# Answers to Kai's allergies



## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

Well I finally bit the bullet and had the vet here draw blood for an allergy test last week and the results are in. The Vet gave me a call yesterday afternoon to let me know what the culprits were. I don't have the paper in my hands yet...I have to pick them up from the office next time I'm in town.

Interestingly she has no food allergies....... however, she is allergic to storage mites. Which explains why she reacted to every dog food I tried. The environment here is absolutely perfect for the proliferation of these little bugs. Even if I kept food frozen it would still be likely for food to be contaminated, simply because of the shipping process here ( Food sits for hours in hot/humid conditions before clearing the dock )

Dog Food Storage Mites

She is also allergic to dust mites........LORD HELP ME! :faint2: There is no way to get rid of them even if you are anal about cleaning! ( and me not so much ) 

So I'm going to order the treatments, because to me, even if I can get her relief from some of her allergies, I'm all in. There are things that are not tested for that I know she reacts to as well....like bug bites. She did have a slight positive for flea bites, but it was not as severe as the mites.

Having said all that, I'm putting it out there for others who have allergic dogs. Just another thing to add to the list of possibilities. I know I had never heard of storage mites before........


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Dust mites! 

GOOD LUCK! Lol 

No seriously, that's insane, dust mites are everywhere!


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> Dust mites!
> 
> GOOD LUCK! Lol
> 
> No seriously, that's insane, dust mites are everywhere!


Yeah, there's no escaping them. I hope the treatment works........


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

What is the treatment?


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

I'll find out exactly what the regime is when everything is ordered. From what I understand, it'll be just like a human course of allergy shots. They make a serum based on her allergy profile, and she'll get injections once a week for a few months I think. I'll know more once everything is ordered, and I talk to the vet again next week.

I will probably have to learn how to do the injections myself.

The down side is it is a vaccination, so I'm trying to research now if they are as bad as other vacs. Success rates vary......50% or so, and then it might be something she'll need boosters for if it's not completely successful


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i thought everyone was allergic to dust mites. haven't they been around since forever?

Dog Food Storage Mites

before you opt to give 'treatment'.....and i do question this treatment...since it's not possible, especially where you live, to ever get rid of or contain mites of any kind....

maybe get a grain free kibble, maybe freeze the kibble, maybe get an air purifier, maybe bathe in oatmeal hypoallergenic shampoos....maybe add bragg's acv to the diet, maybe wipe his feet down and him down often...

isn't there something else besides giving injections that can be done? for this poor baby...? 

the situation is untenable...and i don't see how it's treatable....i don't get it.


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

magicre said:


> i thought everyone was allergic to dust mites. haven't they been around since forever?
> 
> Dog Food Storage Mites
> 
> ...


I know that dust mites have always been around..........I don't know that everyone is allergic to them.

The end goal would be to have her not react to them. I know there is a chance it won't work. But here, I'm really limited with treatment options. The only other protocol is to give her steriods/antibiotics when she has a bad flare up. I just can't see doing that to her for the rest of her life.

She won't ever go back to kibble....she's the only one that has remained 100% raw fed. Layla gets a grain free kibble, but even the good quality grain free kibbles will test positive for the mites in our environment........Ari gets HK....she reacts to that as well :noidea: I will try the ACV in her food to see if that helps.
I was just looking at this product line Dermagic Cell Restoration Creme fights your pets dry itchy skin Has anyone tried their products?

To me there seems to be a lot of things to try that just make the itching less, but does nothing to fix the problem. If there is the chance the allergy shots could work I'm willing to try it. Sure it won't treat all the things she might be allergic too, but if she can get relief from the biggest culprits.........

