Allergy shots

My dog is one who showed an excellent response to allergy testing and desensitization shots.

He started exhibiting symptoms of rather severe year-round allergies when he was about 18 months old -- red and very irritated skin, scratching until he was almost bald, chronic ear and skin infections, etc., etc.  We tried all the usual first-line treatments and did a food allergy elimination diet.  The elimination diet helped somewhat but not nearly enough.  So we chose to go with testing.  And he tested positive for something like 37 or 38 things.  Only a very few were foods.  We began shots in October and by the following spring he only needed an antihistamine now and then to help out.  By fall, usually his worst time, he showed no symptoms at all and didn't need any antihistamines.  And from then on no one would've known he had any allergies at all.  Of course we were avoiding his food allergens all the time, and continue to do so.

I discontinued his shots about nine months ago, when he was 10.  For some unknown reason he'd started getting really nervous about them, which made me nervous.  I decided it was worth taking the chance that after eight years of shots he'd developed immunity.  And so far he's been absolutely fine, but I'm holding off on making a final judgment until this fall.

The only thing he's had that I kinda sorta wonder maybe might have been caused by the shots is that he has a lot of fatty tumors (lipomas).  But there's no way of knowing whether they're related or not.  Other than the allergies and the lipomas he's been a very healthy dog.

Well this thread is on the old side but just now reading it. My sons Great Dane had great results with allergy testing and shots which the specialist taught him to do which saved him a lot of money also.  As it turned out Mike didn't even finish the shots becuase Ollie was better after a few months and he was lazy and got away with it. Ollie never had problems again his whole entire life ( he died 2 years ago ) after scratching himself to death for 2 years.  Mike said he wished he hadn't wasted so much time and money trying everything else before taking him for testing. 

The vet clinic where I worked had a Bulldog that benefited a lot from them while I was there also..but not nearly half as weel as Ollie.  This dog used to be fine until he got too stressed so that was another thing that entered the picture.

I think if you found fleas that is probably a major problem in your dogs itching, wasn't it?

Good luck!  Let us know how it turns out!