Possible Food Allergies

[LaFlaca]

About a week ago, Lola presented with pinkish, itchy blotches from stem to stern. The vet gave her a shot of antihistamine and cortisone, sent us home with Temaril P and said that if after discontinuing the medication the condition returned we'd we discussing food allergies.

 

This morning, Lola is once again pink, blotchy and itchy. Left voicemail for vet to discuss food allergies.

 

Please talk to me about your itchy, blotchy, allergy pups so I have an idea what to expect.

[LoveMyGrey]

Luckily I do not currently have any itchy allergy pups. I do have a pup that is allergic to chicken, so I stopped feeding her chicken and turkey and she seems better. Here is another thought, my mom had a dog that was allergic to the grass and need periodic cortisone shots to help with the itching. Her yard was not treated and the pup didn't go anywhere that had grass which had been treated with any chemicals. My new grey, Coco, also is having better poops now that she is almost completely off chicken and is eating lamb. Good luck I know it is annoying for Lola and you!!

[XTRAWLD]

Rule out hot spots first. Also, fall is a good time for some environmental allergies, ragweed for example depending on where you live.

 

Allergies first to consider is chicken. However usually you need a sudden trigger for an allergy to just happen - if she's been eating chicken for a while for example, there might have been another perhaps environmental event that just sent her system out of whack that she can no longer tolerate chicken. What has changed around her? Detergent used on her bedding? Those sorts of things. Did you recently move?

 

Food trials are long and arduous. If I ever had to do it again I'd go for blood and skin testing and figure out with certainty what it is. We were on pred and he would have had to be off the pred for proper skin and blood samples to have accuracy. Once you know what she is allergic to you can start crafting her food world and do the best you can to control the environmental world. There are some pretty sophisticated meds out there and alternative custom made allergy shots!

 

Test first. Save yourself money and time.

 

If she has a true allergy, the antihistamine and cortizone shots are just bandaid solutions (although truthfully you might only need it for fall if its something blooming now). You will need a more long term solution if it truly is an allergy depending on the severity.

Edited October 11, 2018 by XTRAWLD