Unknown allergy emergency

[caseymarie09]

I posted back in October-December about my Lola breaking out in hives due to an allergic reaction. In December, the vet gave me Royal Canin hypoallergenic food for 30 days and Temeril to see if it could be food allergies. She was fine all month and when I took her back for a checkup in January they said to put her back on her normal food to see if she breaks out again. There had only been a couple of times where she tried to get red and I would give her medicine and it went away. This past Thursday she started breaking out really bad again so I gave her the last of the Temeril I had and some benadryl. Friday morning I took her to the vet and she said it looks like she has staph infection and could be allergic to the bacteria. Then she named several other things that she could be allergic to like maybe a random flea bit her, things in the air, and still said maybe food. She really wants to see if it's a food allergy before doing any skin testing, but honestly, I'm sick of the "wait and see/trial and error" thing..because she gave me Prednisone and Benadryl to give her every 12 hours for the weekend, then I talked to her friday evening on the phone and I told her I had to give it to her before the 12 hours was up and she said to try every 8 hours. She can't even make it 8 hours! She did this morning and her skin was clear, but by about 9:45pm tonight she was broken out SO SO SO much worse than she has all weekend. I gave her a whole Prednisone and a whole Benadryl and 10 minutes later she threw up SO much. More than I have ever seen her throw up. The vet said if she has to have a skin test I will probably have to take her to a dermatologist which is 4 hours away because my vet doesn't have the equipment (I live in a super small town in the middle of nowhere and she's never had an animal this sick and complicated so she can't afford to keep the equipment and not have to use it, which is understandable). She also has a sick daughter who she has to take out of town to doctors appointments a lot, this weekend actually, and I will probably have to take her to a vet tomorrow that is 1.5 hours away. I know this is super long and I very much appreciate anyone who reads this whole thing, but has anyone ever had a dog experience this? I am so sick of not getting answers and I cannot afford just throwing away money. I feel like she is my actual child and I can't handle not being able to help her.

[Yorkiemom1]

Is there a vet school that is closer than the 4 hours to the vet you referred to? If not, then pack a suitcase and hit the road! This baby needs help.....what has been done is not fixing the problem. When these babies are this sick, and the issue is not resolved, it takes a heavy toll on them....not to mention needless expenses to your pocket book....tuff enough to cover medical bills when the treatments/procedures are effective and working.....but continually banging down dead end roads handing out obscene tons of money trying to get the baby help, with a vet for whatever reason is not equipped to get it done.....that is not effective management....and it is NOT doing that baby any good. Load up and get thee to either a specialist or a vet school, however far it is from you....because I can tell you one thing that is absolutely for certain....if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was your pup trying to get YOU medical help, that baby would sacrifice everything it had, including its life, to get YOU the help you needed.

I am not being mean or cruel or hateful....I am just so worried about your baby.....and I just read about the baby that the owner actually did not seek medical care for her dying baby, until it was almost dead, then did not want any extra measures to be done to try to save that baby....please, get your baby the QUALIFIED medical attention it needs, from where ever you can get it.

[caseymarie09]

Thank you so much for responding. The closest vet school is Va Tech which is 2.5 hours away. The dermatologist is actually just over 3 hours away, I miscalculated that in the last post, but I am going to call regular vet today and if that won't work I will call the other one I took her to before. It may sound like I'm not trying hard enough but I truly am.

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

Is there a vet school that is closer than the 4 hours to the vet you referred to? If not, then pack a suitcase and hit the road! This baby needs help.....what has been done is not fixing the problem. When these babies are this sick, and the issue is not resolved, it takes a heavy toll on them....not to mention needless expenses to your pocket book....tuff enough to cover medical bills when the treatments/procedures are effective and working.....but continually banging down dead end roads handing out obscene tons of money trying to get the baby help, with a vet for whatever reason is not equipped to get it done.....that is not effective management....and it is NOT doing that baby any good. Load up and get thee to either a specialist or a vet school, however far it is from you....because I can tell you one thing that is absolutely for certain....if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was your pup trying to get YOU medical help, that baby would sacrifice everything it had, including its life, to get YOU the help you needed.

I am not being mean or cruel or hateful....I am just so worried about your baby.....and I just read about the baby that the owner actually did not seek medical care for her dying baby, until it was almost dead, then did not want any extra measures to be done to try to save that baby....please, get your baby the QUALIFIED medical attention it needs, from where ever you can get it.

[Wylie's Mom]

Yup, totally understand your warranted frustration! Been there.

