I just had my 2 year old GSD tested for allergies with intradermal skin testing. She is allergic to 19 different allergens.

We are about to start allergy shots for 6 months to see if it will work for her. I have just started to use Chlor-Trimeton again now to help her with her itching. 3 tabs of 4 mg pills 2 x a day.
It seems to help briefly, but then the itching starts back in.

My question is with starting the allergy shots, will this in fact, make her more itchy and should I ask the vet about getting her some Hydroxyzine to help quell the intensity of the itch?

I have never given allergy shots before and so I was just wondering if these typically make a dog worse before she gets better? Also, I know it can take between 6 months to a year of shots before we see any improvement. So, knowing that we have a bit of a haul in time before she could see improvement, I want to give her something I know will help relieve her discomfort.

PS. I am trying to stay away from steroids if I can.

It did not seem to make her worse at first with my most recent intradermal + injections dog, but she was on Hydroxyzine and I did not stop the antihistamine for the first few weeks of shots. Can't recall if I ever did; I don't think so. Ask the derm vet, though.

We had success. At least, IMO it was success. She was controlled for the rest of her life after the protocol (which I recall as about 9 months).

Then she was on Hydrox daily during two bad times of year, occasionally at other times, she almost never needed any Pred at all any more, she did not get ear infections any more. She was not awakened by scratching frenzies. She had come to me deaf from repeated ear infections, stinking and bleeding from skin infections and yeast, terrible quality of life from itching .... and she was on daily Pred. So I call it a success. She had a remainder of life a jillion times better than when she came, and I think I'd probably credit the switch to raw diet and fish oil and Hydrox (and all the rest of the protocol we discuss here all the time: rinsing the dog, vacuuming the house, etc.; I did not know about probiotics yet with her) for at least half and the desensitizing injections for the rest.

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

I just had my 2 year old GSD tested for allergies with intradermal skin testing. She is allergic to 19 different allergens.

We are about to start allergy shots for 6 months to see if it will work for her. I have just started to use Chlor-Trimeton again now to help her with her itching. 3 tabs of 4 mg pills 2 x a day.
It seems to help briefly, but then the itching starts back in.

My question is with starting the allergy shots, will this in fact, make her more itchy and should I ask the vet about getting her some Hydroxyzine to help quell the intensity of the itch?

I have never given allergy shots before and so I was just wondering if these typically make a dog worse before she gets better? Also, I know it can take between 6 months to a year of shots before we see any improvement. So, knowing that we have a bit of a haul in time before she could see improvement, I want to give her something I know will help relieve her discomfort.

PS. I am trying to stay away from steroids if I can.

Connie,

Wow! After reading what this dog must have gone through before she came to you sounded like a miserable dog.
What a great thing you did for this poor dog! I would call that one hell of a success seeing where she was when you got her!
What an angel you are, truly, you are Connie!

While I can say that it is really sad to see my dog scratch from the "itchies" all the time, I can say that what I witnessed at the DermVet, ie; other dogs there for the same reason, that my Kaia looked far better than most that were there.
I can certainly vouch for the raw diet, therapeutic doses of salmon oil, Ester C and probiotics being major factors why she doesn't look worse.
She has had her share of scabs from staph infections and some redness in her paws from a bit of yeast on and off, but over all, she isn't as bad as lots of other dogs.

Tuesday I am going to bring her in for the tech to show me once how to give the injections( so I do it right) and I will ask about getting some Hydroxyzine to test out.
I fear that spring will be worse, so considering I need to give antihistamines anyway, I would like to give this one a try.
Thank you very much Connie!

 Quote: joyce salazar

Connie,


While I can say that it is really sad to see my dog scratch from the "itchies" all the time, I can say that what I witnessed at the DermVet, ie; other dogs there for the same reason, that my Kaia looked far better than most that were there.
I can certainly vouch for the raw diet, therapeutic doses of salmon oil, Ester C and probiotics being major factors why she doesn't look worse.
She has had her share of scabs from staph infections and some redness in her paws from a bit of yeast on and off, but over all, she isn't as bad as lots of other dogs.

Joyce,
This is exactly our experience with Kasey too. We just quit doing the allergy shots. We did them for 14 months with no success. But Kasey was allergic to 43 of the 75 allergens tested, so the derma vet said it is a lot harder to be successful with that many. The shots do not make the dog itchier - in fact, our derma vet said if he gets itcher, then call her because that indicates an adverse reaction to the serum. We gave Kasey both Chlor-trimenton and Hydroxyzine for those months he was getting the shots - not at the same time or even on the same day! She had us give him one for one week and then the other for the next week, switching off.

I hope the shots work well for you guys!

Lori,
I am so sorry to hear that the shots didn't work for Kasey.
So what are you doing now? Do you still give Kasey any antihistamines? Did you feel that the Hydroxyzine worked better than the Chlor-Trimeton, or were the about the same?
Just very interested in your experience and what you do for Kasey now that the shots didn't work?

It is very good to know that if I see even more itching than usual, that it might be a reaction.
Did your Derm Vet mention Atopica at all for Kasey?
I know another forum member whose dog did really well with that drug.

Spring is around the corner and I am just wondering what it will be like with giving her shots and the pollens on the rise?
I hope they work for us too.

