Camus' allergy testing results

[Christine & Camus]

Camus has been through a lot, not least of which is his constant scratching, licking, and biting of his nails.  I decided to follow Karen's advice to take him to a specialist and he had the Southern California Intradermal allergy testing done today.  Excellent advice - he had 24 reactions rated @ 2 (moderate reaction) lots of trees, weeds, cotton, & human and cat dander; 3 rated @ 3 (strong reaction) mold and mites; and 4 rated @ 4 (very strong reaction).  Those with very strong reaction (4's) were moths, Dermatophagoides farina dust mites, storage mites and a histamine control.  Apparently he does not like bugs.   Of interest, he had a moderate reaction to human dander – he's allergic to me!  He is not feeling very good; he is lethargic and looks sad.  I hope he does well with the antigen injections that will be every other day for the first three weeks.  The next few months may be tough, but in the long run, he should feel much better.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I think it's great that you have gone down this route for Camus, there is nothing like allergies to make you miserable and if they are severe they are truly debilitating.  That looks like a very comprehensive list.  I had all that done many years ago.  I was part of the first group here in Ireland to have this testing done and was allergic to lots of stuff.  I had a series of de-sensitizing injections, that is now 35 years ago !!! and from then on have not had a problem.  Prior to that my life was a complete misery, covered in sores from scratching and dopy from the massive doses of antihistamines.  I am very hopeful for Camus that he will get relief from all the misery of allergies.  Really funny that he is a little allergic to you : ) we so often talk about humans being allergic to dog  hair or dander, now we have more information to throw at that particular topic.

[Christine & Camus]

I'm glad to hear you did so well with the injections, I know the process is difficult for us humans, but it did save my son's life and I hope it works as well for Camus.  And, I thought the allergy to human dander was rather funny for the same reason you did - never thought dogs could be allergic to us!

[Sue & Lily Grace]

I hope this is a start for Camus to start feeling better. It is hard to see these little ones not feel well. I am so glad you went the extra mile for him.

[Christine & Camus]

Thanks Sue.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Here's hoping that the medication will help Camus to feel much better!  You are such a great Doodle Mom.

[Christine & Camus]

Thank you Jane.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm glad you have some answers, Christine. The good news is that Camus had very few strong reactions. The induction phase of the immunotherapy treatment may seem scary, but it really goes by fast and once you get to the maintenance phase, it's pretty easy. It's worked very well for JD and I hope it does for Camus as well.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

PS: The histamine test is a control, and all dogs score the highest response, that's how they measure the response to everything else. So Camus only scored a 4 on three things.

JD didn't have any 4s, except to the histamine control (which they all do), but he had twelve 3s.

[Christine & Camus]

One question I will not have to ask the doctor. Thanks..

[Christine & Camus]

Karen,  I can't thank you enough for your guidance on the issue of allergies (and more).  Camus is my first dog with allergies and it was frustrating and upsetting to see that none of the other options were giving him any relief. I am hopeful that this will be the answer. And, I'm so glad it helped JD, he has been dealt a rough hand (paw) and deserves a break.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Truly, I am so glad to help with this, because I know how frustrating and even heartbreaking these allergies can be, and I was the recipient of some very bad advice when I started trying to research Jack's issues, ranging from crazy ideas about food to not allowing him to walk on grass, lol.

[Jennifer]

Oh no. Your poor baby, that's terrible that he's allergic to so much. I hope he's feeling better soon. Kudos to you for getting this done to assure he has the best quality of life possible.