allergy shots?

[bonechew]

I got the blood test results. Roxy is allergic to weeds, 2 kinds of trees, mold, dust mites, and human dander. Wow.

We live in the forest... and I am not a devoted house cleaner.... poor dog.

She is on Zertec right now, but she still licks her feet raw. I tried Clariten and Benedryl also.

The vet is suggesting they create a shot for her. Have any of you ever gone this route? Are the shots better than the over the counter allergy meds?

Thanks for any info on this. I've never had a dog with alleries before.

[mommy2kane]

I got the panel done and then the custom serum done. It's helped. I believe it's supposed to desensitize them to the allergens? If I'm not mistaken. Kane's never licked his paws raw, but he has some days where he's more itchy. I'll still pop him Benadryl on those days, but it's here and there.

[bonechew]

I've also read that if the dog has many different allergens, then the probability of the shots/serum being effective is greatly decreased. I did read that the shots are effective only 60% of the time also.

I am spending 16.00 a week on over the counter allergy meds right now, and they are not curing all the symptoms. She still licks her feet.

I was amazed at the expense of all this, and the vet telling me the benefits from the shots won't be seen for 8 to 12 months later - if at all. How long did it take for you so see the benefits?

Did you have to give the shots every other day yourself? Can they make this into a pill? Roxy is a great pill taker....

Thanks for the input.

[Misskiwi67]

The medications you are currently using are, on average, about 25% effective, so 60% sounds a lot better to me!

The over the counter medications are only effective for MILD allergies, and as a preventative early in the season. It also takes trial and error to find a medication that will work for your pet, because there is a lot of individual variability in the drug response. You are wasting your money if the drugs aren't helping. You also need to control secondary infections and the inflammation, and antihistamines do nothing for this.

Allergy shots do help, they are not likely to cure the allergies, are expensive, and require a lot of commitment on your part. Allergy shots are the ONLY treatment that treats the actual disease rather than the symptoms, and even if its not a cure, its still an excellent treatment.

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

The clients at work who have used the serum injections properly HAVE seen success.

[mommy2kane]

The serum is not that expensive. I think I pay $120 or $160 for a 6 month supply. He's now on maintenance injections so it's every 3 weeks. Not bad. And since we've been on the shots, he hasn't scratched himself completely raw anymore. Sure it's not a perfect fix, but it's helped tremendously.

[bonechew]

The serum is not that expensive. I think I pay $120 or $160 for a 6 month supply. He's now on maintenance injections so it's every 3 weeks. Not bad. And since we've been on the shots, he hasn't scratched himself completely raw anymore. Sure it's not a perfect fix, but it's helped tremendously.

Thanks for the info.

[bonechew]

I spoke to my vet. It will cost 250 for the serum.

The first vials go pretty quickly. After she goes on maint., it will be 233 dollars for 4 months of serum.

Wow.