environmental allergy test

Cathy my lab's blood test were sent to HESKA Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories

 
 ulipal; That's where the dermatology vet sent Jessie's blood; they're supposed to be very reliable. They also make allergy serum so the fact that they didn't recommend immunotherapy for your dog speaks to their integrity. Unfortunately, Jessie tested in the thousands for several grasses, some weeds, and dust mites and storage mites; immunotherapy has really helped her. Have you done a food elimination diet to see if your dog has food allergies? It might be a good idea. I know food allergies aren't as common but it wouldn't hurt to see if your dog has a food allergy; Jessie's allergic to chicken. I have read the same thing you have about Tavist and it worked better for Jessie than the other antihistamines; Walmart's copy of Tavist is much cheaper.

Cathy
I am curious, how old is your allergic lab? Mine is not even 2 yet and all I have been told is that allergies get worse as your dog ages. Also my lab is very heavily coated and sheds profusely all year round. I wonder if this too is a result of allergies.

Jill

Cathy;  I'm sorry that her feet are worse again;  it just seems that she can't catch a break. She is very lucky to have you and your husband caring for her. The area around Jessie's nail beds used to turn red and swell; I call it her toes; is that what you mean by the top of her feet? The vet prescribed Animax and it did a good job. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers; maybe you'll find the answer soon.

Cathy
I am curious, how old is your allergic lab? Mine is not even 2 yet and all I have been told is that allergies get worse as your dog ages

 
 ulpipal; I just noticed that you're new; welcome to idog. [] Jessie started off itching in the spring and summer when she was one year old and about two years later she was itching year round. Who did you take your dog to for the allergy testing? Was it a veterinary dermatologist? Did they suggest an elimination diet before the blood test? What makes you think your dog has allergies; scratching, ear infections ? Is Bailey itchy all year round or just in the warm weather? It is possible that Bailey has an allergy that Heska didn't test for; I know of someone who has a dog that is allergic to feathers and slept on the owner's bed which had a down comforter. The place the dog's blood was sent to included feathers in the test but it was a very expensive test costing over $1,000. It may help to keep a journal of when your dog itches to get an idea of what's causing it.

JessiesMom,
 
My vet sent his blood for environmental allergies to Heska Lab. 
 
Pulipal,
 
I live in Massachusetts and they tested for northeast allergies and like yours, no immunotherapy recommendations were made.  Jake had been of antihistamines for 2 weeks and then had the test.  My sister's maltese had the same test as Jake on the same day and her dog was also off antihistamines for 2 weeks.  My sister's dog came back allergic to a lo and immunotherapy recommendations were made.  My sister's dog is only one years old and my dog will be 2 on June 30th.

Pulipal - Sassy is about 6 y.o., but that's just a guess since she's a rescue.  We got her when they estimated her age to be 2.  She had an ear infection at that time and continued to have them no matter what we did.  It wasn't until we switched to Natural Balance Duck & Potato over a year ago, that they came to a complete stop.  I check her ears now and then, but they're never a problem.  I think the allergies are just manifesting differently now or the ears were food related and this is environmental.

Janice - yes the foot sores are exactly as you described.  It's so strange that she used to have yeasty feet so often and was always licking the paw side, but not anymore.  This is worse and obviously more painful.  Can't remember if I mentioned it, but the lymph nodes went down after the first week and since then she seems to be regressing.  Maybe the antibiotics gave it a boost initially but quit working.  Beats me.

You're right about the lab having integrity in showing truthful results instead of something that might've indicated a need for the allergen shots.  Gives me a little more hope if we decide to go that route.  My vet said that we could do the blood test even if Sassy was taking antihistamines.  Had you heard that?  Is Animax an antibiotic or topical?  I know I've heard of it, but can't remember what it is.

Thank you for the welcome! I brought Bailey to a regular vet for the blood testing. He has been pushing me to feed him Hills Z/D but I am not a fan of this food. I tried the elimination diet but I have kids and an uncooperative spouse who slip him things all the time. I started him on Innova, went to CA Naturals Chix and Rice (?), EVO, Solid Gold Barking Over the Moon and now CA Nat Herring and Potato. His ears use to be filled with black gunk, so much so that I was cleaning them everyday. Since he has been on the Herring and Potato his ears have been clear. As far as the itching goes, he itches all year round, mostly thought at night. When I got back the allergy tests and it indicated he was reactive to molds I figured my bedroom (where he sleeps) was infested with toxic mold. So much so, I spent $500 to have my house mold tested.(no mold) When spring came this year and Bailey started hanging outside his belly became covered in welts, his eyes started run as well as his nose. He also started to make like this hack noise like gross people make when they are trying to clear their throat of mucus. I read online about the Tavist so figured it's worth a try as the Atarax was not helping, and lo and behold he seems much better, other than the itching.

Heska tested him for weeds, trees, grasses, fungi and environment. I would love to have him tested for other stuff like feathers and wool ( I have wool carpeting in my bedroom) He scored only 105 for dust mites, so I know thats not a major problem.

Also when you pet Bailey, pratically on any spot on his body, his leg does that twitching thing which lead me believe that he is uncomfortable.

I have also spoken to a holistic vet who told me I have boost his immune system. Anyone have any idea on what supplements might be good? One of the things I worry about is adding another thing to his diet that might upset the apple cart even more. I do give him fish oil capsules ( I have read they help with the antihistamines) but I am not sure I give him enough (4 x 1000mg) He is about 70-75 pounds. I have read he should be getting like one pill per 10 pounds of body weight. Seven pills sounds like a lot. But I am open to any and all suggestions!