Air purifiers might work in the bedroom at night when the A/c is on.....but during the day my windows and doors are open


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

please don't think i'm trying to argue with you...i'm not..

i just don't know that this can be cured or even alleviated other than stop gap measures that maybe don't have to include steroids, etc.

your other dogs had to go back to kibble, so maybe freezing their kibble would help her....

perhaps coconut oil would be of help to her.....a tee shirt perhaps....

i am sure there are other homeopathic methods....to use during her worst times.

i don't live in the bahamas, but i've been there, so i get it.....

i'm just trying to figure out something else to do....besides these injections.....are they costly? 

and i'm afraid of the results of these injections.....could they cause another problem as so many drug treatments do....

i'm so sorry this is happening to her...and to you..and maybe your vet has the answer.....but every time i've ever treated my dogs my vet's way.....something else happens....and then i'm treating what the treatment caused....


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

No, it's good for someone to play devil's advocate for you, especially when it comes to something emotionally driven...like a sick pet.
I wish I had the freezer space......I'm sure you've heard me moan about that before.......
They do get organic coconut oil in their food....is that what you mean, or should I rub it into her skin as well?
I was surprised to find out that the test and treatment is probably no more expensive than it would be in the States......but yeah.....it's not cheap $300 for the test, and about the same for a course of treatments (probably 6 months) I've been googling all morning to see if I could find anything negative.......I haven't found a lot yet. I hadn't really looked before because I was waiting to see what the test revealed. I knew I wouldn't do anything if it were food sensitivities alone....heck I would never have done the test at all if raw had fixed her issues. I did want to find out what's bugging her (pun intended :-D)I never dreamed it would be mites!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I have a friend with Corgi's who did the regime of shots for allergy's, they were allergic to all sorts of grasses and she lives on 100 acres...They didn't end up helping at all. Some times what we hope will work doesn't end up doing the job..I think you should google this and find out results.


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

whiteleo said:


> I have a friend with Corgi's who did the regime of shots for allergy's, they were allergic to all sorts of grasses and she lives on 100 acres...They didn't end up helping at all. Some times what we hope will work doesn't end up doing the job..I think you should google this and find out results.


Of the sites I've found, most say it's 75% effective. One I found says about 50%---25% only partially effective, and 25% no effect at all, which seems more honest. I am willing to take the chance if side effect incidences are low. So far I haven't found much info on that.....

Did she ever find anything to help the Corgi's? Benedryl and other antihistamines don't help much with Kai


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

in all truth, how can we ever cure a dust mite allergy in anyone, man or beast?

they are everywhere and the odds of the treatment working don't seem high enough, at least for me, to risk causing a secondary problem.

does she get fish oil? if not, then maybe carlson's fish oil with E would help.

yes, you can use the coconut oil on her skin....

check with your vet but i think you can give her zyrtec, which i've found to be more effective for allergies..

and maybe look at your vitamin / supplement stores for natural antishistamines...

to make her okay, she'd have to live in a bubble, ya know?


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

magicre said:


> to make her okay, she'd have to live in a bubble, ya know?


True......but a little pessimistic. Why do you think that immunotherapy doesn't work at all? Just curious.....

I will add fish oil since I haven't been giving it to them at all lately. It's hard to find a good quality fish oil here. I'll see if I can find zyrtec too. To be honest I'm not sure if I've tried that one since most of the pharmacies here stock generics.
Thanks for all the ideas.......


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

IslandPaws4Raw said:


> Of the sites I've found, most say it's 75% effective. One I found says about 50%---25% only partially effective, and 25% no effect at all, which seems more honest. I am willing to take the chance if side effect incidences are low. So far I haven't found much info on that.....
> 
> Did she ever find anything to help the Corgi's? Benedryl and other antihistamines don't help much with Kai


The only thing that helped at all are low doses of prednisone, which she knows is horrible for the dogs............


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

whiteleo said:


> The only thing that helped at all are low doses of prednisone, which she knows is horrible for the dogs............


Yeah it's such a bummer. That's the only thing that clears Kai up as well, and as soon as she's off the prednisone the symptoms come back. When I was in Nassau I saw the vet my sister uses, and he recommended Tobradex cream for her eyes. It's still a steroid, but at least it's topical and I feel like it's not so drastic as the pred. It has helped tremendously with the itchy eyes
This pic was taken in Feb, just before the trip







This one taken last week








He told me to use it until the skin healed, which I did, and now I just watch for her scratching at her eyes. Then I'll use the cream for a few nights in a row.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

If I can help by shipping you over pharmaceuticals from here, just let us know, ok?
Otherwise, I suggest you ship Kai over here to me, maybe she'll be less allergic to Florida than the Bahama's?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Can you use the allergy eye drops I wonder?


