environmental allergy test

I had the same testing done for my lab Bailey and it came back with very similar results. One of the molds listed,
cladosporium sphaerospermum is mold that grows from outdoor water. For instance, if you had a leak in your roof and rain water accumlated in your attic and mold grew there, your dog would be sensitive to it. When I got back my test results I was surprised that my dog too tested very low for molds and really nothing else. Bailey scratches all the time. I had my house tested for mold and it came up with nothing remarkable. This spring when Bailey had been outdoors he became excessively itchy and his belly and underarms (legs?) become covered in red itchy welts, contact dermatitis. Now the allergy testing report says he is not allergic to outdoor allergens. Do I beleive this? NO!

What kind of food testing did you do on Jake? Have you had him on an elimination diet?
I found doing an elimation diet with my lab pretty difficult. I have swtiched his food serveral times and he now eats California Naturals Herring and Sweet Potato. After about a month on this food his ears have cleared up. I have done a lot of reading on dogs and allergies and many say that a very low percentage of dogs are actually allergic to food.

I have also had Bailey on all types of allergy meds from Prednisone to Benedryl. Tavist is working the best to combat his contact dermatitis. No more itchy red bumps. This may have also helped with the ears as well.

Well, I appreciate reading posts like both of yours because it tells me that maybe allergy testing isn't the answer for my lab after all.  Did you do the skin test or the blood test?  Based on the results, was there no suggestion, or need, for using the allergen serum shots?

My lab, Sassy, has had many of the problems you've both described and we're currently trying to get a very bad bacterial reaction cleared up on her feet.  My derm vet hasn't been encouraging about doing the allergy testing but thinks that using Atopica might be the best course to take to see immediate relief.  Unfortunately, we can't even consider using it until this infection is cleared up because although safer than prednisone, it is still an immune suppresor.

As for the food allergies, I put Sassy on a 12 elimination diet using only cooked pork and buckwheat.  It had absolutely no effect on her, so I've ruled out food allergies.  I feed her Natural Balance Duck and Potato and that seems to have taken care of any ear infections.  Unfortunately, it hasn't helped with the other skin problems.

I think I might give Tavist a try though and see if it helps more than Benadryl.  I think it helps a little, but I've never tried anything else, so it might be worth it.  The whole thing sure is frustrating (and expensive), so I sure do sympathize.

The whole thing sure is frustrating (and expensive),

 
It sure is!!! Jetta still isn't better....

Jake had both a blood test for environmental allergies and a year ago he had a blood test for food allergies.  Now I hear the blood test for food allergies is not accurate and it came up with many foods he is so called allergic too.  I had him on an anithistamine, which the vet told me to stop since his environmental allergy test is very low.  He has not been himself lately, so I'm hoping once the antihistamine gets out of his body he will be the Jake I know.  He just had bloodwork done yesterday andd his creatin is a little down, his bilirubin is a little up and his sodium and potassium are a little up.  So we are not sure what is going on with him.  I'm thinking his bilirubin could be up from the antihistamine, but he was only on the for about 3 weeks.  His ear infection finally cleared up since March.  I have been homecooking for him, but he has been licking his paws even when on dog food.  Maybe licking is a bad habit, I don't know.  Also, all the allergy test tested for was weeds, trees, grasses and fungi, no pollen, dust mites, etc.  So he could still be allergic to things not covered by the test.
 
Don't waste your money unless your dog is having a big problem or your vet suggests you do this test for whatever reason.
 
 

Thanks Shelley - it sounds like you've been through a lot too.  Unfortunately, Sassy is pretty bad and the Dr. is certain all the infections are allergy related, however she still doesn't have a great deal of confidence that the testing will get us the results we need.  As you probably understand, I'd do whatever I could to resolve this but I don't want to waste time & money, especially while she continues to have these bacterial infections that are resistant to the antibiotics.

I was under the impression that the allergy testing wasn't accurate for food allergies, and the more I read, the more Idon't think that it's a food that's causing Sassy's problems.  I'd be happy to homecook for her longterm, if I thought it'd help.  The vet thinks that she has a compromised immune system, so I'm going to chat with her this week about some supplements I read about.  There by a company called Standard Process and were mentioned in a book I read.  I went on their website and liked what I saw, but they can only be purchased and prescribed by a vet.

I hope you find that the blood tests were just a result of the antihistamines and everything evens out. 

Cathy; It had to be the blood test because of the numbers in the post; 176 and 149 out of 5000; the skin test is scored in 2's, 3's and 4's.

Cathy,
 
Where are your dog's bacterial infections?  I ask because Jake gets bacterial infections in his ears and the next step for us was to do a culture on his ears and send the culture to the lab to find out what antibiotics he is sensitive to.  If your dog has a lot of resistance to antibiotics maybe culturing the bacteria if possible to see what antibiotics will help. 
 
Definitely don't do the food allergy blood test.  It is not accurate.  You could do the environmental blood test to see if he has any allergies or not.  I personally don't like the skin test because I don't want to put my dog to sleep for it.
 
Good Luck!
Michelle

Also, all the allergy test tested for was weeds, trees, grasses and fungi, no pollen, dust mites, etc. So he could still be allergic to things not covered by the test.

