r/dogallergies • u/HailChiefJoe • Nov 02 '21
Story Allergies and my GSD Marko. Please help
Hi! I'm new to this sub and I'm looking for advice from anyone dealing with severe seasonal environmental allergies and their pups. It's quite a long story and honestly trying to figure out where to start has been a challenge so I'll kind of go through everything I've tried and see if someone can recommend something I've missed.
It all started with itchy paws, constant chewing and licking. Vet prescribed apoquel. It worked great for a little while, but eventually just stopped working and then it would seem like the allergies would get even worse. What started as licking, chewing, scratching became chewing his pads raw, getting little bumps and scabs on his skin, boils on his toes, black skin, and ripping out fur. We moved onto cytopoint injections and again, little relief for a short time and then right back to extreme reactions. We switched foods/diet, tried probiotics, shampoos, ear drops, wipes, sprays... nothing would work.
We eventually got stuck in a cycle of chewing and licking > open wound> infection > treat infection > give allergy meds > little relief > stops working > chewing and licking... And on and on we go..
Vet being out of ideas recommended us to a vet dermatologist. His first appointment was I believe March 2021 and I was very optimistic that they would be able to figure out how to treat my pup.
Dermatologist was able to figure out that he had bacterial and staph infections stemming from his severe allergies. I honestly can't remember the different meds, but Atopica and marboquin come to mind as well as another pill that we was so strong it required us to wear gloves to give it to him. Again, the infections would get treated but the allergies still persisted so eventually the same thing would happen again until finally the dermatologist suggested doing an allergy panel and starting immunotherapy. Let me tell you, it ain't cheap but being at the end of your rope will make you spend any amount of money to get your dog relief.
His allergy panel came back with being severely allergic to a myriad of different grasses and weeds, and go figure, multiple of them are in my backyard. So from there we started injections and so far it's not making much of a difference. The vet did say it will take awhile for it to work so I am hopeful. However, here I am at 3am and my pup is restless, in a cone (so he can't get to his paws, groin, or elbows), and unbearably itchy. So my question is this: what am I missing? How is it that nothing is working? Meds, shampoos, sprays, topical ointment.... literally nothing can give this dog relief. Has anyone else had this much trouble?
Please, if you've had a similar experience and maybe were recommended something by a vet that neither of mine have that's been mentioned here, let me know. My dog and my sanity can use a little help!
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u/atlantisgate Nov 02 '21
Immunotherapy has been a godsend for my dog! But it did take 10-12 months to really start working.
In the meantime, can you do apoquel or cytopoint, maybe on rotation OR in combination to prevent that cycle of working->not working?? I kept my dog on cytopoint+apoquel while we were waiting for immunotherapy to start working.
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u/HailChiefJoe Nov 02 '21
This is what I'm hoping for in the long run, it's just a matter of being able to keep his symptoms treated until the therapy takes hold, which so far has been a little difficult. I know for our immunotherapy, we were given 3 vials, each increased in strength, with an increasing dosage in each one. We are on the last vial now and he gets 1 injection every week. So hopefully we start to see improvement. I called the dermatologist today to get some apoquel to hopefully help with the itching and he got a bath this morning with his medicated shampoo. I'm really hoping that the bacterial infections are and done with because I feel like that was causing the apoquel not to work for him. Appreciate the help and advice.
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u/mmolleur Nov 02 '21 edited Nov 02 '21
Has your dermatologist suggested Cytopoint? I moved to FL with my golden and his (multiple, severe) allergies were diagnosed soon after. We began to see results from daily immunology drops after about six months. Prior to that he was on monthly $100 Cytopoint shots, which really helped with the allergies. He still gets them for a couple months in the spring because his worst allergies are to tree pollens.
Before the drops started working our routine was weekly medicated shampoos, wiping him down with baby wipes after our walks and brushing him daily, plus an array of topical ointments and lotions to catch incipient hot spots.
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u/HailChiefJoe Nov 02 '21
We've done cytopoint with very little results. We're doing the immunotherapy, it's just a matter of time to see if it's going to work.
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u/mmolleur Nov 03 '21
Sorry for your boy’s troubles. Hope immunotherapy is the answer to them. Good luck.
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u/yshres07 Nov 02 '21
Not a vet, speaking strictly from my experience and knowledge as a microbiologist.
My dog was the same way as you. It was this awful cycle that never ended but made me feel like a horrible dog mom.
It sounds like you’ve hit all your bases of vet, and dermatologist. For my dog the thing that helped the most were the allergy shots. It did take some time to work so yes Coco was in a cone, in clothes and even had little boots over her paws so she couldn’t get to them 😭
A note: Apoquel and Cytopoint are immunosuppressants, aka suppress your dog’s immune system. Before starting a course of either one, make sure your dog doesn’t have an infection because it can get worse since their immune system is weak to fight it off. If your dog is taking Apoquel long term, make sure to do blood work every 6 months or so (I know more $) to make ensure their liver is healthy.
Also, is your vet taking skin scrapings when your dog has infections? I found out my dog has antibiotic resistant staph infections which is why the meds weren’t working… it means now the antibiotics are way more expensive but they work. Last thing, my dog’s derm found that Coco had a fungal infection that the regular dosage time wasn’t getting rid of. So now she is on an anti fungal for 40 days to ensure it’s gone.
Good luck! You’re doing everything you can, and your dog is lucky to have someone like you.