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

There is that....'cept you'll have to take me and the other two in as well. Thanks for offering to send me drugs


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

whiteleo said:


> Can you use the allergy eye drops I wonder?


Hmmm don't know, but I think it's the skin surrounding her eyes that itches. Drops would be good for watery eyes I guess, which isn't an issue.......


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

IslandPaws4Raw said:


> Thanks for offering to send me drugs


Shoosh, I'll get arrested!


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Diphenhydramine (benadryl) doesn't do crap for Maya's allergies. She has severe environmental allergies so she is currently on hydroxyzine (100 mg BID). It has helped her face itchies tremendously. I also rub emu oil into her skin... but that's more to promote healing of the icky parts than anything. We are soon going to be adding a supplement too that we actually heard of from Linsey (PuppyPaws) called NuVet Plus. It has a great reputation from what we've heard, so we figured it's worth a shot!

edit: lol... is Linsey CorgiPaws now? Can you tell I haven't been here in a while?


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

i too have just found out that dust mites is one of the allergies my dog has,i was given holistic drops for her to give her for 6 weeks,strange enough it doesnt effect her eyes only her belly,he advised me to use tea on her eyes to take any swelling down if they do ever get irritated,the tanning in the tea is good for inflamation and takes swelling down ,but i dont think she will lay on the couch with tea bags on her eyes lol,only kidding if i give her a gin and tonic in her paw she may!!!lol,karen


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

IslandPaws4Raw said:


> True......but a little pessimistic. Why do you think that immunotherapy doesn't work at all? Just curious.....
> 
> I will add fish oil since I haven't been giving it to them at all lately. It's hard to find a good quality fish oil here. I'll see if I can find zyrtec too. To be honest I'm not sure if I've tried that one since most of the pharmacies here stock generics.
> Thanks for all the ideas.......


i'm not sure that i feel pessimistic.....more realistic than anything....although there are those who have a cup half full and those who have a cup half empty. i just don't have a cup .

i'm not so sure it's all about the immune system accepting immunotherapy....to me, there are things in the air we simply cannot get rid of....and many immunotherapies have maybe limited success...but mostly it depends on the intolerance.

when we're talking about something that is so global...be it in your pillow, your bed, the house, the air, the dog storage containers for kibble, the everything....i would find it hard to imagine success, other than limited, if at all.

i'm not saying don't try it....i know she's suffering and all we would want, me in cluded....is to call a ceasefire on suffering.

but from what i'm reading, you'd be in the laundry 24/7. she'd be in a closed house with air purifiers and sheets changed ever day, wood floors, no carpeting whatsoever, no dog beds.....

try it.....as long as you can afford it, try it....

having said all that, there is another therapy that has had some success...and that is to do nothing. don't clean so much, don't change the pillows out and see if she will naturally build up antibodies, keeping an epi pen around, of course and allergy pills, and possibly a low dose of prednisone.

and see what happens after time.

oh. zyrtec is generic now, also....

and there are herbal remedies.....to try....maybe first, before going into steroids and shots.


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

magicre said:


> i'm not sure that i feel pessimistic.....more realistic than anything....although there are those who have a cup half full and those who have a cup half empty. i just don't have a cup .


Now there's a quote I would put in my sig haha!



> i'm not saying don't try it....i know she's suffering and all we would want, me in cluded....is to call a ceasefire on suffering.
> 
> but from what i'm reading, you'd be in the laundry 24/7. she'd be in a closed house with air purifiers and sheets changed ever day, wood floors, no carpeting whatsoever, no dog beds.....
> 
> ...


