Dog Community

Miko's Allergies

Posted : 3/12/2006 9:14:37 PM

Hi~
I had posted a couple threads about my dog Miko before the forum changed and would like to add this update and thank you all who responded to my previous posts. Kim, thank you! I did read your other thread and agree whole heartedly that allergies can be a battle!

Miko is at the moment in an emergency hospital with pneumonia. We aren't sure quite how it happened but its likely that, in trying to help her get over the results of the allergy skin test, I gave her Pedialyte and caused her to get it into her lungs. I'm ashamed and unhappy with myself, of course. everything we've tried to do to help her feel better has backfired and made her feel worse. The emergency vet was great but explained that cyclosporin (Atopica) can lower the imune system and may have opened the door for an infection. The skin tests were an ordeal and she never really perked back up from it and wouldn't eat or drink which led me to the Pedialyte. He said she could have possibly aspirated saliva while sedated but the Pedialyte made her cough when I gave it to her (used a big feeding syringe) and she got worse after it. I called the allergy vet's clinic and after leaving three messages they said to take Miko to our regular vet for sub-cutaneous fluids to see if that would help so I did and that's when we found she had a temp of 104.5. This vet consulted the allergiy vet/dermatologist and they agreed this was probably a reaction to the skin test. He gave her cortisone injections and the fluids and she got better fast, temp went down and she ate breakfast in the morning. That evening the fever was back. We thought maybe it was just going to spike in the evening and let her rest for the night as she wasn't coughing very much, only five or six times during the whole day, and seemed tired but not in distress. In the morning, however, her temp was close to 106 and her breathing was raspy and labored and she obviously felt very bad. I panicked and we went to the animal emergency hospital. We still don't know the cause for sure but she's sure havin' a time of it when all we wanted to do was help her stop itching so bad.

Thanks for listening! Does anyone else have experiences with Atopica and pneumonia? I wish all and their dogs well,

Jane (sian)

cakana

Posted : 3/12/2006 9:26:24 PM

Jane - I'm so sorry to hear what you're going thru but you need to know that you have done everything in Miko's best interest and I would've done exactly as you have. What a horrible thing to have happened but I imagine it's one of those rare things that "can" go wrong situations. I hope and pray that Miko will be just fine now and home with you soon. Please do not spend another minute feeling guilty for doing your absolute best to help Miko feel better.

cakana

Posted : 3/12/2006 9:27:56 PM

...I forgot to add that Atopica is one treatment option my vet is considering for my dog, Sassy's, allergy problems. I'm hoping that this isn't something new to be concerned about.

jessies_mom

Posted : 3/12/2006 9:29:16 PM

I am so sorry to hear about Miko. Jessie had the skin test too but had no problems whatsoever with it, most of the bumps were gone the next day, and the others dissapeared soon after that. One thing that prevented her from having a bad reaction was the vet did a blood test for allergies first. She did not include some of the allergens in the skin test, such as yellow dock, because the results from the blood test showed that Jessie was very sensitive to them and injecting even the very small amount under the skin for the skin test could cause anaphilatic shock.
Don't beat yourself up over the pedialite. I'll pray for Miko. Please keep us informed about him.

dyan

Posted : 3/12/2006 11:19:46 PM

Jane, that is so terrible about Miko, I am so sorry this has happened. But please please,,,,don't think for a second that this is your fault,,,you are doing your very best, and believe me, Miko knows that too! I have read over and over how good Pedialite is for your sick dog, it just didn't work out for you this time,,and maybe,,,just maybe her illness had nothing to do with he Pedialite,,,its only your vets guess. Hopefully your baby will feel much better by tomorrow or the next day,, and you go from there. Don't you fret and blame yourself, just take your energy and put in in Miko!! Good luck, and please keep in touch and let us know how that baby is doing.

jessies_mom

Posted : 3/13/2006 9:19:43 AM

Just checking to see if there's and update on Miko. I really hope she's doing better this morning. Jane, please don't blame yourself for this. There's really no way to know if it was the pedialyte or not, and you have done so much for Miko. As I said in last night's post, the dermatologist avoided injecting the allergens under Jessie's skin that the blood test had shown she was very sensitive to in order to avoid a bad reaction from the skin test. If your dermatologist didn't do the blood test first, then they could be at least partly responsible for Miko's reaction to the skin test. Also, the dermatologist that did Jessie's skin test gave her a small injection of steroids afterwards to lessen her reaction to the test, which your dermatologist may not have done. I'll keep Miko in my thoughts and prayers.

Jane Schneider

Posted : 3/13/2006 12:40:15 PM

Thanks so much to everyone for all the kind wishes! I was awake most of the night worrying and knowing you were out there really helped. Maybe it wasn't the Pedialyte because Miko was already not well right after the testing but I'm sure it didn't help. Jessie's Mom, I wish this dermatologist had done the blood test first but their poloicy seemed to be that that was only done as a secondary check, if the skin test didn't show anything. The more I think about it the more unhappy i am with this clinic; it took so long to get anyone to talk to me on Friday.

The news this morning from the hospital is that they had to start her on oxygen in the night and otherwise there's no change. They say they have seen lots of dogs with pneumonia and don't appear to be worried, but I'm going to go and visit and get more information in a couple hours.

