My Golden Retriever's allergy shots aren't working. What are options?

Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear about Sarge's itchiness. Let me see if I can help. It is always important to get our pets in to see their veterinarian if they need medical attention, so when you are able to, I'd definitely set up an appointment. In the meantime, you can try to give Sarge some benadryl (diphenhydramine). Since Sarge is so big, I would start out by giving him 75mg up to every 8 hours. If this seems to help, great. If not, you may increase to give him as much as 100mg up to every 8 hours. In addition you may want to try an over the counter moisturizing shampoo, and also try an omega 3 fatty acid supplement in his food. The supplement may take up to 6 weeks to kick in, but at least you've started it! Hopefully this will provide him with some relief until you are able to get him in to see his veterinarian! I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Allergies can be quite annoying for the pet and pet owner so I am sorry to hear you are going through this frustrating condition. If you have not tried the Cytopoint injection, I would give this a try. It is a fairly new treatment and it is an antibody that is being injected to block one of the factors that triggers the allergy cascade (that is the simplified version). Check out the cytopoint website and see for yourself and ask your vet about this. You may need to go see a veterinary dermatologist. The allergy shots you speak of are a hit or miss in my experience with most patients not responding very well unfortunately. Heska runs a allergy panel called Allercept and provide you with vaccines against the found allergens. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Dove! Apoquel will stop working or not work well if the dog has a skin infection. It only helps control itching. If the apoquel was working and now it isn't that could be the cause. Yeast or bacterial skin infections are possible which can easily be determined with cytology (looking under the microscope). Apoquel is only labeled to be given twice daily for 2 weeks then decreased to once daily due to the risk of suppressing the immune system. I would have Dove rechecked by your Vet. I always recommend for my bad allergy patients to start an Omega 3 supplement and also use an antihistamine. Sometimes bathing in medicated shampoos can help as well (bathe twice weekly and leave the lather on for 10 mins before rinsing). I wish Dove the very best! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/ https://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/ https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27307

If he scratches and is itchy year round, it could be a food allergy or an indoor allergen. Discuss desensitization injections (allergy shots), hydrolyzed diets, antihistamine use and food elimination trials with your veterinarian. https://www.petcoach.co/article/food-trials-for-allergies-in-pets-what-to-expect https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-a-novel-protein-pet-food/ https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/food-allergies/

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she has not improved after doing an appropriate food allergy trial, then other possibilities in terms of allergies should be considered which include environmental allergies and flea allergies. This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for environmental allergies, as you have already checked for food allergies, which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Severe itching while introducing allergy immunotherapy can indicate that Paris needs a dose reduction or a change in the interval between injections. I would not give up on immunotherapy yet! It can take 6-12 months to see a positive effect in many dogs. In the long term, immunotherapy has many fewer side effects than chronic steroid use. At this point, Paris should be rechecked by her vet and may need a course of antibiotics and Apoquel to help her current issues while the immunotherapy continues. You can also consider consulting a veterinary dermatologist for another opinion. Allergy issues are extremely difficult to manage and take a lot of time and patience. I hope that all goes well!

Hello, thank you for your question about Honey. Based on the symptoms that you describe it seems that Honey has pretty significant allergies. Another treatment option that you can discuss with your veterinarian is use of a relatively new product called Cytopoint. This is an injectable medication given by your veterinarian that helps to treat severe allergic dermatitis. Many owners report that this medication has helped dramatically. Another option would be to schedule an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist for further evaluation of her skin disease and to discuss more extensive treatment options. Hope this helps, good luck!