Anyone do Allergy Shots?


  • Hello

    The vet has ordered shots to start my little boy on a desensitizing regimen for his many inhalant allergies (for food we are just modifying diet) especially his high sensitivity to house dust.

    I'm wondering if anyone has done this & whether it was effective & worth it. She says the shots will be daily for about a couple of weeks & then it would taper off to finally about 1x a month.

    Just a worried B parent ;)


  • Cooper started shots this spring to desensitize him to dust mites and storage mites. He's severely allergic to both (we cleaned out a closet and one room in preparation for our move, and he's still covered in hives a week later!).

    He did really well through his first ramp-up vial, but we're nowhere near maintenance level yet. We've had a few setbacks, but we're optimistic (my husband has been on allergy shots for half his life and they make life bearable!).

    Be sure AHEAD OF TIME to ask your vet what to do if/when you hit your dog's threshold before reaching maintenance. How to step back a level, whether to give antihistamines and/or steroids, or to use any topical treatments.

    So far, it's been relatively cheap (we're still on our first set of serum), and we think we've figured out Cooper's dosing schedule.

    Also, as with any new experience, use treats! Cooper now sits automatically when he sees a syringe. At my parents' house, he always gets a treat for sitting quietly while my dad injects insulin. Now, he knows he gets chicken chips during and after his shot! But it takes my husband holding the treat and me handling the shot.

    Hope this helps.

    I'd be interested in hearing about other B allergy stories. We supplement with omega fatty acids, use ProPlan sensitive skin and stomach, use the mildest shampoos and conditioners recommended by our groomer, use Benadryl, and are constantly trying to wean him from prednisone.

    Ruth


  • Thanks Ruth!! This is great stuff…We started treating with Benadryl then the vet increased his dosage hydroxyzine & added steroid shots & pills for a week. We weaned him off quickly. Until we start with shots he's still on high dosage of hydroxyzine.

    We're also feeding simple diet for skin & stomach allergies, using supplements of brewers yeast & omega fatty acids (No Flax b/c he's allergic to that too! :eek:) and 2x a week he's bathed with oatmeal shampoo for the itching.

    My little girl Topaz is starting to show signs of itching but she's not nearly as bad as C3PO. So I just give a pill of benadryl & spray her paws with hydrocortisone which helps.


  • Well Champ only had to get a cortizon shot the first time he developed allergies and now if we see him itching or biting his paws we give him a pill but honestly only had to do it twice (the pills). Good luck with your babies.

Suggested Topics

  • Apoquel for allergies

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    5k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    @Crla Gosh I usually give links but I found it several places. The quote above from here: http://www.theinternetpetvet.com/apoquel-alert-serious-side-effects-of-new-dog-allergy-medication/ Another site: http://www.drugs.com/vet/apoquel.html In the 283 dogs that received APOQUEL, the following additional clinical signs were reported after beginning APOQUEL (percentage of dogs with at least one report of the clinical sign as a non-pre-existing finding): pyoderma (12.0%), non-specified dermal lumps (12.0%), otitis (9.9%), vomiting (9.2%), diarrhea (6.0%), histiocytoma (3.9%), cystitis (3.5%), anorexia (3.2%), lethargy (2.8%), yeast skin infections (2.5%), pododermatitis (2.5%), lipoma (2.1%), polydipsia (1.4%), lymphadenopathy (1.1%), nausea (1.1%), increased appetite (1.1%), aggression (1.1%), and weight loss (0.7)...... After completing APOQUEL field studies, 239 dogs enrolled in an unmasked (no placebo control), continuation therapy study receiving APOQUEL for an unrestricted period of time. Mean time on this study was 372 days (range 1 to 610 days). Of these 239 dogs, one dog developed demodicosis following 273 days of APOQUEL administration. One dog developed dermal pigmented viral plaques following 266 days of APOQUEL administration. One dog developed a moderately severe bronchopneumonia after 272 days of APOQUEL administration; this infection resolved with antimicrobial treatment and temporary discontinuation of APOQUEL. One dog was euthanized after developing abdominal ascites and pleural effusion of unknown etiology after 450 days of APOQUEL administration. Six dogs were euthanized because of suspected malignant neoplasms: including thoracic metastatic, abdominal metastatic, splenic, frontal sinus, and intracranial neoplasms, and transitional cell carcinoma after 17, 120, 175, 49, 141, and 286 days of APOQUEL administration, respectively. Two dogs each developed a Grade II mast cell tumor after 52 and 91 days of APOQUEL administration, respectively. One dog developed low grade B-cell lymphoma after 392 days of APOQUEL administration. Two dogs each developed an apocrine gland adenocarcinoma (one dermal, one anal sac) after approximately 210 and 320 days of APOQUEL administration, respectively. One dog developed a low grade oral spindle cell sarcoma after 320 days of APOQUEL administration. To report suspected adverse events, for technical assistance or to obtain a copy of the MSDS, contact Zoetis Inc. at 1-888-963-8471 or www.zoetis.com.<< Finally: What are the side effects: Apoquel may increase susceptibility to infection, including demodicosis. It may also exacerbate neoplastic conditions. Adverse reactions reported in a masked field study included diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, new cutaneous or subcutaneous lumps, and lethargy. In most cases, diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, and lethargy spontaneously resolved with continued dosing.<< http://www.1800petmeds.com/Apoquel-prod11700.html
  • Allergy info link

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    849 Views
    No one has replied
  • Spring is here…with that Allergies!

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    MacPackM
    We used to have a dog that had seasonal allergies with hives, every year, for about 2 weeks. We never figured out what it was, but our vet had us give 25 mg benadryl every 8 hours for a week, then stop. If the hives came back, we started again. He was funny, I always took him into the kitchen to get his pills. One night he woke me up in the middle of the night, when I petted him I realized he was covered in hives, when I got up he ran to the kitchen and waited for me, he related his pills to his itching…and to it stopping too, I guess. Of course that night I was out of benadryl, so had to run to the all night drugstore at 3 am! Definitely start giving benadryl and keep it up for at least a week.
  • Shots?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    1k Views
    tanzaT
    And you can search the forum for lots of information about shots and what is or is not needed. But as stated by renaultf1, rabies is a state required shot. Dogs get one as a puppy and then need another at 1 yr. After that it depends on your state, most are every 3yrs., but some (and some counties within a state) are every year
  • Rabies Shots

    Pinned Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    51
    0 Votes
    51 Posts
    34k Views
    Kris_ChristineK
    @eeeefarm: I believe Benin is in West Africa. Rabies is endemic in Africa. Yes, I thought you must live outside the U.S. We at The Rabies Challenge Fund believe that all healthy dogs and cats should be vaccinated against rabies.
  • Rabies shots

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    Shaye's MomS
    @tanza: Found this under Florida law on rabies (2) A dog or cat shall not be required to be vaccinated against rabies if a licensed veterinarian has examined the animal and has certified in writing that at such time vaccination would endanger the animal's health because of its age, infirmity, disability, illness, or other medical considerations. Such exempt animal shall be vaccinated against rabies as soon as its health permits. And it also seems in Florida, it can change from county to county on if required yearly or 3 yrs.. Good to know that about an animal with health issues - and yes, it does vary county to county. Hillsborough, where I live, requires it yearly.