Thanks everyone!

cindy Lachapelle

Posted : 3/13/2006 2:02:29 PM

Jane this is a very interesting post. As I too struggle with an allergy dog and more and more am inching towards getting the proper testing done, I was at the same time very glad to read your post. First I want to say how sorry I am for you and for Miko. I and many other's hope for a quick recovery. Yet, I want to thank you for educating us to the "what if's and what then's". I never really thought about a risk being involved with allergy testing. Awhile back, someone mentioned how the skin testing can be very hard on an animal. Also, I had heard that the blood and the skin testing were for 2 seperate problems. One picks up on environmental allergies and the other on food allergies, and that the skin testing was the best of the 2 still. i tend to trust all and not put too much thought into how my pet may feel after tests, so this is a learning experience for me and I will definitely think alot harder on what is appropriate for my animal. As to the positives outweighing the negatives. Thanks, Cindy

jessies_mom

Posted : 3/13/2006 2:52:40 PM

     Jane, I'm sorry to learn they had to give Miko oxygen. Is her fever better? I'll continue to pray for her. Let us know how she's doing after you visit her.

     Cindy and Jane, the veterinary dermatologist I took Jessie to explained to me that the reason they did the blood allergy test first was if she tested above a certain value for an allergen(I think it was 2000), they would not include that allergen in the skin test, because even injecting a tiny amount into her could cause a severe systemic reaction. That's why they didn't include yellow dock and a few other allergens in her skin test. They also gave her a steroid injection after the skin test as a precaution. Jessie was fine and never showed any effects from the skin test. After hearing your story, I'm really thankful that the derm vet I went to did the blood test first.
      Cindy, I know for certain that the blood test picks up environmental and food allergies, while the skin test only picks up environmental allergies.

dyan

Posted : 3/13/2006 5:13:45 PM

Aw gee, I'm sorry she had to be given oxygen also. But to think of it, THAT is why she is in there, to be treated as soon as she needs it!
I'll be watching for your update...I hope you will have good news after going to visit!

sallya

Posted : 3/14/2006 3:36:45 PM

I am so sorry about what happened. The vet and vet dermatologist for Trudy do not like Atopica. We did the skin testing at a derm. Did you use a specialist? Usually, this goes smoothly. I do hope your pup gets well very soon! Sally

Jane Schneider

Posted : 3/14/2006 4:18:54 PM

I've been spending most of my time visiting Miko since she does better when I'm there and things have been up and down. Her chest xrays looked worse yesterday afternoon and they were even wondering if she'd eaten rat poison (she hadn't) or that she might have a fungal disease in her lungs or cancer. They did an ultrasound and ruled out cancer so are again thinking either a bad bacterial infection or the fungus problem which is rare here in Colorado where its so dry. It is a common problem further south and its very possible that she lived in New Mexico and rode up here in somebody's pickup beforing becoming a stray and being adopted by us - there's a direct freeway route going all the way from northern Wyoming through Denver and down to Albequerque. The doctor said this fungus could have been lying dormant in her lungs until her system was upset by the skin testing and the cyclosporin and then bloomed into a problem. Tests are being run on fluid samples now and we should have results later.

I guess the lesson I'm learning is to be cautious with this testing, too. Especially with a pet whose history you don't know. Cindydane, like you, I never thought this could cause a serious problem and the dermatologist is a specialist and seemed to know what he was doing. We thought we were doing what was best for our dog and only wanted t help her. I think now that it would have been better to take the careful approach like the doctor Jessismom went too, although if the test results show a fungus in Miko's lungs it was probably something that could have flared up anyway. It's hard to know. I do know that if we continue with allergy treatment it's going to be with extreme caution and I'm going to get her fattened up and completely healthy first. and take her temp every day and to the vet if she sneezes even once :-)

Maybe I'll look into holistic medicine..hmm.

I won't even mention what this is costing! We will get the bill paid eventually but it won't be easy :-)

kaf

Posted : 3/14/2006 4:36:34 PM

I am so sorry for what you are going through... and I hope that Miko is feeling better very soon.

I too am very glad you posted this information... as I am thinking about having the skin testing done. We have already had the blood testing done, but I was told the blood test is NOT accurate for food allergies... only environmental allergies.

... again I am sorry you have to go through this, hang in there.... and feel better Miko

cindy Lachapelle

Posted : 3/14/2006 7:55:52 PM

Miko's mom and Kaf . See I am confused. Guess a call to my vet could straighten it out for me. I thought that someone here had once said too, that blood testing was not accurate for food allergies and to basically not even bother with blood testing, to go right for the skin tesing. I believe that my vet does the blood testing but that the derm vet would be the only one here to do the skin testing.

jessies_mom

Posted : 3/14/2006 9:04:33 PM

sian, I'm sorry that Miko is still having a rough time. I hope it is a bacterial infection because I think that's easier to treat than a fungal infection. I will continue to keep Miko in my thoughts and prayers. Please update us when you know what type of infection it is.
Cindydane, I told you in an earlier post that I'm certain that the blood test is for environmental and food allergies, but the skin test is for environmental allergies only. To explain better and help clarify what kaf said, my veterinary dermatologist said that the blood test is a reliable indicator of environmental allergies, but not food allergies, although some vets use it to diagnose food allergies. She is a specialist who has been practicing for over 20 years, so I tend to have confidence in her advice. She said that the skin test is also unreliable for food allergies. The only way that she believes a food allergy can be determined is by an elimination diet, which can take up to 12 weeks, so you can see why some vets want to use the blood test instead, it's quicker and supposedly easier, but the dermatologist I saw won't use the blood test to diagnose food allergies even though she thinks that food allergies are more common than what is generally believed in the veterinary community. I hope that didn't confuse you more. I'm not trying to pass along information about this based on other people's opinions based on what they heard from someone else. This is what a highly respected dermatologist at the Purdue University Veterinary teaching Hospital told me. I wish you the best of luck in finding a veterinarian that will be able to properly test and diagnose Brandy.