having lots of irritation but very little blood and the redness/swelling was significantly less than it has been this weekend. I took her to the vet and they tried to sell me all the items that I had purchased over the weekend and had been using, so that saved me over $200 since their prices were so inflated! Then they tried to get me to purchase an antibiotic shot for her that would last two weeks for $120, so I asked why we wouldn't just give her pills and he said "oh, cause I thought this would be more convenient"... so I requested pills which saved me another $80... I guess it's not that this particular vet doesn't know what they're talking about, it's that they're always trying to overcharge me! But I digress.... So now she has antibiotics to take for the next two weeks and he also prescribed hydroxyzine tablets which are apparently stronger than Benadryl and should relieve the itching a lot more. They said if the antibiotics don't work then they'll give her some steroids. It was definitely an allergic reaction though, no mange or ringworm which is what the internet had previously had me worried about! I'll update in a few days once she's on the medicine for a bit! Thanks again for all the advice!!!

Hydroxzine HCl is a antihistamine like benadryl but has a "anti-itch" property.

Glad to hear your bully is on the mend.

 

[2BullyMama]

Happy to hear she is on some meds to get her cleared up... Keep us posted. Hugs to your girl

 

[ddnene]

I'm glad to hear she's on the mend… keep us posted!!!

 

[aprilemari]

I have been through this. Unfortunaetly, the allergies have led to a secondary skin infection which will not clear up without antibiotics. You will have to go to the vet and he will prescribe those along with some prednisone to stop the allergies. While you are at it, ask him for a prescription for Atopica. It is an immunosuppressant. It will keep her allergies from returning. I am assuming you have tried zertec and claritin daily for at least 2 weeks and neither are effective? If so, ask for the Atopica. If not, try either of the two now on a daily basis. After the steroids wear off, you sghould be able to see within two weeks if the OTC allergy pills work.

Then it depends on what you want to do. You can keep her on atopica, which has its own risks but certainly better than having a dog go through this much pain. Or you can go to a veterinary dermatologist to have a skin test done which figured out exactly what she is allergic to. They will then create a vaccine which will have to be administered daily at first then weekly for about 6 months before it works. Thats what we did and have had success. Unfortunately, at this stage, there is nothing you can do at home without antibiotics. Good luck and keep us posted.

there is one more option before atopica which if i remember correctly is cyclosporin, the immunosuppressant that is also used in humans. this drug can be very expensive. Before you give that a try you can ask the vet if they can prescribe vanactyl-p. this is a medication for dogs, which combines a steroid and an immunosuppressant. One of these two active ingredients acts as an anti-inflammatory. Lola is on a low dose of this medication (1 pill per day) for several months out of the year and is the only thing that stops her from having red sores and scratching herself to the point of hair loss and bleeding. On it during the warm months, she is a peach! so soft, no itching, perfectly happy and healthy.

The normal dosage for this medication starts off extremely high (6 pills per day) and is weaned down to 1/2 pill per day over the course of two or three weeks. In this round, you can see whether steroids will be useful for the allergies your dog has. Once we finished that round, along with a change in protein in the diet, the itchies came back. But we realized that 1 pill per day was enough to keep the symptoms away and reduces the side effects that are associated with steroids. This can be discussed with your vet but include high appetite (at high doses we noticed she ate the cat food for the first time ever), increased thirst = increased urination, and general ornery attitude. We found it hilarious, but the hunger was obvious. At 1 pill per day, her hunger is back to the usual 'eh, i guess i'll eat if you hand feed me'.

 

[agentbunny]

there is one more option before atopica which if i remember correctly is cyclosporin, the immunosuppressant that is also used in humans. this drug can be very expensive. Before you give that a try you can ask the vet if they can prescribe vanactyl-p. this is a medication for dogs, which combines a steroid and an immunosuppressant. One of these two active ingredients acts as an anti-inflammatory. Lola is on a low dose of this medication (1 pill per day) for several months out of the year and is the only thing that stops her from having red sores and scratching herself to the point of hair loss and bleeding. On it during the warm months, she is a peach! so soft, no itching, perfectly happy and healthy.

The normal dosage for this medication starts off extremely high (6 pills per day) and is weaned down to 1/2 pill per day over the course of two or three weeks. In this round, you can see whether steroids will be useful for the allergies your dog has. Once we finished that round, along with a change in protein in the diet, the itchies came back. But we realized that 1 pill per day was enough to keep the symptoms away and reduces the side effects that are associated with steroids. This can be discussed with your vet but include high appetite (at high doses we noticed she ate the cat food for the first time ever), increased thirst = increased urination, and general ornery attitude. We found it hilarious, but the hunger was obvious. At 1 pill per day, her hunger is back to the usual 'eh, i guess i'll eat if you hand feed me'.

Thanks for the heads up. I will ask about that drug next time I see Lola's dermatologist.