Has anyone had to use steroids for you dogs allergies?

Question

Recently my year and half old Labrador Retriever has been having a hard time with environmental allergies. I hate having him even on Benedryl but his reaction this time was so bad he got a staph infection. My vet tested him for everything and put him on steroids, but I hate the idea and side effects. Has anyone had experiences with the use of steroids on a dog ? Can anyone reccomend an alternative? Besides Benedryl ( does not work)

Answer 1

My dalmation has had severe allergies last year. She had staph...got on anti-biotics ..then staph again...she is 12yrs old.
I was ready to tear my hair out..amungst her hair loss...everywhere!
Alot of people made rude comments...she's getting old..maybe you should consider....your vet bills are expensive
(they were approx. $100 every mo. + 1/2..this included steroid shots..that comprise a dogs health), your dog smells...your dog sheds too much..don't bring her over.

I asked the vet to please try a stronger antibiotic. I put her on a flaxseed oil/ and olive oil regimine. Once a day at dinner time...I would pour a healthy tablespoon over her food and sprinkle garlic powder lightly across it. I zapped it in the microwave for 30 seconds...lightly added water..to make a little wetter..(less than a 1/2 tablespoons worth)-so it wasn't too hot..and made a gravy w/garlic/oil and water ....My dog loves it! Her food is lamb...since...beef doesn't digest well.

I do this daily at dinner. She has not had staph since. I also keep up on the flea/heartworm medication!

I got her a medicated shampoo...I had to bathe her often the first two weeks. W/in a few weeks her hair had almost completely grown back...and she was spunky again. She sheds less. Has a very beautiful coat..and no..she does not smell.

This is in no way to replace vet care...talk about it w/your animal's provider. Good luck!

Answer 2

Dogs On Steroids

Answer 3

I have Choc Lab who has suffered from serious allergy problems. He had terrible hot spots, super dry skin, bald patches etc. I didn't want to put him on steriods because I had read about the possible side effects so I tried all sorts of diets, shampoos, you name it including Benedryl for over a year but nothing helped. I finally decided start him on the steriods again so he could get some relief but I gave him the absolute minimum I could. I gave him a course of 20 mg Pred - 1 pill morning and night for 3 days; 1/2 pill morning and night for 3 days; 1/2 morning for 3 days. After that I just watched him very closely. If he seemed to be itching I would give him 1/2 pill. By doing this I was able to only give only 1/2 pill or so a week but still keep they symptons away. I am happy to say that I hardly ever have to give him a pill these days and he has been doing well for about a year now. This may also be because we've moved and he no longer has access to swim in the canal that was behind our house but even before that he was doing a lot better with the low dose of Pred and I would recommend giving it a try.

Answer 4

Steroids For Dogs

Answer 5

Hi!
Yes, I have a 6 year old Border Collie with allergies. His doctor also put him on steroids. That can really make your life hell.

Anyway, what I did, was to change his water/food dishes from ceramic and plastic respectively to stainless steel, I also bought an air purifier. Shampooed the rugs with baking soda and water as well as washing the tile floor with bleach.

All this seemed to help but didn't eliminate the problem entirely.
So I figured it might be a dietary problem. (They change the recipes for dog food all the time) so even if they have been eating the same brand for years they could develop an allergy to a new ingredient.

On the advice of a personal friend (who happens to be a vet) I began mixing in food I prepared especially for him. This seems to do the trick. I can't recommend this for everyone but it seemed to balance him back out. Now I only prepare his dish once a week and keep it refrigerated.

Hope this info helps.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Has anyone had to use steroids for you dogs allergies?
Recently my year and half old Labrador Retriever has been having a hard time with environmental allergies. I hate having him even on Benedryl but his reaction this time was so bad he got a staph infection. My vet tested him for everything and put him on steroids, but I hate the idea and side...

Answer 7

Is there any way to determine exactly what his allergies are and reduce them? You say environmental, is that outdoor, indoor, mold, dust, cat dander? If you can find something specific and keep him away from it, whether that means keeping him mostly indoors, or adding some additional house cleaning in his room, then that would be wonderful for him. You could also try putting him on a high quality simple dog food (ingredients should say "meat", not "animal", and no fillers), sometimes their food can make allergies worse. Really though, if you can't reduce the allergens, you just have to decide if you want him to have a shorter but happier life on steroids, or a longer but stressful life without them.
My experience with steroids is with a dog with food allergies. She is on the best possible food, which reduces her allergies significantly, but she still needs the steroids.

Answer 8

If not given correctly steroids have numerous side effects. Call the vet back and get her back in ASAP something else is going on besides just rashes. Sounds like some type of food or environmental allergy.

Answer 9

We have animals (cats and dogs) that come to the clinic I work at that go on steriod therapy for their allergies. The doctor may use Dexamethazone for allergy suppression.

We also have dogs that are on a protocol of allergy medication. They come in for one shot from one vial, then a few weeks later a shot from vial two then in a couple of weeks a shot from vial 3. I'm not exactly sure what the medications are, whether they are steriods or not, but the client is very happy with the results. You might want to speak to your doctor about that.

You can see if there are homeopatic sites online where they have products for environmental allergies. Being as it might be almost everything he's allergice to, it might be hard to alleviate the symptoms and you might have to treat them symptom by symptom.

Answer 10

Unfortunately, the only way to test what EXACTLY the dog is allergic to will cost around $1000....so my vet says.
But yes, I've had a lot of experience in giving pet dogs medication, and steroids do seem very effective on allergies. Only trouble is that you can't put them on steroids forever...it's not healthy. You may want to consider that test.