Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Ava at the Allergist Part 2
I really like this vet dermatologist’s office. I didn’t want to leave her, and I knew that she wouldn’t want to go – and she didn’t. She kept trying to come back to me and I was trying not to cry. She was just breaking my heart. They let me walk her back and put her in the kennel. I promised her that I was coming back for her and that I wasn’t leaving her. But her English is sort of limited to “let’s go to bed” and “want to go for a ride?” so I’m not sure she understood. They usually schedule pickups for after 3, but they promised they would put her at the top of the list and try to get her home sooner than that. And they called me to tell me that she was ready after 2 ½ hours! I was so grateful that they were able to accommodate her that way.
The verdict is in. She didn’t have a ton of positives, but what she reacted to, she reacted to fairly significantly. And she had some environmental allergies that make sense with the way her symptoms don’t seem to be seasonal. I will attach a photo of her allergy test, but she reacted most strongly to two different dust mites, and the yeast that is just normal body flora. She also reacted to cats. My dog is allergic to cats! (Me too Ava)
We will be starting her on allergy shots tomorrow. They said tonight, but I want to give them in the mornings, so we will just start then. I’m very pleased with the outcome. I hope this helps! I feel like the dermatologist was a real success. I’m glad that I went ahead with testing.
I do have a question that I didn't think to ask regarding her sensitivity to corn. Do you think that she should avoid eating anything with corn in it, because she's allergic to the physical substance? I don't think that there is corn in any of the food or treats I buy for her (I buy off the approved list, I don't think any of them have corn.) But sometimes I let her have the junk treats at places we go. I mean, sometimes I eat McDonalds too! But I'm not sure if I should restrict those now??
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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She really didn't have a very strong reaction to anything other than the yeast, and the dust mites. And she has a few allergens in common with JD: He also scored a "3" for both kinds of dust mites, and a "2" for cat dander. He was positive for everything else that Ava is positive for, but he scored 3s on all of them, plus a lot more. 15 positives, and all but 2 of them were "3"s. So this is very good news. Dust mite allergies response beautifully to the immunotherapy, and she wasn't positive for any molds, which respond the least well.
Corn pollen allergies (which is what she tested positive for) are not triggered by eating corn, it's inhaling the pollens that cause the symptoms, but there's no good reason to feed a dog anything that contains corn anyway, so might as well avoid it.
I feel really good about these results, all things considered.
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Permalink Reply by Stacy on
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I feel good about it too. I'm glad to hear that she should respond to treatment for the dust mites. I suspect that's probably our greatest exposure. I mean, I do clean the house, but I have carpet. And I probably don't dust as often as I could. I just don't want her to have to deal with the itching forever. I suspect that the yeast is a problem that feeds on itself too. Her feet itch so she licks them which causes more yeast which causes more itching. It makes me wonder if I could use Nystatin cream on her feet to help control that. That's just me backseat doctoring again. Right now her feet look great! Apoquel works so well. Of course that's just a bandaid and we're trying to get to the root of the problem, but in the short term it helped a lot.
She's all snuggled in, sleeping next to me. She had a hard morning. I think she's glad to be home! I just love this girl.
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The one allergen Ava has that JD doesn't is the yeast, and she had the strongest possible reaction to it. I'm not sure about using any kind of cream on her feet; I'm not a fan of creams and ointments on dogs, for several reasons. All of the topicals that have been prescribed for JD are things that dry quickly, either sprays, powders, or liquids/lotions. I'd ask the specialist before i applied anything to her feet. I think there is a powder you can use on her feet that might help. Keep her feet as dry as possible.
You can't completely rid your environment of dust mites, no matter how much you clean. There are things that help. I threw away my bedskirt and I have only blinds on all my windows, easy to wipe down. The fewer dust catchers you have around, the better, especially in the areas where she sleeps. Dust mite concentrations are always highest in bedrooms, and a lot of the literature tells you to keep the dog out of the bedroom for that reason. But that's not happening here, lol. JD would die if he couldn't sleep in my room. Change your furnace filter frequently and wash her bedding frequently. Use dust mite proof covers on your mattress.
As I've mentioned before, the immunotherapy has virtually no side effects, unlike the immunosuppressant drugs. Yes, it's easy to use Apoquel, and prednisone works really, really well too; but in the long run, you are doing the best thing for Ava by trying the immunotherapy.
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I'm sure you're right about the cream. It's something she would ingest that she doesn't need to eat. I think probably keeping them clean and as dry as possible is the best thing I can do. The same for her ears. Those are the two spots most prone to yeast overgrowth. Nystatin does come in powder form. So that could be a possibility if it becomes a problem.
Those are all good suggestions. I'm with you - I would never be able to kick the dogs out of my bedroom or my bed. I'm not sure if that's more for them or for me. But I wouldn't be able to stand it. We would all be sleeping on the couch together. I can't sleep without them.
I do have a good mattress encasement. And I should probably wash my own bedding more frequently along with hers. I don't have anything foofy on the bed that can't go into the washing machine. And the girls get it dirty enough that I do wash it regularly, but I could do it more frequently. And there are probably a few dust catchers that I can get rid of. I don't like a lot of junk around, so it would just be a good excuse to get rid of a few more things!
I don't want people to think that apoquel is a quick fix. I mean, it doesn't have the immediate side effects of prednisone of increased eating, drinking, and urinating. But the potential of increased cancer risks scares me just as much.
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And anything that suppresses the immune system enough to stop the allergy response has to have other side effects.
There are dogs who only need something for a month or two in the Spring or Fall, and for those dogs, the immunosuppressant drugs are probably the best choice.
But no, not a quick fix. :)
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Permalink Reply by Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom on
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Lucys dermatologist has us use these pads on her feet. The good news is that if you have insurance they insurance will pay for them even if we order from Chewy.com
https://www.chewy.com/douxo-chlorhexidine-3-ps-pads-dogs/dp/110823
and this shampoo:
https://www.chewy.com/miconahextriz-shampoo-dogs-cats-16/dp/114184
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I love Douxo. We use Douxo Calm shampoo, but all of their products are great.
Malaseb shampoo is very good for fighting yeasts, also.
https://www.chewy.com/malaseb-medicated-shampoo-dogs-cats/dp/119234
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Permalink Reply by Gail and Bailey on
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I just had Bailey at the vet because she was licking her "lady parts" and had discolored the area. It was not a UTI , just yeast. The vet sold me some of the Douro Chlorhexidine Pads to use twice a day. Works like a charm. I was charged $40 for the jar of thirty pads!!!! I will be getting them online if I need them again!!
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OMG that is crazy. I'm sure we paid more for the first ones from the dermatologist, but they are the ones that actually told me I could get them cheaper on line. The shampoo as well.
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I paid $26 at the vet's office for the same 6.9 oz bottle of Douxo shampoo that costs $14.59 online.
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