Is it time to do allergy testing and if so what kind?

[Ann Kendig]

My labradoodle Duke is just plain miserable. He is going on 9 months old and I have taken him monthly to the vet for ear infections, chewing on his abdomen which causes skin infections, constant scratching and biting his back and now his membranes around his eyes are very red and he has a discharge coming out of both eyes. (This is the first time for the eye problem). I really haven’t ever noticed him licking his paws. He sneezes when he is outside, he sneezes when I spray perfume, and he sneezes if I spray Febreze. The sprays don’t bother Sheba at all. (I try not to spray anything with my dogs in the room but when the sprays travel through the air into another room it makes Duke sneeze.) I don’t spray anything on their beds or use any fabric softener on the covers to their dog beds when I wash them.

. I have had a problem with his itching and sneezing since day one. He came to live with us May 22nd and I looked back on the calendar and he was started on prednisone June 22nd and he has been on it a couple times. On June 14th I shaved him down because he was breaking off his hair badly on his hindquarters from scratching and chewing. I shave his belly because it gets very matted from his chewing and the hair on his muzzle gets matted from the constant chewing.

Duke had finished antibiotics for the skin infection (and had a cortisone shot at the vets) and within 2 weeks of stopping his antibiotics he was back to scratching and biting with another skin infection. So on the 4th of December the Vet gave him another shot and he is on Prednisone 20 mg. pill. (1/2 pill for 3 days in a row and then ½ pill every other day until pills are gone. So that means his last dose of prednisone will be January 10th.) He is also on an eye ointment called Neo-poly-dex for 7 days. I give Duke Children’s Benedryl 12.5 mg tablets. He gets 2 pills two times a day and it doesn’t seem to help him much at all. I have been giving him 1 capsule per day of Omega 3 fatty acid called AllerG-3 which I purchased at the vets’ office. He has been on that since the beginning of September. He gets very smelly after about 2 weeks and needs a bath!! I use oatmeal and aloe shampoo and conditioner I bought from the vet.

Duke and Sheba (my golden doodle) are on flea prevention and I haven’t seen any fleas on either of my dogs. (Vet is changing flea med to Comfortis because he said he wonders if the Frontline isn’t working as well as it used to.)

Duke has been on Taste of the Wild for a few months. I rotate between the 3 different “flavors”. I was switching them over to Orijen puppy. After about a week of ½ Taste of the Wild and ½ Orijen puppy Duke’s membranes around his eyes became very red and developed a discharge (pus?) from his eyes and he started chewing. I’m not saying the food had anything to do with the itching and eye problem, it is just an observation.

I asked my vet if I should get Duke tested for allergies, he said I should wait. (Probably has a car payment to make.) My vet offers the serum allergy testing but there is a place in Columbus Ohio called MedVet which is a medical center for pets. The doctor I would take Duke to is a member of the American College Veterinary Dermatology. They do the skin testing. When I called MedVet they said that they test for more allergens than the serum testing does. I forgot to ask if one type of testing was more reliable than the other. (Serum testing vs. skin testing) DUH!! MedVet recommended Wellness White Fish & Sweet Potato or Natural Balance Venison & Potato as a diet.