My vet said that we could do the blood test even if Sassy was taking antihistamines. Had you heard that? Is Animax an antibiotic or topical? I know I've heard of it, but can't remember what it is. 

 
   It's been over a year since Jessie was tested and I know she couldn't have any steroids for three weeks before the blood test, which she didn't take anyway, but I don't  remember about the antihistamines. She's going to the vet tomorrow for her twice a month allergy shot so I'll ask, but if that's what your derm vet said it's probably right. Animax is a topical with a steroid and antibiotic. I guess it is worse when the toes swell although when Jessie licked the underside of her paws they would bleed. I think the allergies do cause different problems at different times; that's the way it was with Jessie; sometimes she would chew the area under her tail and cause sores there, her ears would itch frequently,  she would have infections on the top and bottom of her feet like Sassy, pustules on her muzzle and sores on her side. Maybe it's wherever the skin is weakest at the time but I really don't know why the itching moves around.

Thanks Janice - I did Google the Animax and it looks like something that might help so I'll mention it to the vet when I talk to her tomorrow.   It seems like it would be easier to apply something topically like that once or twice a day rather than try to soak her paws for 5-10 minutes a day and then make sure they're completely dry.  Not easy with a large dog who's not interested in cooperating [].

pulipal; At least you didn't buy the Z/D from your vet, paying 20 bucks for an 8 pound bag, and then throw it away after reading the ingredients; [:'(] that's what I did. I then went online and decided to use Eagle Pack Holistic Duck;  her symptoms improved about 25% so the dermatologist said a food allergy was part of the problem but we needed to do the blood testing also. Later we did introduced ingredients from her old food one at a time and found she is allergic to chicken. It's great that you found a food that helps his ears. I had trouble for a little while with my family when Jessie was on the elimination diet too but after " nagging" them for a few days they started cooperating.

  " When spring came this year and Bailey started hanging outside his belly became covered in welts, his eyes started run as well as his nose. He also started to make like this hack noise like gross people make when they are trying to clear their throat of mucus."

The welts sound like a contact allergy; Jessie has gotten those from running through weeds; the runny nose and eyes sound like inhallant allergies; maybe there's something growing in your yard or nearby that Heska didn't test for; it's really a shame to spend the money on the testing and not find the answer. I give Jessie DermCaps extra strength, which is for large dogs;    [linkc=1&N=0&Nty=1]http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=329&Ntt=derm%20caps&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&c=1&N=0&Nty=1[/link]>http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=329&Ntt=derm%20caps&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&c=1&N=0&Nty=1]http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=329&Ntt=derm%20caps&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&c=1&N=0&Nty=1[/link]

They are fish oil capsules and a large dog only needs one a day; if you're giving fish oil capsules you have to give extra vitamin E because the fish oil depletes it;  Derm Caps have the right amount of vitamin E. You are wise to be cautious about choosing supplements. You're already feeding him a good food which is the best way to boost the immune system. Have you read " The Nature of Animal Healing" by Martin Goldstein or " The Allergy Solution for Dogs" by Shawn Messonier? They are holistic vets and both books describe types of supplements to boost a dog's immune system; your local library should have both books.
  I am editing this to add that when Jessie saw the veterinary dermatologist she asked some questions that your regular vet may not have thought of; for example she examined Jessie and asked me to rate the symptoms Jessie had at the time on a scale of 1 to 10 ( 10 being the worst).  I rated Jessie as 5;  since it was early spring at the time that gave her an idea of how spring allergens effect Jessie; she also asked what times of the year was the worst and the best for Jessie. She included some allergens in the skin test that weren't in the blood test like house dust ( which Jessie reacted significantly to) and some insects.  Also, Jessie reacted more strongly to some allergens in the skin test than she did on the blood test; for example she scored 54 on the blood test for fleas but scored 2+ on the skin test. So what I'm saying is that it can make a difference who tests a dog for allergies but since the blood test for Bailey showed so little I can't say taking him to a dermatologist would help.

Cathy; I remembered another product to try for Sassy; Gentocin. It's a spray so it's easier to apply to an area with hair than Animax, which is an ointment. Gentocin also worked very well for Jessie. The vet tech did the shot today so I couldn't ask about antihistamines and the blood test since she probably wouldn't know. Jessie doesn't even whimper when they give the shot; she used to yelp when I gave them.  I think she was "playing" me but they only charge 10 bucks and they keep the vaccine there so that's not bad. I haven't seen Kim post for a while but remember how immunotherapy didn't work for Allie; apparently Westies are one of the breeds that don't respond well to it;                
                            [linkhttp://www.hillary.net/school/dermatology/derm.lec.11.09.98]http://www.hillary.net/school/dermatology/derm.lec.11.09.98[/link]
 
             
        " -best for dogs under 5 yrs of age w/less than 5 yrs of clinical disease

          -some breeds seem more difficult to hyposensitize - boxer, westie "
 
   Too bad Kim didn't know that sooner. I hope Allie is still responding to the zinc.

Thanks Janice.  I just got back from picking up more Zenequin and they added Doxycyline (sp?) for one week.  The vet and I will chat again then and if she's not better I'll ask about both of those topicals.  I left a note for her about the supplements from Standard Process, so maybe she'll have something to add about that.  Just taking things one day at a time for now and hoping to see improvement soon.