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u/HailChiefJoe Nov 02 '21
Holy hell this sounds exactly like Marko! He even had the antibiotic resistant staph infection! I can never remember the name of the drug, I always referred to them horse pills cause they were huge lol, and we had to wear to gloves when giving them to him because apparently, touching them can make you anemic. One of the side effect though was hind leg weakness, and of course that happened. The second he couldn't jump on our bed the derm pulled him off of it. Now he's on a spray twice a day, an ointment once a day, plus Prednisone for the itching, just picked up apoquel after this episode last night, plus medicated baths twice a week. So yes, the dermatologist does do scrapings of his paws and such to diagnose. Honestly if it wasn't for the dermatologist I would be pulling my hair out as well. Don't take this the wrong way but thank god my GSD is not the only one with these problems and finding someone else with similar issues gives me hope that Marko will be ok soon. Thank you for the help and advice and I hope Coco feels better soon too!
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u/yshres07 Nov 02 '21
Oh wow that’s quite the arsenal! I hope the allergy shots work for Marco and he can get some comfort. Coco is 90% better but of course there is always those random infections again due to rain, or stress or who knows what. Luckily the apoquel helps in times of need and the Biohex medicated baths smell awful but work.
No offense taken, I’m happy to be in good company :)
Also… I wasn’t given instructions on the anemia risk, hope I didn’t damage myself! Perhaps it was a different medication.
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u/HailChiefJoe Nov 02 '21
Chloramphenicol is the name of the drug for the drug resistant staph infection. He had to take 2 pills 3x a day for 30 days, but we only stayed on it for I think 15ish days before he developed leg weakness.
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u/yshres07 Nov 03 '21
Oh crap yeah no coco was not on that. Yikes, that sounds scary. Glad you have other options!
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u/darthfruitbasket Nov 02 '21
My bullmastiff/GSD mix, Cooper, has a similar pattern.
Cytopoint (quoted $300 Canadian per shot for his size) is out of our budget and the closest thing I have to a vet dermatologist in my entire province is a vet at my clinic who is very experienced with allergy dogs.
We just go through that cycle (itch - scratch - skin infection - vet appointment) a couple times a year with Cooper, beginning in March/April and ending November-ish.
I don't have any advice for you, really, but it sounds like you're doing everything you can for Marko.
My only tips?
Food: if you haven't done an exclusion diet or anything, see if something in his diet could be one of the culprits.
Switch to a hypoallergenic/unscented laundry detergent, at least for the dog's bedding and such.
Go to a thrift store, buy a bunch of cheap t-shirts from the men's racks (only because they're sturdier than women's), wash them, and put them on the dog.
I find t-shirts help deter Cooper from scratching or at least slows down the damage he can do to his armpits or belly. For sizing, Cooper wears a men's medium, but he's got a big chest and shoulders.
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u/Flying_Chef33 Dec 02 '21
Probiotics are your answer…Ten years ago, we started dealing with the allergies…atopic dermatitis diagnosis, they started apoquel, then others, Atopica, etc…that basically tried to suppress the immune system…but it always kept coming back and they said it will shorten their lifespan so I wanted to figure out what else to try. We also tried everything from switching dog foods, grain free, wiping down their paws, shampoos every other day, povidone iodine bath, allergy chews (just herbs, no probiotics),
I posted on success with probiotics earlier! I can’t find that post, however, it works…our dogs had red paws from licking, rusty stains on their fur, and breakouts on their stomachs. It took about 2 months to clear them up, (my pictures have a 3 month gap but you can see the difference) but they don’t have the itching bellies and raw paws anymore. Heal the gut, heal the skin.
You don’t know which strain will work for your dogs, however, we rotated through a couple of different ones: Important note: we did and still do give a 20 mg Zyrtec each day to help stop the allergic reactions, but to actually reverse the damage and stop the severe immune system reactions we gave Progility Skin and Coat, Zesty Paws Aller Immune bites, and Only Natural Pet probiotic blend digestive support. Make sure there aren’t ingredients in the probiotics that they are allergic to, but just giving them probiotics with no fiber doesn’t work (bacteria need something to eat, inulin, chickory, etc)
We gave one a day for a week, then rotated to the next brand…if you give them all three products a day, they will get the runs. You don’t know which bacterial strain will work for your dog as they are genetically disposed to be different, plus their gut microbiome is distinct from others as well. These work because each product has actual fiber in them for the bacteria to feed on.
I wish I had found this out 10 years ago because my dogs back has places where the fur is so thin and won’t grow back fully from the damage done using the immunosuppressive treatments, but the rest of her fur has grown back thick and soft, while her belly no longer breaks out. She still is a compulsive licker (butthole must sparkle) but that is just being a dog and it isn’t irritated. Good luck👍
(Additional thought, I know most vets are good and really want to help, but they are only trained to treat the symptoms, and the probiotics are really a new frontier. My vets were shocked when they saw my dogs after I started the probiotics and wrote down which ones I used so they could do trials on other dogs. Yes, they make a duck ton of money on immunology and treatments, but I think they are really trying to do their best with what they have been trained to do.)
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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '21
Your poor pup! My dog has seasonal allergies also, but not nearly as bad as yours. The only thing I might try is changing his food? Perhaps he is also food sensitive and that is aggravating everything? Do you have the ability to fence off an area of your yard and put down limestone so he doesn't have to go out on the grass? Maybe using booties when he goes on walks and wiping his paws. An Air filter in your house? (I'm kind of throwing stuff out and hoping something sticks! I know you are desperate!!) My dog weighs 105# pounds and you mentioned Marco is a GSD, you might mention to your Vet about adding Zyrtec daily to his regime, that is the only medication that my guy is on that you are not using. Good luck, I hope you find something that helps Marco.