One more question for you Lori. Just how much salmon oil do you give Kasey, and how much does he weigh?
For a long time I was giving Kaia just 4 pumps of Grizzly a day, divided by her two feedings. She weighs 82 lbs.
But recently, I started upping it to 3 pumps in the morning and 3 in the evening feeding.
I think that while it doesn't stop her itching, it has helped.

I have also been thinking about giving the "Clear Allgeries" another try, the one they sell here at LB.
Now they sell it in a larger jar of powder, which would be easier to give in her food.
I had a harder time with multiple pills. The tiny antihistamines are one thing, but these pills are much bigger.
At the time, I never thought of smashing them and making them turn to powder.... but now I won't have to as they have it already done that for me.

It really is hard, you want to help them, and you hate to see them miserable. The constant search for the "magic bullet" that will make it better.
As it is, my husband thinks that I feed my two like Olympic athletes!
There is nothing I wouldn't give to stop the frenzied itchies!

Joyce,
Here's what we do now (which I have learned most of this from Connie and Mike Armstrong! they have been a big help with alternatives since the shots failed to work)

We do still give antihistamines as needed - I switch back and forth between the Chlor-trimeton and the hydroxyzine. The vet said to never give them on the same day even if you space them far apart, but you can vary it on differing days. I find the hydroxyzine to work a little better, but it makes him sleep a little more than normal, so it's good for night itching for sure.

We just tried the cyclosporine (Atopica), but he had too many side effects - it's known for vomiting and diarrhea problems, so we had that (even on half the dose), and then last week he started shaking, like tremors, and the vet said that is another side effect - so he can't take that drug ever again. It is a last ditch effort in my opinion - it works by lowering their immune system so they don't react to the allergens. The drug was developed for people and used for preventing organ rejection in transplants - they found that the people who took it and had ecxema had their skin clear up, so they started testing it on dogs for skin allergies and it helped many of them. But it's super expensive - the generic is $200 a month at Costco, the Atopica is double that.

So we do raw diet, antihistimines, fish oil, and vit E. I'll pm you with how much fish oil we use since it's a therapeutic dose. I also started the Clear Allergies this week - we were't allowed to do them while giving the shots because we wouldn't know which was helping if he got better. I give a probiotic supplement in the a.m. and I'm going to start adding some yogurt to meals.

With Kasey he is very sensitive to yeast on his paws, so I also am starting a new paw regimen this week to try and keep that under control - wash after walks, and then I'm using an antifungal wash. The vet also gave us a good steroid spray for his paws when we need it. We also bathe him often - every 7 - 10 days.



I also have an Rx for an oral steroid that I give a low dose of for a day or two to help break the cycle if he gets really itchy sometimes.

So that is what we are going to do to try and keep him as comfortable as possible from now on. The worse thing for us and him, is that he loves playing ball so much, and he can not play on the grass. If he does, even for 10 minutes, he is miserable for days. I hate that!

Lori,
I was always under the impression that while topical steroids are good for itching they can make yeast problems worse if the yeast is already in overgrowth.

We use Chlor trimeton with Nico on a daily basis right now and used to only use oral steroids as a last ditch effort. I did not see any difference between that and hydroxyzine so I have stuck with the OTC option.

I also do yogurt and Probiotics with every meal and lots of baths with either oatmeal or medicated sulphur/lidocaine shampoo.

Witch hazel works well for soothing really inflammed or red spots and has helped keep them from turning into hot spots for us.

 Quote: Jennifer Lee

Lori,
I was always under the impression that while topical steroids are good for itching they can make yeast problems worse if the yeast is already in overgrowth.

Witch hazel works well for soothing really inflammed or red spots and has helped keep them from turning into hot spots for us.

That can be true if you don't do anything about the yeast. We have had to give Kasey Fluconazole (an oral antifungal) several times a year when he gets too much yeast going. I can always tell now when he has yeast because he goes after the skin between the pads of his feet like there is no tomorrow! So I take him in for a cytology and sure enough, yeast is there - not a lot, but he is very sensitive to it. So we have to then do a course of the drug, and at the same time the derma vet has us use the steroid spray on them until the itching gets better. If we don't use the spray, he constantly chews and that too will keep the yeast damp and warm just like they like it, and that also makes it worse. It can also introduce bacteria to the mix and then you have infection too. So in our case, the yeast is diagnosed, and being treated while we are using the steroid spray.

I am now using the mixture of witch hazel, borax powder and genetian violet (which is a homemade ear wash for yeast/bacteria control that has kept Kasey from ever having an ear infection - the derma vet has been amazed), on his feet to keep the yeast under control so we don't have to resort to oral Rx.

Please note that we always go get cytologies when we suspect yeast or bacteria so that we aren't just guessing and using home remedies without knowing what is causing the itching and biting! If you don't do that, and just try and mask the symptoms yourself, it really messes up the vet and her tests when it doesn't work and you have to take them in anyway!

Thanks Lori, that is good information.
My vet has told me to avoid topical steroids all together because of her predisposition to yeast, but frankly it really works well for itching.

We typically use monistat topically in known yeasty areas like her feet and the folds of her armpits.

I had not thought to use the witch hazel, borax, gentian violet mixture anywhere but in her ears. Do you wash her feet outdoors, and does it stain her coat at all?

I have had purple splatter on my walls from treating her ears and her shaking her head.

Did your derma tell you not to use the steroid spray, or a regular vet?

As far as the purple stuff, I lay him down on his side with a hand towel under his paws and just squirt a little between his pads and rub it in a little - it's not enough to get all over anything.