But here is what you do -- you can either continue to spend lots of money at several appts at your regular vet (this is what I did) -or- you can get to a Vet Derm right away, and probably only need a total of 1-3 appts to get squared away. In the long run, believe me, it's WAY cheaper to go to the Derm, even though their office visits are more expensive. WORTH EVERY PENNY, believe me.

With her immune system so very activated, a Derm may be interested in putting her on either Atopica or Apoquel, both of which are just amazing meds!!!

And if you're willing to do skin testing, I'd go for it. It's okay to wait too though.

[caseymarie09]

This morning at 3:30am she was still broken out very bad and running a fever and shivering. I took her back to her regular vet this morning and there was a vet filling in for her while she's out of town and she is foreign. It was hard to understand her and I think she wasn't fully understanding what I was trying to explain either. All she would do is change her dosages to 5mg Prednisone once a day and 12.5mg Benadryl every 8 hours and demanded that I start feeding her the hypoallergenic food again. She also gave me Pepcid for her stomach so she doesn't get sick. Of course I was unhappy. I heard about another vet about an hour away that is supposed to be really good. I decided to call and see what they thought about it. She seemed like she knew more about what was going on after I explained everything. They do allergy/blood testing so I have an appointment for that tomorrow evening. I so hope this works and gives an answer.

[DBlain]

I just was talking to a friend that has a put that is allergic to 24 types of food, the vet used saliva as a test, I also think it was a holistic vet not a dermatologist. What do you guys think of the saliva test

[caseymarie09]

I just want to post an update on Lola since I haven't for a while. After the last reply I made in this thread, the next morning I had to take her back because she could hardly breathe. I tried to force a prednisone pill but she literally refused and I gave her a benadryl shot. It wasn't working so I took her back to the vet and the foreign doctor was still there who was the day before. She insisted that she "looks fine to me" and nothing was wrong. Just because she looks fine does not mean she is fine. It was like me and my mom had to talk her into doing something for her and I could NOT take her back home when she was having trouble breathing. So she kept her for a few hours with oxygen and later called and said I could come and pick her up. She was doing better. I took her straight to another vet right then to have blood drawn for allergy tests. They were SO great with us and I FINALLY know what is wrong with her!! She is highly allergic to milk, beef, liver, flax seed, bahia grass (which looks like plain yard grass), dust mites, and storage mites. I'm still feeding her the Royal Canin hypoallergenic food and a spoonful of can food (can't think of the brand at the moment) and giving her prednisone and benadryl every day. She has been great since then. The worst thing about it is the prednisone makes her so hungry and pee a lot lol. I actually talked to the vet today about allergy shots. I'm pretty sure I will get them for her and she said she could gradually come off the prednisone when I start the shots. Even tho the prednisone is a little aggravating lol, I'm SO happy that I FINALLY got some answers and I know what is wrong and know exactly what to do for her.
Thank you to everyone who has responded to my posts and helped me out. And to anyone who just takes the time to read my rants and long posts lol.
I'm also pretty sure I have found the right vet for her that cares and will help with anything we need!

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by caseymarie09

I just want to post an update on Lola since I haven't for a while. After the last reply I made in this thread, the next morning I had to take her back because she could hardly breathe. I tried to force a prednisone pill but she literally refused and I gave her a benadryl shot. It wasn't working so I took her back to the vet and the foreign doctor was still there who was the day before. She insisted that she "looks fine to me" and nothing was wrong. Just because she looks fine does not mean she is fine. It was like me and my mom had to talk her into doing something for her and I could NOT take her back home when she was having trouble breathing. So she kept her for a few hours with oxygen and later called and said I could come and pick her up. She was doing better. I took her straight to another vet right then to have blood drawn for allergy tests. They were SO great with us and I FINALLY know what is wrong with her!! She is highly allergic to milk, beef, liver, flax seed, bahia grass (which looks like plain yard grass), dust mites, and storage mites. I'm still feeding her the Royal Canin hypoallergenic food and a spoonful of can food (can't think of the brand at the moment) and giving her prednisone and benadryl every day. She has been great since then. The worst thing about it is the prednisone makes her so hungry and pee a lot lol. I actually talked to the vet today about allergy shots. I'm pretty sure I will get them for her and she said she could gradually come off the prednisone when I start the shots. Even tho the prednisone is a little aggravating lol, I'm SO happy that I FINALLY got some answers and I know what is wrong and know exactly what to do for her.
Thank you to everyone who has responded to my posts and helped me out. And to anyone who just takes the time to read my rants and long posts lol.
I'm also pretty sure I have found the right vet for her that cares and will help with anything we need!

