# UPDATE on Poodles Allergies



## BeBe67 (May 13, 2015)

So I took Brandie and Luna to the Vet today. Turns out that it is allergies after all. The skin scrapings were negative. No mange etc. So the bad news is the new allergy shot to treat this problems is way $$$$$$$  They both had injections of Cytopoint and vet said continue the Benadryl. I am hoping that they get better soon. The Cytopoint injection is $44.00 per shot per dog   so along with the testing and medications/shots I was left with a bill of $242.00 UGH UGH and it could not have come at a worse time. I am so hoping that they do not have to have more of these allergy shots. I cant afford them on a regular basis. These are the times when having only ONE dog would def be a good thing


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Well that was a painful, costly visit but I do think it's good news that it's not mange. Hopefully both dogs have some relief from their allergy symptoms.

Definitely consider making changes in their diets as well as things in the environment you can change. As you decrease the load of irritants, allergy symptoms will decrease too.


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## rj16 (Jan 30, 2017)

I hope it provides the pups with some relief. Are you/the vet doing anything to figure out what the allergy is to? Or was it already determined to be environmental? 

Sorry if I missed the answer in an earlier thread.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Veterinary Dermatology Center - Dr. Buerger- Allergy Testing Info

This vet specialist gives a good summary of allergies, courses of treatments and brace yourself for the cost information. I hope your poodles' allergies are seasonal and the one shot will do the trick.


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## BeBe67 (May 13, 2015)

No the vet that we saw was not our regular vet. She was one of vets in the practice, but not our usual one. I was disappointed that she just said she was giving them the shots and she didn't really spend much time with us really. She didn't ask me anything about their environment or what I feed them. She did not seem interested in the info I gave her, about we are grain free, and grain free treats even. It was kind of a weird visit. Next time I go I plan on requesting our regular Vet and schedule our appts only on days he is in. The shots seem to have helped Luna more than Brandie. Brandie has gone back to chewing her self but she doesn't have hair loss, she just does this weird thing where she chews/slobbers on herself and then she is wet and yucky and makes tangles in her hair.  The jury is still out on if the shots were worth the trouble and costs?


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## PoodleFoster (May 25, 2013)

Hi Bebe
Please consider doing your research on skin issues and some of the things you are experiencing. Your vet hasn't done it, now it's time for YOU to be armed and ready for next visit. 
I have experience with poodles with skin issues, thru rescue. Most were food related! It takes TIME to get a dog turned around, but it can happen with great results. Worth the effort!
*BE prepared for the time requirement, recovery does not happen over night or in a few weeks.
I followed Dr Karen Becker on line. She is a holistic vet in ILlinois. She does a grand job of explaining skin issues, and gives very practical ideas on how to make your pet more comfortable. I can't saw enough good about her videos, very easy to understand and explains things in a layman's terms. I still get her updates on facebook.
Give her a try!!! 
My last toy poodle I fostered was 8 years old at the time of his rescue. WE know his age because his first owner had him microchipped and every time he was caught and brought back to the shelter, they would phone her. She would tell them that she had given him away! He had had at LEAST 4 owners. He had hardly any hair, itchy feet, severely infected ears, drippy goopy eyes, naked backside. He had scratched and chewed himself to a bloody mess. His skin was thick and bumpy, almost resembled elephant skin. He is a black toy.
It took a few months, but we got him on the road to recovery and his new owner continued his protocol. He is now a fluffy beautiful black toy poodle, he is lovely.
I just wanted to give you hope and know that there is research out there. There are things you can do at home, very intense things, but you can give your dogs relief.
I have photos of other dogs I've worked with with skin issues, before and after.
If interested, I can send photos before and after, please PM me.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I am pretty experienced with allergies for both people and dogs. My pomeranian went bald a few years ago and I thought maybe it is allergy related but after many skin scraping and a $700 dermatology DMV later, we discovered it was just alopecia and there was no cure. In terms of immunotherapy, I am allergic to all of my pets with the exception of the parrot. A few years ago I had dizzy spells that were triggered by allergies and I had a series of skin tests at the allergist. They scrapped me 66 times in my back and injected one arm 18 times!!! I had no idea it was gonna be so bad! But the worst part was the $1500 bill after all of that. The allergist recommended immunotherapy, which I believe had a lower success rate than I'd like and required me to get weekly shots for two years and costed about $2k. I decided I can just take Costco Allegra for the rest of my life and it would be a guarantee and cheaper. So I would say 40% of my days I take no Allegra despite being allergic to my four dogs and two cats. After spending so much money, I'd give other less costly options a try first because treatments aren't always a guarantee. Perhaps keep a log and try an elimination tactic with food and environmental stimuli.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I would suggest NutriScan to find out if there are specific food sensitivities. I did it for all of my dogs and made huge changes in what they eat to see great improvements in a number of health issues for each of them. NutriScan isn't cheap but if you have insurance it is likely to be covered. If you don't have insurance then it is still a good investment that is likely to be cheaper in the long run than the current plan for benadryl and allergy shots.


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

I don't know your pups background with the itchiness, but I would say don't discount environmental allergy tests, just in case. My Mochi was biting holes in her fur all over for over a year but it seemed worse in the warm months. Because I did some food changes at home to rule certain things out, I ended up having her tested for environmental allergies only and found she is highly allergic to dust and dust mites, and some pollens (and also cockroaches!). 

Even though the vet dermatologist STRONGLY pushed us to choose injections and insisted there was no way her allergies would lessen over time, OR be helped by more frequent bathing in warm months, we decided to just be more vigilant of how often she was bathed and make sure she always had a bath after a visit to the dog park, and we've made it the past 7 or 8 months without ANY holes in her fur. Last winter she had about 3 holes in her fur at any given time... I will pay attention this spring/summer/fall and if we continue without any issues I'll know it isn't worth the expensive shots. But if it appears we can't keep her comfortable, we'll reconsider (and be thankful her insurance will cover most of the costs).


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

BrooklynBonnie part of why I suggested testing for food allergies first is that they are pretty easy to manage. But you are right that there should be environmental allergy testing if dealing with any potential food issues doesn't result in real improvements.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Before you start things like elimination diets and trying to find a correlation that has to do with seasonal, environmental type allergies, I would think you'd want to rule out mites or fungus or any endocrine issues like hypothyroidism or Cushings first. Then start in on the grueling detective work or see about those tests that show sensitivities. I hope you get this worked out...nothing like seeing our babies uncomfortable. 

I know of a lot of dogs whose allergies seemed to improve when switched to a balanced raw, species specific diet. I do believe that a lot of the commercial foods (along with _over_ vaccination) may do something to dogs' immune systems, perhaps due to teeth and gum issues if not directly. But I noticed when Jose` (rip) had alopecia and I put him on a raw food diet, including raw green tripe, his hair grew back..._somewhat_...not perfect but a lot better. I just hear of fewer allergy problems and other health issues in raw fed dogs. Good luck. I hope you find some answers.


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