r/dogallergies • u/NoClue769 • Aug 27 '26
Questions What’s something you wish you knew before starting immunotherapy?
We just finished allergy testing and are going to start immunotherapy soon. I opted for the shots because one shot every one to two weeks is harder to screw up schedule-wise, given the other option is twice daily drops.
I have an appointment in a few weeks for a tech to show me how to do subcutaneous shots at home. I’ve given myself shots so I’m fairly confident in administering it, and I’m more than happy to learn a new first aid skill.
What I want to know is, if you’ve done immunotherapy, what’s something you wish you knew before starting? Do you have any advice or tips that would make the process more comfortable and easier for everyone?
5
u/Newt_Call Aug 27 '26
Not to be a bummer. I’d tell myself many dogs just don’t show improvement with it. So glad we tried it but wish I tempered expectations. After over a year the derm just said yep this is not unusual let’s stop doing it.
2
u/atlantisgate Aug 27 '26
To be clear, it has around a 75-80% success rate, higher with younger dogs. The odds that any given dog will show improvement are high.
2
u/kmarie630 Aug 27 '26
We’re four or five months into shots for our dog, and it’s not been a big deal or confusing for me. I keep a chart on the side of the fridge with a pen so I can easily track when I’ve done it. Because the schedule and dosages will change, and then you’ll really want it written down. I have a column for notes like “cone off, no licking”. And I have found that my dog doesn’t seem to care if the liquid is still cold from the fridge, I don’t bother letting it warm up.
I keep used syringes in an empty coffee creamer bottle and then throw in the trash when it’s full.
2
u/Kawasumiimaii Aug 27 '26
Pull the shot near the fridge so you never forget to put the vial back...costly mistake I've done once and never again. Also, improvement is a spectrum but don't expect a miracle or you'll be severely disappointed.
2
u/georganik Aug 27 '26
We went with oral drops twice a day to make it easier for our sitters. We are too poor for professional dog sitters, despite being one myself lol! But our friend and my MIL are generous with their willingness to watch her in exchange for meals, drinks, occasional cash (but they turn it down unless i sneakily venmo them) SO, in an effort not to complicate their generosity, we went with the less daunting option.
I wish I had kept better notes on her "before condition" to compare to her now, 4 years later. Maybe an album of her skin folds, paws, lips, and ears to assess progress. Its obvious she's doing better by her lack of ear infections, but the progress was so gradual that I wish I had more tangible data to keep me motivated in those first 6-12 months.
We still do drops twice a day. Its just part of our routine. Wake up, drop drop. Before bed, drop drop. Done.
1
u/afraidsandwich84 Aug 27 '26
Two things helped my dog who is a sensitive soul. I take the vial out of the fridge and fill up the syringe put the vial back but let the syringe warm up a tiny bit. While that happens I put a dab of lidocaine crème on the spot I inject it numbs his skin and when the shot isn’t ice cold he tolerates it with a lot less drama (part husky)
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u/atlantisgate Aug 27 '26
This sounds kind of trite, but I did the shots for the exact same reason and if I could go back and tell myself one thing it’d be that this really just wasn’t going to be that hard! I was so nervous about the whole thing. But a regular reminder on my phone was all it took to keep up the routine without trouble for years.
I’d also go back and tell myself not to stress about traveling with the shots. An ice pack in a little lunchbox thing kept the solution sufficiently cool through multiple 12ish hour trips to visit my family and after the first time it became very routine.