I'm coming around to that idea. I have had visions of her rolling around in a giant hamster ball down the beach......I will be ordering some of the Nuvet products that Minnieme mentioned today to try them out. I'll give the herbal remedies a fair go before I resort to the shots


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

lily said:


> i too have just found out that dust mites is one of the allergies my dog has,i was given holistic drops for her to give her for 6 weeks,strange enough it doesnt effect her eyes only her belly,he advised me to use tea on her eyes to take any swelling down if they do ever get irritated,the tanning in the tea is good for inflamation and takes swelling down ,but i dont think she will lay on the couch with tea bags on her eyes lol,only kidding if i give her a gin and tonic in her paw she may!!!lol,karen


do you know what is in the holistic drops? i know annie was allergic to so many things.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

IslandPaws4Raw said:


> Now there's a quote I would put in my sig haha!
> 
> 
> 
> I'm coming around to that idea. I have had visions of her rolling around in a giant hamster ball down the beach......I will be ordering some of the Nuvet products that Minnieme mentioned today to try them out. I'll give the herbal remedies a fair go before I resort to the shots


...take the sig with my blessing. 

i think the real saying is:

Some have cups which are half empty
Some have cups which are half full
I have no cup

i know allergies are no fun. and i think there is going to be a certain amount of suffering no matter what you do, since she doesn't drink and there are no bubbles in the bahamas...


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

What allergy test did you do? I had the heska panel done on Quinn. He is allergic to dust mites and cats. I started him on the shots a couple of months ago. I know allergy shots helped me so I hope they do the same for him.


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

magicre said:


> do you know what is in the holistic drops? i know annie was allergic to so many things.


i have no idea but spoke to the chap who does the testing and prescribing and he said her allergies are from vaccination damage!!!,one of the strangest things she is allergic to is dog dander!!!!,is it her own dander ?is that even possible?,karen


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

lily said:


> i have no idea but spoke to the chap who does the testing and prescribing and he said her allergies are from vaccination damage!!!,one of the strangest things she is allergic to is dog dander!!!!,is it her own dander ?is that even possible?,karen


i have been reading about vaccinosis....and the problems it can cause, which is leading me to the conclusion that vaccinations may not be in my dogs' best interests.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Vaccinosis - huge problem. We think our dog is ok because we didn't see a seizure but the stuff in vaccines is dangerous, it does damage, you may not see the damage but it is there. Some can be fixed some can't - once the brain/blood barrier is crossed that damage and DNA damage can only be mitigated now totally healed. I am sorry to hear of your pup. Have you tried a vaccinosis treatment plan? I could try to find a homeopath in your area that has a reputation you could trust to run you through a program - it might alleviate a bunch of symptoms. Just a thought.


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

magicre said:


> i have been reading about vaccinosis....and the problems it can cause, which is leading me to the conclusion that vaccinations may not be in my dogs' best interests.


the holistic guy does vacs all natural,so im thinking of doing these or none at all,karen


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

lily said:


> the holistic guy does vacs all natural,so im thinking of doing these or none at all,karen


what does that mean, if you don't mind me asking.....'the holistic guy does vacs all natural'? is there a natural vaccination?


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Nosodes are used by some holistic vets but there are no studies showing they actually give immunity. They are not harmful I just can't get a good answer as to effectiveness.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

that's kind of what i was thinking.....and i've researched them, but i can't seem to get a solid ground answer.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

The only ones that have seemed effective are the ones for heart worm. All the old time natural rearing breeders tend to just skip them. Old time I mean twenty plus years. I love having experienced mentors.


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

magicre said:


> what does that mean, if you don't mind me asking.....'the holistic guy does vacs all natural'? is there a natural vaccination?


i havnt spoken to him yet regarding holistic vacs ,i am going to contact him nearer the time,as liz says there are no studies regarding them but i know 1 thing my dog isnt having any more vets vacs,by the way that pic is sooooo gross lol,karen


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

lily said:


> i havnt spoken to him yet regarding holistic vacs ,i am going to contact him nearer the time,as liz says there are no studies regarding them but i know 1 thing my dog isnt having any more vets vacs,by the way that pic is sooooo gross lol,karen


i know. but funny.


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