Question for Veterinarians and/or Dog Owners

[throwittoblythe]

We have an 8 year old lab/pit mix. He's a big boy; about 80 lbs. He has had allergies most his life and we have never had him tested for the source. He is regularly scratching his belly and licking his armpits to the point of making them irritated/raw. About every 2-3 months, it will progress into a skin infection and we end up at the vet putting him on antibiotics.

He's been on apoquel+benadryl for probably 3 to 5 years and that kept his scratching down enough to keep him comfortable. In the last two years, his allergies seem to be flaring up a lot more than usual. Our vet had us switch from the allergy pill to the shot but that does not seem to be doing the trick (and may be even less effective than the pill).

My question: Our vet referred us to a vet dermatologist to try and figure out what the cause of all of this is and a treatment that will keep us from these repeated vet bills.

Anyone have experience with this? Is it worthwhile? How much $$$ are we talking here, in general? The Google Machine suggests the dermatologist consult alone will cost $300 and that's before any tests or meds. Is that about right?

I'm also curious if anyone has had any luck with simpler treatment options. We want to get this figured out for him, but we also can't be spending $1000+ on it.

 

[charlie_B]

How often do you wash your dog? We try to wash our dog once a week, and it keeps pretty much all of his allergies in check. Used to have the same issues you mentioned.

 

[Bader]

Our Bernese Mountain Dog suffers from seasonal allergies. Over the last year I'll give him these at the recommended dose when he starts itching or licking his paws. Has done the trick for us so far. My dime store vet research suggests that anything with colostrum will help. I tried giving him benadryl at our vets suggestion a few years ago and it somehow made him even more drowsy.

 

[CycloneVet]

Actually you can combine the Cytopoint shot with the Apoquel for increased effectiveness during severe allergy time. Allergies are about control and not cure. One potential reason for the increased severity is he is becoming allergic to more things or developing a stronger allergy to existing allergens. Does he scratch severely in the winter? If so consider a hypoallergenic food trial.

 

[throwittoblythe]

How often do you wash your dog? We try to wash our dog once a week, and it keeps pretty much all of his allergies in check. Used to have the same issues you mentioned.

Unfortunately he gets washed when he stinks; not on the regular. A) He hates the bath and B) our bathtub is super deep and he can't climb right in. So, it's a bit of a struggle for us both to get him in there.

 

[bozclone]

Our dog has been on apoquel for many years and has gotten shots off and on. It seemed to help less over time. We then tried switching his dog food. He still struggles some with alergies, but I think the dog food has helped.

 

[throwittoblythe]

Our Bernese Mountain Dog suffers from seasonal allergies. Over the last year I'll give him these at the recommended dose when he starts itching or licking his paws. Has done the trick for us so far. My dime store vet research suggests that anything with colostrum will help. I tried giving him benadryl at our vets suggestion a few years ago and it somehow made him even more drowsy.

Interesting. I'll give some of these a shot. I'm hoping to figure something out so we can avoid the dermatologist all together.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

We have an 8 year old lab/pit mix. He's a big boy; about 80 lbs. He has had allergies most his life and we have never had him tested for the source. He is regularly scratching his belly and licking his armpits to the point of making them irritated/raw. About every 2-3 months, it will progress into a skin infection and we end up at the vet putting him on antibiotics.

He's been on apoquel+benadryl for probably 3 to 5 years and that kept his scratching down enough to keep him comfortable. In the last two years, his allergies seem to be flaring up a lot more than usual. Our vet had us switch from the allergy pill to the shot but that does not seem to be doing the trick (and may be even less effective than the pill).

My question: Our vet referred us to a vet dermatologist to try and figure out what the cause of all of this is and a treatment that will keep us from these repeated vet bills.

Anyone have experience with this? Is it worthwhile? How much $$$ are we talking here, in general? The Google Machine suggests the dermatologist consult alone will cost $300 and that's before any tests or meds. Is that about right?

I'm also curious if anyone has had any luck with simpler treatment options. We want to get this figured out for him, but we also can't be spending $1000+ on it.

We had a Brittany Spaniel that was allergic to grasses (yeah, really useful for a hunting dog...). We finally ended up putting her on steroids to control the inflammation. We also had to be careful to mow the back & front yards on separate days because she really struggled if she had to potty in a freshly mowed lawn.

 

[Cdiedrick]

We have an 8 year old lab/pit mix. He's a big boy; about 80 lbs. He has had allergies most his life and we have never had him tested for the source. He is regularly scratching his belly and licking his armpits to the point of making them irritated/raw. About every 2-3 months, it will progress into a skin infection and we end up at the vet putting him on antibiotics.

He's been on apoquel+benadryl for probably 3 to 5 years and that kept his scratching down enough to keep him comfortable. In the last two years, his allergies seem to be flaring up a lot more than usual. Our vet had us switch from the allergy pill to the shot but that does not seem to be doing the trick (and may be even less effective than the pill).

My question: Our vet referred us to a vet dermatologist to try and figure out what the cause of all of this is and a treatment that will keep us from these repeated vet bills.

Anyone have experience with this? Is it worthwhile? How much $$$ are we talking here, in general? The Google Machine suggests the dermatologist consult alone will cost $300 and that's before any tests or meds. Is that about right?

I'm also curious if anyone has had any luck with simpler treatment options. We want to get this figured out for him, but we also can't be spending $1000+ on it.

