Allergy shots?

cgmayeaux · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject: Allergy shots?

I took Bailey to the vet today and got the blood test done for allergies. For those of you who have done allergy shots, how affective were/are they?

Pinchc44 · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:03 am Post subject:

Sade has been on allergy shots for a year and a half now almost two. At first we had to do the trial and error on her serum. But now we seem to have it down and can tell a dramatic improvement. Not to say that every once in a while her allergies don't get the best of her and she will need antibiotics and temiral-P to clear her up. But, it's only during the worst of allergy season now for her and only about once maybe twice a summer/spring. In my opinion, the allergy shots are helping her a great deal. I would hate to think where we would be if she stopped taking them or never got tested. We were constantly at the vet getting medication to make her comfortable.

cgmayeaux · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:23 pm Post subject:

Pinchc44 · Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:31 am Post subject:

Well, we started off with a basic serum and have had to adjust it a couple of times because we were still having some breakouts. One of the things that Sade is allergic too is staph bacteria which is everywhere so when she scratches herself she normally gets a staph infection so we have had to adjust her serum and we went from giving her a shot every two weeks to every ten days now. This seems to be working out really well. That's what I mean by the trial and error thing.

We did not get the blood test done but went to a dermatologists and he shaved off part of her hair on her side and did the allergy testing like people get where they give you shots of stuff in different areas and then see what she reacts too. It was crazy b/c she was allergic to so many different types of grass, trees, pollen, etc... Luckily no foods though. Although, we do feed her no grain etc...

Anyway, hope some of this helps. It is a frustrating process but once you get it down and find something that works it's a lot easier.

Weimbyassociatin · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:36 am Post subject: Re: Allergy shots?

Wrench · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject:

The long term effects of these steriod shots are not usually the way you want to go....find out what he's allergic to and then post and maybe we can help.

cgmayeaux · Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:45 pm Post subject:

Pinchc44 · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject:

Just an FYI, the shots I posted about above are not steroid shots but actual allergy shots like humans get where they introduce what you are allergic too into your system to help you become immune to them. Like cgmayeaux our dog dermatologists goes out of his way to not give steroids if at all possible. We also do the Temeral-P which helps when its a really bad season like it was this year.