 
 Shelly; Where was the blood sent?  I took Jessie to Purdue University Small Animal Hospital which is an excellent veterinary teaching hospital and they sent her blood to Heska Corporation to be tested; Heska is supposed to have a very accurate test; it can make a difference where the blood is sent. They tested for indoor as well as outdoor allergens and Jessie was very allergic to dust mites and storage mites in addition to outside allergens. If you live in an area that has cold winters and your dog has problems all year round that's a sign of food allergies and dust mite allergies.  By the way, the test for trees, grasses, and weeds is for the pollen that they produce. Good luck on finding an answer for Jake.

Definitely don't do the food allergy blood test. It is not accurate. You could do the environmental blood test to see if he has any allergies or not. I personally don't like the skin test because I don't want to put my dog to sleep for it

 
  My veterinary dermatologist agrees that the blood test for food allergies is a waste of money. The skin test is considered to be more accurate but a regular vet shouldn't do it because it's a subjective test; the vet interprets the results by looking at the bumps on the skin where the allergens were injected. Only someone with a lot of experience with the test like a veterinary dermatologist should do it. Purdue lightly sedated Jessie and she woke up quickly; it's not like surgery so I don't think heavy sedation is necessary.

 Cathy; I know the supplements you're referring to and they may help; good luck with getting your vet to prescribe them; I hope Sassy gets a break soon. Is she still responding well to the antibiotic she's been taking?

Shelley - the first bad infection (Jan - Apr) was on her tummy and we started off with a culture & sensitivity.  It showed staph and pseudomonas.  Baytril and Clindamycin were the only things that should've worked.  After almost 2 months and no progress, they knocked Sassy out and did a skin biopsy.  All that showed was "deep bacterial infection", so it ruled out lupus and other serious diseases.  After another few weeks and trying topical Baytril, I said I wanted to stop everything for awhile and suprisingly, she cleared up.

The current infection is mainly on her feet (top of the feet), but she also had a sore on her chin and elbows.  They also cultured these and it came back with 5 different bacteria strains.  Vet said they often see 2, but they rarely see 5.  She's on Zenequin now and has been for 2 weeks (at $100 per week for meds), and she's not getting better...so, we'll just hang in and hope it kicks the infection soon.

I understand how you feel, but as much as I don't like the idea of knocking Sassy out, I've decided if we go with allergy testing, I want the skin test.  My vet says they're both approximately the same accuracy, but not based on what I've read and if I have to pay for it and live with the results, I want to do it the way I think will show the most accurate results.  Sorry if I sound frustrated, but I just really am.

Cathy my lab's blood test were sent to HESKA Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories. They did the Allercept Test-Northeast (the region of the country you live in). The lab report said "results were lower than those typically associated with atopy. As a result, immunotherapy recommedations were not made." So no syrum recommendation for shots. Quite frankly I was shocked at the results.

When you had your dog tested had he been taking any antihistmanies? I had to keep Bailey off all allergy meds for 6 weeks prior to the testing.

This site has some interesting information on natural remedies for dogs (and people)

http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/acvfordogs.html

I am curious if anyone has tired using Apple Cider Vinegar in treating their dogs allergies?

Really try the Tavist. Atarax and Benadryl did nothing for Bailey.

Clemastine fumarate (TAVIST) is frequently included in antihistamine trials for allergic skin disease. In these trials, several antihistamines are used sequentially in an effort to find one that is effective. Clemastine fumarate is one of the more effective antihistamines albeit relatively expensive. Its efficacy makes it a common first choice for itchy skin. It has found to be helpful in at least 30% of itchy dogs and 50% of itchy cats. Other studies have found higher percentages. Clemastine fumarate is probably the most reliably effective antihistamine for itchy dogs of all of the antihistamines available.

Clemastine fumarate is used on a twice daily basis for most animal patients, whereas other antihistamines must be given 2 or 3 times daily. This adds a substantial convenience factor to the use of this medication.

This is such a frustrating and expensive process. One other thing I can recommend is frequent bathing and change your dogs bedding as much as possible.

Janice - the supplements look interesting enough to give a try, and heaven knows, it can't hurt.  We thought the antibiotics were working the first week, but then this second week, the sores on the feet looked bad again.  My husband and I just came in from soaking them in the medicated solution they gave us (Novalsan - I think).  I think that kind of treatment might help most, but it's not easy with a stubborn lab who weighs 75 lbs.  It was easier with 2 of us though.

My husband is beyond frustrated and feels like the vet hasn't helped us even after spending well over $1000 in the last 6 months.  I understand his frustration but he hasn't read allllllll the literature and stories about how really difficult this can be to treat or even diagnose.  It's reading posts like these that makes me at least feel like we're not alone on this rocky road.  Helps a little.

Pulipal - I haven't had the allergy tests done yet, but Shelley has.  My derm vet did suggest using a 1:4 vinegar/water final rinse after bathing, and we've used it a few times.  I actually think using strong black tea as both a rinse for the feet on a daily basis and as a final rinse, works well too.  I usually do it regularly for Sassy before she comes in the house and it helped her feet last year (stopped the yeast infections), but hadn't done it more than a few times this year.