You might have already tried this but it’s something that we did and it worked. We switched dog food to Science Diet. I eventually got tired of the price so we went to Pedigree. Our black lab scratched a lot and the dog food was the issue.
We also have a rat terrier and noticed her belly was irritated. The wife had this deodorant stick looking stuff that she would apply to the irritated area it worked great! We did have her at the dog kennel while we were on vacation and she didn’t have an outbreak. The source of the irritation was the laundry detergent we had been using. Just a couple of ideas here.

 

[CascadeClone]

There are often groups for these kinds of things (like FB, etc) where you can get some tips and advice.

We are fostering a diabetic dog (again, long sad story) and have got a lot of info form the Canine Diabetes Support (CDSI?) facebook group. I would assume something similar exists for dog allergies.

Only other advice would be to try ALL the simple stuff (bathing, different food, etc etc) first. You can probably trade time/effort for cost, and if it is something environmental you can control, your vet can't really do that for you anyway.

 

[Cyrealist]

Interesting. I'll give some of these a shot. I'm hoping to figure something out so we can avoid the dermatologist all together.

I'm a veterinarian and I'd recommend biting the bullet and going to the dermatologist. Your dog could have a chronic infection with yeast or bacteria, or something like Demodex mites. If it is atopy (allergies) and Apoquel + Benadryl isn't taking care of the symptoms, it might be better to take a different approach. That could be a food trial or allergy testing. If he's allergic to things that are constantly in the environment, it is possible to give him injections of the allergens to modify the immune response. Unfortunately, you'll burn through the $300 on your initial consult, but I believe it's worth it to get a definitive diagnosis and effective treatment. Allergies tend to get worse with age. That's the opinion of an anonymous guy on the internet, anyway.

 

[Cy Hard]

If you are near look into going to the ISU Vet Med. If nothing else it may be more affordable clinical option giving it's a learning clinic.

 

[Cyrealist]

If you are near look into going to the ISU Vet Med. If nothing else it may be more affordable clinical option giving it's a learning clinic.

Wouldn't count on the "more affordable" part, but they do have top-notch people.

 

[dahliaclone]

Our dog is a constant licker of his paws and they STINK. We've tried baths and salves and meds and wipes. Vet just always says it's allergies but nothing ever seems to get rid of his issues and licking. Poor bubs.

 

[CoachHines3]

Our dog is a constant licker of his paws and they STINK. We've tried baths and salves and meds and wipes. Vet just always says it's allergies but nothing ever seems to get rid of his issues and licking. Poor bubs.

my boxers feet get like this. red, swollen, yeasty. its def allergies and we've tried wipes and give baking soda bath/soaks but doesnt seem to help. hes a trooper though and it doesn't effect him too much.

 

[PineClone]

Count yourself lucky, you could have this dog.

 

[ClonesFTW]

Have had the same issue with our golden retriever for 5 years, haven't found a solution to this day.

 

[Winchester]

Wouldn't count on the "more affordable" part, but they do have top-notch people.

Since the new building opened ISU actually changed the pet hospital. It now operates more like your neighborhood clinic. Prices are much better than previously, can choose which vet you want to see (from clinic vets) I tried them and compared cost to the regular clinic I had been using and there was little if any difference. The higher cost still apples if your dog needs a specialist, but if your local vet sent your dog to a specialist the higher costs would apply also.
My lab has seasonal allergies. Usually start at end of summer when everything is dry and air is full of nasty stuff, especially if he is in the field. For several years when I see the allergies onset I take him in for a Cytopoint shot so far it has solved the problem until the next late summer. Cytopoint is a little pricey, but for me at least it is worth it not have the foot licking and chewing to deal with (about 100 bucks).
I had the same vet in Ames for decades and had a wonderful relationship with him. After he passed I tried some other local vets and for a variety of reasons was never very happy. So far I have been very happy with the ISU clinic.

 

[throwittoblythe]

my boxers feet get like this. red, swollen, yeasty. its def allergies and we've tried wipes and give baking soda bath/soaks but doesnt seem to help. hes a trooper though and it doesn't effect him too much.

We had a boxer that passed away 18 months ago and he had this same problem. His white feet were turned a reddish brown from his saliva due to all the licking. His seemed to get better with age and benadryl took the edge off quite well for him. Our lab/pit isn't so lucky.

 

[throwittoblythe]

I'm a veterinarian and I'd recommend biting the bullet and going to the dermatologist. Your dog could have a chronic infection with yeast or bacteria, or something like Demodex mites. If it is atopy (allergies) and Apoquel + Benadryl isn't taking care of the symptoms, it might be better to take a different approach. That could be a food trial or allergy testing. If he's allergic to things that are constantly in the environment, it is possible to give him injections of the allergens to modify the immune response. Unfortunately, you'll burn through the $300 on your initial consult, but I believe it's worth it to get a definitive diagnosis and effective treatment. Allergies tend to get worse with age. That's the opinion of an anonymous guy on the internet, anyway.

Thank you! We switched from Royal Canin to Blue Buffalo a couple of months ago (supply chain issues and skyrocketing price on the RC brand). Unfortunately, that didn't do the trick. Apoquel+benadryl kept his allergies at bay about half the time, but as I said, we end up back at the vet every few months because his skin gets infected and needs help to heal. Switching from the apoquel to the cytopoint has definitely not worked. He got the CP injection 2 weeks ago, which is when we stopped apoquel, and its definitely worse.

We'll give the dermatologist a try and see how it goes.