Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:48 pm Post subject: Allergy Testing Costs?
During the latest round of complications with Bran's diet, he's now on Purina HA for a week to hopefully stabilise his stomach before re-introducing his safe foods.
I have already tabled the idea of allergy testing with my vets but they don't put much stock in them apparently. However, I think whilst Bran is on this really bland food then it would be a good idea to get the testing done so that I can carefully re-introduce everything with a bit more knowledge behind me.
I also know that my insurance company are unlikely to cover the costs if I request them, but may cover it if my vets suggest them.
Just in case I can't get the vets to work this in my favour, please can any of you who have had the allergy testing done tell me how much it cost?
____________ Sarah and Bran
Always watched over with love by our angel, Flora, from Rainbow Bridge
Bran Training
Ruby's allergy testing has cost around £300. It was broken down so I could choose what I wanted to test for so I chose food, tree pollens and grasses and dust, house and storage mites.
My vet was very good and we just went through the catalogue to see what was available and decided what we thought was necessary.
If you think it is a food allergy then you could just have that and obviously it would cost less.
I am soooooooooo confused because I know that several LFers have had their dogs tested for food allergies but all of the info that I'm finding online says that the blood testing isn't recommended for food allergies although it is very good for skin complaints
____________ Sarah and Bran
Always watched over with love by our angel, Flora, from Rainbow Bridge
Bran Training
As you have probably read on my previous post Ruby's came back as multiple food allergies but also all the mites. I have found finding the food to be hard because she is allergic to all cereals plus potato. I have opted for JWB turkey and veg to see how we get on. The difficulty I have is knowing how much of a part the food plays in her scratching or whether it is the mites that are causing the most prob.
Hi Sarah, George had skin biopsies taken rather than blood tests. This was done under sedation and was quite invasive but in your position I would have Bran tested. George had the full range of tests and the results came back as a number (think it was 0 - 5) so I knew what he was highly allergic to and things that he was only slightly allergic to. This included a wide range of foods; grasses; pollens and mites. It would be at least 2 years ago now and I think it cost under £200 and I was able to claim from insurance.
Sam's were on insurance and cost about £275 he had all the foods and environmental ones both igE (allergy) and igG (intolerance). There is some debate as to the accuracy of results because sometimes they show things the dog has never had so shouldn't have become sensitised to and sometimes to things they appear to be able to have perfectly fine, though that can also be a case of how much of the substance they have. With igG that's even more controversial with some claiming, as in humans, that it simply shows what they eat most and not what they're reacting to. As with humans both tests can have false positive and false negative results and the gold standard test in both humans and dogs is therefore the double blind placebo controlled food challenge where the food is given or not given in a meal where the subject doesn't know and the tester doesn't know they monitor the reaction if any and write down the results then they find out from the third party whether the substance in question was given and look at this against the results they recorded - very complex therefore an elimination diet using one carb and one protein, usually ones not normally experienced so for example qunioa carb and kangaroo meat proteiin for a peroid until the patient settles then reintroudce each new item only one in each four days in a pure form (so nothing added at all so say it was cod then a pure piece of cod boiled only or on barf perhaps a chicken breast as it comes nothing added or done to it and monitor reaction any reaction take it out again until a full set of things the patient can eat has been discovered. This obviously takes absolutely ages and requires the tester to ensure the patient has absolutely no other items to eat not at all under any circumstance so requires huge vigilance too - therefore there are some who think that its much easier to risk false positives or negatives and get a bank of bloods done and then look at those and evaluate against clinical evidence from what the patient has experienced and previously noted and then go from there. It's complicated whether you're human or canine and having read heaps of research papers on the pros and cons and knowing how this affected me as a human person I did go down the testing route for Sam as you know, it was on insurance as the Vet thought given Sam's health at the time that that was the best option too we didn't have a lifetime to play elimination testing and he was very underweight at that point, I found it helpful as a starting point not as a magic answer but hey I'll accept anything if it helps! Hope that makes sense.
Em - I know your vet suggested Sam be tested, but Chloe and Joanne - did your vet suggest your dogs be tested or did you request them?
I might give the insurance company a call and see what they say as to whether they'll cover it if I ask for them to be done. It can only be helpful if preventing more longterm complications which would cost them even more money, surely?
____________ Sarah and Bran
Always watched over with love by our angel, Flora, from Rainbow Bridge
Bran Training
Vet recommended sarah. TBH with hindsight I actually think they recommended too early. I took George with symptoms of obsessive scratching and bald patches underneath and they suggested testing straight away. After I got the results all it took was a change of food to JWB and a daily piriton from March onwards and symptoms disappeared within weeks. Thinking about it it must have been over two years ago now as George is almost 4, probably why my tests seem a lot cheaper than what others have paid.
Amber's was about £300 and I had it all back from insurance (Morethan).
I'm skeptical about how accurate the blood test can be, but knowing that it'd be covered by my insurance (my vet seemed to think it always would be?) I thought it was worth it. She high positive results for dust mites and storage mites, which I couldn't really do anything about. She had lower positive results for chicken, beef and rice. Cutting these out has helped no end, so I do wonder if there's something to it after all In fact, when I think about it, it's been at least 6 months since she had any flare up at all, and that was very mild. She hasn't been bad at all since changing her diet.
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although it is very good for skin complaints 
In fact, when I think about it, it's been at least 6 months since she had any flare up at all, and that was very mild. She hasn't been bad at all since changing her diet.