I would rather spend the money on the testing than to be constantly running to the vet. I hate to see Duke suffer and I only want to help him feel better! I really don’t know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am sure Karen and Jack will see this and help you. She has extensive experience with allergies because of Jackdoodle. I am so sorry for poor Duke.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ann, you absolutely want to do the skin testing; it is the gold standard for determining what Dukes' allergens are. The serum tests are very unreliable.
Here's a discussion about my doodle Jack's skin tests, complete with photos, and lots of info about treatment options:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/all-about-allergies
In addition, here's a discussion with basic facts about allergies in dogs:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...
In addition, if you go to "back to discussions" at the top of this page and look through the discussion topics here in the Health & Medical group, you'll find lots more info on allergies in our dogs there as well. But the above two links should help.
I was where you are two years ago; I couldn't get any help in the forums or on-line. My vet was wise enough to realize that Jack's allergies were beyond his expertise, and he referred me to a specialist. That's when Jack finally started to get effective treatment and relief, and I got quite an education in allergies and immune system diseases.
Vets are like primary care physicians; your doctor refers you to specialists when necessary, and your vet should do this, too. I definitely think you should take Duke to the specialist, and you are very fortunate to have one in your area. There are not very many of them.
It certainly sounds to me like Duke has allergies, and they are most likely inhalant allergies, or environmental allergies. It probably isn't the sprays that he's allergic to, either. It is almost always an organic substance. Allergies are a disease and it is not curable, but it can be treated. There are better antihistamines than benadryl, and cheaper, more effective EFAs than the ones you got from the vet. But you really need to find out what his allergens are, and then consider immunotherapy shots; that's the treatment Jack is on, and I am very glad to tell you that he has not had steroids for almost one year! The steroids are not acceptable for long-term frequent use, and this does get worse as a dog gets older, so the sooner you find the right treatment for Duke, the easier it will be to manage his condition long term.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns, or just to vent. This is a tough thing to deal with. There are a few of us here whose dogs have this problem, since it is genetic and runs in Labs. it's not a happy club to belong to, but we are here to support each other any way we can. Hugs to you & Duke.

[Ann Kendig]

Thanks Nancy, He really is a miserable boy right now. He's my bad boy but when he isn't feeling good and he's moaping around I kinda miss his bad boy ways! One thing that doesn't change about him when he feels bad is the fact that he's just a big loverboy!!!

When I was a kid my parents took the dogs to the vet very seldom and I don't remember them ever getting sick. Every animal I've had since I've moved out from my parents house has had a medical problem!!! But I loved them all!

[Ann Kendig]

Karen, is it unusual for this to start so young? He has been like this since he was about 12 weeks old! I realize steriods are not something that you want to do long term. (My daughter had a kidney transplant many years ago and she was on prednisone and a few other immunosuppressive drugs..scary stuff) The vet kept saying he's to young to have allergies and we kept going down the steroid path. I have read some of the allergy discussions and all of it makes my head spin! What food would you have Duke on? Should I continue on the Orijen puppy food or switch to Orijen adult food? Should I change to Wellness White Fish & Sweet Potato or Natural Balance Venison & Potato as MedVed suggested? (I know he probably doesn't have food allergies.) I can't imagine this getting worse for Duke than what it is! Sometimes when he can't stop chewing on himself I climb down on the floor and pet him or I'll play with him to try to get his mind off the itching! I'll do more reading tomorrow on the posts here and look at your links. The allergy testing won't be started for a while as we are leaving for Florida soon and I guess Duke has to be off the prednisone and benedryl and no bath for a certain amount of time before testing. That will be hard on Duke because he is going to be so uncomfortable without any prednisone or benedryl!!! Thanks for the help Karen and Duke thanks you too! I'll keep you informed! By the way, Jack is such a handsome boy!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It is unusual for allergies to start so young. Food allergies almost never start before a year old, which is one reason I don't think that's Duke's problem...by 12 weeks, he couldn't possibly have been on any one food long enough to develop an allergy to it.
Jack's specialist recommended Orijen for him...not because of food allergies, but because of the high protein content & the quality of the ingredients. I'd stay with that if I were you. If he likes it and it's agreeing with his digestion, why take a chance on making him more miserable? Imagine if he had diarrhea or a digestive upset on top of the itching! At nine months, Duke can go to the adult formula if you want, unless he still has a lot of growing to do. If he's a very big boned standard, you may want to stay with the puppy formula.
Did the vet do skin scrapings? They always do that to check for mites before treating allergies. Even with Jack, they still did scrapings after we knew he had allergies, when he would have a flare. Sarcoptic mange (mites) can look an awful lot like atopy in young dogs. That would be one explanation, and that would be a blessing, because it's treatable!
I have known of a couple other doodles whose allergies showed up fairly young, though. Jack was 14 months old when I adopted him, and my vet could see right away that something wasn't right.
I hope your daughter is doing well; Atopica is one of the drugs that is an option for dogs with atopy, and Atopica is the veterinary version of Cyclosporine, which you may be very familiar with because of your daughter's experience. In fact, you may have the knowledge about that option that I needed two years ago, and still may need!
Florida is definitely going to require Duke to be on the pred & antihistamines, if he does have atopy. Jack had his testing done in winter, which is his good season, so he could be off the meds for two weeks prior. For now, focus on keeping Duke comfortable and try not to worry too much. You will get a handle on Duke's issues and be able to help him, I know. Give him a hug from Jackdoodle & me.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ann, here are some professional links to the Mar Vista Veterinary articles on atopic dermatitis, itching, and allergies; these were the most helpful articles I found when I was trying to figure this out:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_inhalant_allergies.html
http://marvistavet.com/html/body_itch_relief.html
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_food_allergies.html

