How much does it cost for skin investigations on a dog?

Question

My staffie suffers from skin allergies and is going back to the vet tomorrow to discuss what to do next as the antibiotics he was given last time didn't really have any effect.
The vet suggested that he carry out skin ivestigations to find out exactly what it is he's allergic to. Does anyone know how much this is likely to cost?

@ chas_lee:
Of course my dog is the most important thing here, I never said I wouldn't have him treated if it cost too much...I'd always find the money from somewhere. It would just help to know roughly how much it'll cost so I can work out a budget. He's insured so I can claim most of the costs back anyways, just wanted to know how much the initial outlay would be.

Answer 1

can be up to about £200 for just the tests as they have to mail them off to a lab in Sheffield i think and then the results are returned, you'll have to pay more for the treatment.

Answer 2

Allergy tests are about $300. There are different types of tests, one being a "Top 40" allergens, and the other (don't know cost, but it's got to be very high!!!) is a more through test that checks for about 100+ allergens. We did the 40+ and found out that, unfortunately, my dog is a little bit allergic to everything! Yikes!

If your allergy tests show that the dog is allergic to a specific thing (or two), then you get a batch of serum to take home, and you inject your dog every so often with the serum to build up it's tolerance to the allergen. Those vials are about $100, and that cost gets less and less over time. Since that wasn't an option for my dog, we're trying Atopica, which is about $110/month (!).

Up till the point of solving the allergy mystery, plan on about $40 for an anti-inflammatory injection to ease the pup's pain, and about $40/bottle for oral anti-inflammatory.

Answer 3

My westie suffers from a skin allergy too, and my vet has done all tests and has now found out that he has an allergy to dustmites but I can not remember how much it was, sorry . At the moment he is having injections and there is an 80% of them working (they dont do anything like shorten there lives) and 1 worked it out that they will cost around £400 to £500 a year for the rest of his life. If you would like anymore info just email me. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

A simple skin scrape test should not be much under $50
How ever allergiy testing can be very expensive. My cousin spent over $5000 on hos dog and they never could find out anything that was really wrong. They even had the dog eating a kangaroo meat diet and it did not help.
Staffies are known to have skin issues and allergy issues.
It could be anything from his food to the stuff you clean with in the house.
One of my clients had problems with some liquid stuff that went in to the vacuum cleaner that made the dog break out.
Good luck I hope you find something easy to fix.

Answer 5

Seeing that he is insured then this should cover all costs up to the maximum limit per condition depending on which level you opted for. Ask your vet if he will directly claim from your insurance company. If they are not prepared to do that then could you ask for a flexible payment plan untill you get the money from the insurance

Answer 6

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Answer 7

my staffie also suffers from the same thing , the vets told me he would when i first took him for his needles when he was a puppy . Apparently this is common in staffies in particulary white coloured dogs , mine even turns pink when he eats something he shouldnt !! There is a range of food on the market called 'Hills' diet and they produce a dry dog food for dogs with a sensitve skin disorder and it actually worked for him ! its pretty expensive but 'Pets at Home' do a similar version for half the price of the 'Hills' and its much the same !
sorry if uve already tried this but it worked for me !
peace x

Answer 8

Staffs are prone to skin disorders and also ear mites..nothing the vet gives you is any use..just costs a fortune..try human exzcema ointment and dont use harsh shampoos....if you live near the sea sometimes salt water swimming helps.

Answer 9

she's probably allergic to grass mites. My basset hound has skin allergies too ... she was on many dosage of antibiotics - to the point she was taking human drugs but to no avail...

They would probably cost quite a bit. Depending on where you're from ...

Answer 10

I think the cost varies from vet to vet,make sure you shop around
before you tell the vet to carry out any tests

Answer 11

Well theres the cocst of the visit and the scrappings they may do.........and then tests .........maybe bloodwork etc.....call the office and get a run down on prices before appt. ask to talk to the doc too. My dog is allergic to his tags so in warm weather we leave his collar off.........to find this out it cost me 34. + the 42. for visit!