Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:11 am Post subject: Allergies - anyone else?
Last summer our Leo was diagnosed with Allergies to Dust Mite and Grain Mite. He was suffering from recurring ear infections and constancly chewing his feet.
We have changed his food from a grain based product to a rice based product, to try to reduce his exposure to any grain mite.
But what do we do about the dust mite? We do not have carpets in the rooms of the house where the dogs are allowed (either tiled or laminate).
Last week Leo was given a course of steroids by the vet to help, but I don't want to have to give him these everytime it flairs up.
Has anybody else come across this before and found a natural remedy that has helped?
Hi
My Dog Archie is waiting to have allergy tests as the vet thinks he is allergic to dustmites and something in his food.We have bought vet bed gold which is treated against dustmites for up to a thousand washes.He is also on steroids for inflammatory bowel disease and so he has been a worry as he is not yet two years old.
I Hope things get better for your Leo and his allergies become controlled
jackie
I ve been told that dustmites can live in dry dog food . you can't see them. so that could help answer that . They is a name for them give me a few minutes and i ll find out the name and what dry kibble they in .
Sorry to hear about Leo's problems! Just out of interest, how were his allergies diagnosed? I ask because my little JR was diagnosed with food mite allergies too (acarus) on a blood test but when she had skin tests which are meant to be more accurate it turned out this was a false positive The skin specialist thinks she actually has a food allergy.
When I thought she had a food mite allergy I was advised to feed her wet food as the mites can't live in it. Perhaps it would be worth talking to your vet about doing a food trial as dogs with one kind of allergy often suffer from others too. It certainly would be a shame to have to keep using steroids all the time!
HTH XX
____________
Georgia XX
"If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane.
I would walk right up to heaven,and bring you back again"
Snap - Barney is now 9 and has allergies for best part of his life. Initially it seemed to flair up every so often. My Vet suggested that I try him with some anti-hystermines - he wrote it down and I ordered them direct from the chemist. They were called Tavegil, might be worth a try they were about £6.00 for a box of 50/60 tablets.
He is now on steroids and has been for some while but with careful control we can work it so he doesnt have them every day. When its bad he has 2 tablets daily and on other occasions he may have 2 every other day. During calm times he can go several weeks with none but then we normally have to start them again when the scratching starts. He too chews his paws and ends up with a very inflamed stomach.
I had a long chat with my vet about the use of steroids and in Barney's case we have no option as nothing else copes with it. By giving steroids every other day it avoids associated problems as the in between days allow the pancreas to work as it would normally.
I must stress that we have successfully managed this for some years and he is now 9 - of course every dog is different. We had tried all of the dietry changes, allergy testing etc..... but in the end we have ended up with steroids.
I must also add that Barney Bear is our Friday afternoon dog everything that could go wrong did - he had OCD in his hock, starting limping at 7 months old and has never stopped - the joint has fused and he has what they call a mechanical limp - not bad considering he is now 9!!!
Thanks for the link - they look far worse magnified than the thought of them...
I've got to admit that I looked the grain mite under a microscope and was HORRIFIED at what they were like. I was even more horrified when I read on the web that they are regularly found in human cereal, pasta, rice etc. YUK!
Thanks for the tip on the vet bed gold, just searched on the internet and it may be worth a try. Luckily we are well insured, as I know the blood tests alone cost around £500 - scary money.
Don't know about you but I don't want to give Leo steroids long-term, because of the side effects they have. Same applies to anti-hystermine (sp!) type products - I know they cause liver damage. I guess it's finding the best compromise between the quality of the dogs life now and the long term effects. Just wish I could find something to stop it, I hate seeing him with these horrible ear infections or chewing his feet til they are raw - not nice....
Leo had the blood tests I think - they tested for dozens (if not hundreds of things) and found he was allergic to two specific mites
The specific mites were Acarus siro (the one in the grain) and
Dermatophagoides Farinae (the dust mites).
Interesting to hear that giving the steroids every other day reducing/removes the nasty side effects - can I ask how long Barney has been on the steroids?
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The skin specialist thinks she actually has a food allergy.