I would be getting her off that pred asap - and instead doing Apoquel or Atopica. You can use either of those concurrently w/ the shots / drops (sublingual) too.

[caseymarie09]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I would be getting her off that pred asap - and instead doing Apoquel or Atopica. You can use either of those concurrently w/ the shots / drops (sublingual) too.

I don't have many prednisone left, but I thought about going with the shots. It's a little pricey for me right now but if those others that you said are cheaper I will ask about them.

[Yorkiemom1]

Please leave her on the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic food....dont be experimenting with switching and swapping THAT around....you KNOW she is tolerating that well....she likes it, she eats it, and it is working....my brother's beagle was on the Apoquel .....but he was also getting a long list of other meds/sprays/baths/.....that unfortunate beagle was a hot mess of allergies due to POOR BREEDING......my brother paid to fly an allergist to Houston from Dallas, at least once a week.....it cost him a fortune, but he did everything he could do for that unfortunate pup.....You have a long road ahead of you but it is manageable, and it is hard work, but the baby will certainly appreciate all you can do for her.....they adore us so much!

[caseymarie09]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

Please leave her on the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic food....dont be experimenting with switching and swapping THAT around....you KNOW she is tolerating that well....she likes it, she eats it, and it is working....my brother's beagle was on the Apoquel .....but he was also getting a long list of other meds/sprays/baths/.....that unfortunate beagle was a hot mess of allergies due to POOR BREEDING......my brother paid to fly an allergist to Houston from Dallas, at least once a week.....it cost him a fortune, but he did everything he could do for that unfortunate pup.....You have a long road ahead of you but it is manageable, and it is hard work, but the baby will certainly appreciate all you can do for her.....they adore us so much!

Oh wow! I hope he is doing better now! She actually doesn't like the Royal canin. She'll eat it if she hasn't eaten all day and is starving but I was planning on finding a dry food with none of those things she's allergic to and gradually switching when this bag is low. It was too expensive to waste and I do want to find one that she will eat well.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by caseymarie09

I don't have many prednisone left, but I thought about going with the shots. It's a little pricey for me right now but if those others that you said are cheaper I will ask about them.

I think you may want to get much more info about how shots/drops actually work -- they don't cure/work right away in almost all cases. And in some cases, may not ever provide relief at all -- it really is individual. For those where it does work, it actually takes a lot of time for them to start alleviating any symptoms. So even if you do the pricey shots/drops - you will still need to medicate with *something* for these terrible symptoms at the same time.

I did the shots, then the drop for our Marcel - for about 4-5 years, then finally gave up as there was no real relief or change. That whole time, I also had to medicate w/ Atopica.

[caseymarie09]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I think you may want to get much more info about how shots/drops actually work -- they don't cure/work right away in almost all cases. And in some cases, may not ever provide relief at all -- it really is individual. For those where it does work, it actually takes a lot of time for them to start alleviating any symptoms. So even if you do the pricey shots/drops - you will still need to medicate with *something* for these terrible symptoms at the same time.

I did the shots, then the drop for our Marcel - for about 4-5 years, then finally gave up as there was no real relief or change. That whole time, I also had to medicate w/ Atopica.

So do you think Atopica would be better than the shots? If it is better and can be taken alone I will definitely ask about it.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by caseymarie09

So do you think Atopica would be better than the shots? If it is better and can be taken alone I will definitely ask about it.

It's really a catch-22 to be honest bc ideally the shots / allerdrops would be absolutely the best......IF they work. But there is no guarantee after spending $400 for testing and $200 for the shot/drops vial that it'll even work. And keep in mind that if it does work - it does not work right away; so either way, you'll have to medicate for symptoms for a good long time, while the shots/drops are working to modulate the immune system (this truly takes time).

So if I knew that 90% of the time the shots/drops worked, then yes, I'd say shots are better...bc they're not on "medications" then; it's a natural treatment.

I can tell you, though, that either Atopica or Apoquel work tremendously in the vast majority of dogs. We have several members here w/ dogs on those meds and they work wonderfully in almost all cases.

So at the end of the day, you kinda have to weigh if you want to spend the $600 to get started on shots/drops, knowing there are no guarantees to it working. If you can spend that money and try it - great! Bc it *may* work. But just know the reality of it. And know that either way, you'd still have to treat w/ Atopica or Apoquel for the first several months of the shots/drops anyway, to alleviate the severe symptoms of allergies.