[Ann Kendig]

I asked the vet a couple visits ago if Duke should have a skin scraping done. He examined Duke and said Duke doesn't look like he needed one done. I guess I should have asked him to go a head and do it. When I take him back to the vet next week I'll ask him again. Is there a special area they get the scraping from? It seems to me that Cyclosporine was just starting to be used for transplant patients back in 1984 when my daughter had hers. Is what your doing for Jack better for him than having to use Atopica? I'm going to print off all of the information you gave me! Duke is feeling better and scratching less but the membranes around his eyes are still very red. Thanks Karen!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you read the discussion I posted first, you will learn about the differences between Cyclosporine and the treatment I opted for; this is the most difficult decision you ever have to make. I believe the immunotherapy is the healthiest option, and the closest thing you can get to a cure, if it works. (That's a big "if".)Cyclosporine, as you can imagine, has lots of side effects and unknowns, which is very scary for me. If his immunotherapy doesn't work long-term, though, we will have to decide between trying the Atopica or just going with steroids. At some point, it may come down to quality of life. :-(

[Ann Kendig]

OK Karen, I'll check it out again...sorry...have a foggy brain tonight. I truly hope all goes well with Jack and that he can remain on his current treatment. I have watched a couple of your videos of Jack and looked at his pictures. He looks so happy! As I said before, he is so handsome. Jack is so lucky to have you in his life to look after him and love him. :)) I'll keep you posted on updates! Thanks so much!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for the kind words, Ann. Jackdoodle is the love of my life!
Please do keep us posted on Duke's condition. The only way any of us can effectively deal with this is to help each other & share info. And sometimes it just helps to have a place to talk it over and vent!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Ann,
I am not a doodle, but I am have a horrible time breathing from Frabreeze, Scotchgaurd, Car freshners, Carpet Cleaners, and those horrible sensor sprays. I l left a job two years ago because I was miserable. I fleft with no notice. I was that bad.

Do you use carpet cleaners? Many/MOST scented items are NOT regulated by the FDA in the United States. There are constant complaints but nothing has to be done. I thought I read somewhere Canada has band many of these products especially in public places. There are complaints of death and severe sickness--non have been substantiated. I suppose more dogs have to die before they warn us it might be dangerous.

May or may not have anything to do with itchy miserable Duke--but I see you use these and many of us are having problems. Let me add here, that my symptoms are breathng--closed throat, then I wheeze for a few days if it is bad. Drs say I have anxiety. But I know instantly when I am exposed and sure enough there it is. I do not lay in it like a dog would. So this may help Dunno?
In my home you can ONLY find bleach or windex

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The thing is, the itching that Duke is suffering is due to a histamine reaction in his circulatory system that is triggered by organic substances...i.e. proteins...that he is inhaling. Chemical products aren't organic, don't have proteins, and can't cause an allergic reaction on a cellular level. Things like cleaning products, perfumes, air sprays, etc., are irritants that can affect the lungs, mucus membranes, and sinuses and can certainly cause respiratory problems, headaches, and many other symptoms of illness, but they can't cause an allergic reaction on the part of the immune system. Duke's itching is coming from his bloodstream. In this case, it's not chemicals.