Allergy tests came back; Reccomendations?

[Sweet72947]

So I got an allergy test done on Benji because the poor little boy itches all the time and he started pulling his hair out of his chest. We got the results back today and he's allergic to a tree, a few weeds, fleas (he doesn't have them, we treat with Frontline..or is it Advantage?) cockroaches:yikes: (have you ever heard of such a thing? ) and my vet checked off to avoid cooked corn, potato, and either turkey or chicken, I can't remember which. (I'm in my class right now, I don't have the results at hand). I was just wondering if anybody has dealt with allergy ridden dogs before, and if there are any tips anyone could give me? I am going to call the vet tomorrow and see when I could stop in to discuss the results.

Thanks!

 

[FoxyWench]

the chicken and corn are of course the most common youll come across, theres not much you can do about the environmental allergies (pollen weeds ect) except keep the specific plants out of your garden as muhc as possible.
cockroaches its actually the waste they produce thats the alergen, and its failry common.

the easiest to control (and most likely to be causing the problems) are the food alergies, best way to deal with it is of course ifnd a food that doesnt contain the allergens, Calafornia natural is a good food made sepcificaly for dogs with alergies.

i used to have a dog who was allergic to specific grasses, some pollens, fleas, all sorts of foods, even carpet, wool and sisal. we ripped up some of the yard so hed have a "safe" outdoor space, then put hardwood down in the house. and had a hard time finding a food because of the food allergies, an ionizer can help with airboun allergens too.

you realy dont have to change your life, just try and change the ones that you can.

 

[Phoenix the Dog]

There are great advice forums on foods that are hypo-allergenic for allergy riddled dogs. I know my boy is allergic to just about every type of food I could find here in WV (that a college student could afford), but using some of the forums I found Petco has a good food called Natural Balance that comes in 3 hypo-allergenic formulas, which all three work wonders on my boy he stops itching within days. I know there probably others better, but it is the best one available where I am at. I would just recommend trying different recommended products until you find one that fits your pup and budget. Personally, I don't like the foods that vets usually recommend, they are very expensive and 'chemically altered'. Or be bold and go all raw meat!

As for the environmental, usually those can't be helped without expensive shots and such, so as foxy said, just do what you can, I'm sure with a diet change the itching will improve. Oh and the cockroaches, I'm highly allergic to them, I'm a walking roach detector. It isn't an unusal allergy... Nothing you can do, but get a pest free home!

 

[doberkim]

First -
testing for food allergies via the blood or intradermal testing is the least accurate way to determine a food allergy - all veterinary dermatologists will tell you that the only way to truly diagnose a food allergy is using a food trial! So that aspect I would just ignore.

IN terms of the other allergies, there IS something you can do about it - start a series of injections which will sensitize your dog to his allergens and enable him to respond less when naturally exposed. These are called hyposensitization injections, and work the same way human injections work.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

First -
testing for food allergies via the blood or intradermal testing is the least accurate way to determine a food allergy - all veterinary dermatologists will tell you that the only way to truly diagnose a food allergy is using a food trial! So that aspect I would just ignore.
.

Ok, wait... Kim... oi. We are waiting for Buddy to take his allergy tests, the new vet said we need to wait until all traces of cortisone are out of his system... do you mean to tell me that i was going to spend a couple hundred bucks, again, on something that is useless? I suddenly have a headache. This whole allergy thing sucks.

Sorry to hijack!