allergy testing for dogs.....?

Question

My 3 yr old MinPin has had skin issues since the day we brought him home at 8 weeks old. he unknowingly had demodectic mange which i have kept under control-many $$$$$$ later. and he also has some type of allergies that hit him in the late summer early fall every year. our vet recommended allergy testing for another 300 bucks....has anyone had their dog tested for allergies and are they accurate and helpful or just another expensive procedure that wont be worth it?

Answer 1

As a vet tech of over 20 years I can say I've seen many, many dogs tested for particular allergies. Yes it is worth it. What they will do is determine what the pup is allergic to and make antigen for those allergies. MOST of the time it works great. However there are some cases where the dog is allergic to something that it has not been tested for. Since you are saying it's seasonal then you have a better chance of narrowing it down. Obviously it's not food which is what most vets test for first by putting the dog on a hypo allergenic dog food. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I've had 2 dogs allergy tested, and they are doing great now. My one dog was so bad that she would have to have shunts put in her ears because she would scratch and itch so bad that blood would gather between the layers of skin, and cause a bubble of blood in the ear. Now that I have her on special food, and give her allergy shots every month, she is not having any problems.
Good luck

Answer 3

my dog had horrible allergies too, which ended up being becasue of her diet. i used to feed nutro, but i switched to a raw diet recommended by my vet.

i now feed nature's variety raw food, which is 95% meat. no wheat, corn, or soy, which cause BAD allergies in dogs, escpecially small breeds.

My dog's coat is much better, she doesn't bite her paws anymore (no more itchies...), and she's as healthy as a dog 1/4 her age (she's 16).

try nature's variety raw. raw food is a little more high maintenance than kibble, and a bit more pricey, but your minpin won't eat much, and it will save you TONS on vet bills.

go to www.naturesvariety.com, and see if they can get you a sample to try. you'll be amazed!!

Answer 4

our dog has allergies.. she has been known to get hives from time to time and swell up in the muzzle.. we give her benadryl daily to keep this from happening.. weve never had her tested. giving her allergy medicine seems to do the trick. this is what our vet recommended.