My dog has constant skin problems. Are home allergy tests accurate?

Hi, sorry to hear Luna is having this problem. If she has allergies that are not responding to allergy medication, she may need some tests to determine what is the cause of her allergy. IF can be environmental, or it can be food. If it is food, you can get a prescription hypoallergenic diet from your vet. Labradors are prone to allergies and it may be more than one thing setting her off. Since allergy medication is supposed to work soon and not last long, i would call your vet and ask for a different recommendation for allergy tablets. I see the main ingredients in the food you are feeding is lamb. It may be your dog is allergic to lamb, and you can try another meat based food like duck or venison. But if she has been fine on the food for 3 months, the food is not likely the cause. Can she possibly have gotten some other kind of food? Did anyone give her a tablet scrap or treat? That could have set off an allergic reaction. In this case, you just have to wait until it leaves her system and use an antihistamine. I would try a different antihistamine with a different main ingredient. Your vet can guide you to a product available in your area. Good luck with Luna! I hope this helps!

For food allergies, the best test is a food trial in which your dog doesn't eat any of a particular food for 3 months, and then if the allergy symptoms go away, you feed the old food again, and if the symptoms come back with the old food, it means she was indeed allergic to the food you were testing. As far as environmental allergies, there isn't a clear conscience on what the best test is. It can either be a blood test or a skin test. I think most dermatologist still recommend the skin test as best, but it does require going to a dermatologist and having her off steroids for some number of days (the amount depends on the particular dermatologist). I would also recommend checking with a dermatologist to make sure it's ok for her to be on steroids when you do the blood testing if you go that way. The results of either type of test for environmental allergies are used to make shots to help the body learn to react less to the allergens. This takes several months to a year. Wishing you the best of luck!!

Hi there! Thanks for letting us help you today! Yes, I absolutely recommend that you have Halo tested for environmental allergies. You have done a great job so far in ruling out the other two. This will help identify the type of allergens she may be allergic too and get the right therapy for her. I can tell you from experience that even though the journey of finding out the type of allergy is frustrating, it is so worth it at the when they start feeling better. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Luna! I would have Luna on year round flea treatment. Dogs and cats that are flea allergic, meaning have a severe reaction to the saliva, will break out this bad from ONE flea bite. She should have a skin scrape done to rule out mites. There no good test for food allergies. It is best to do food trials. To save money and Vet visits for Luna I would bite the bullet and immediately go for a prescription hydrolzyed diet like Hill's z/d or Royal Canin HP. She may need steroids or antibiotics to get her comfortable during this outbreak. Cats can be maintained on off label use of antihistamines and apoquel. And some cats do well on atopica. Omega 3 fish oils never hurt either. It is hard for Vet who have never examined Luna's skin to give you an estimate over the phone. Skin allergies are expensive but once you find the right medication and food regime Luna will likely do well. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/zyrtec/ https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24785

Those spots on Luna could be several things including allergies to flea bites, skin mites, ringworm (which humans can get), allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Luna wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Luna with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

A food elimination trial should last a minimum of 6-8 weeks feeding one food exclusively, no other treats or foods. Afterwards, the condition should be reassessed. If this is the case with two different diets containing a novel protein/carb combo and still no improvement, then a consultation and exam with a veterinary dermatologist may be your next step. If Samson is licking or chewing excessively, an e-collar (cone) should be used. Consider an essential fatty acid supplement, such as DermCaps or EicosaCaps, to promote healthy skin and coat. If allergies are the underlying cause, they can be frustrating to diagnose, but once you determine specific allergens then management may be easier.