Allergies and treatment

[2DogsLong]

Tuesday evening Frankie's eye was swollen. Wednesday he was fine. Thursday and Friday I had NO sleep because Frankie's belly and chest were covered in a rash and he was scratching and crying ALL NIGHT.

I figured it must be an allergy and probably to do with something on the bed since he was only bad at night. We have not changed anything but maybe he developed an allergy to our detergent, fabric softener, cotton-poly blend sheets, pillows... who knows.

My plan was to test each of these to find out what was causing the reaction - but I wanted to get an antihistimine cream for Frankie so he (we) could sleep during the testing period.

I called a couple of vets to see if such a cream existed. They all said that I would have to bring Frankie in - even when though he didn't have a rash during the day.

I brought Frankie to the vet on Saturday afternoon. His chest was a little mottled where the rash was and there were a couple of bumps, but nothing like in the night. The vet did a skin scrape to test for mange since we have foxes in the neighbourhood. He also looked for bacteria, fungus or other parasites.

Frankie got a shot of Dexamethasone (even though he wasn't itchy). The vet gave me Clavamox and Vanectyl-P to give to Frankie and tested his blood in case the steroids affected his levels of somethingorother. $230 later we left the vet's wondering if all that was necessary. All I wanted was a cream or oral antihistimine that would help the itch while we tested the potential allergens.

I'm worried that Frankie is taking pills that he doesn't need and that we are masking a problem that will come back in 2 months when he is off the steroids. I feel like I was railroaded into tests that weren't necessary.

Wienergal, Penny's Aunt, anyone with experience with allergies, do you think what the vet did was proper procedure? I explained that we have 2 dogs that share a brain and that Oscar was fine and that it only happened when Frankie got into (our) bed. Mange and other parasites would have been passed on and bacteria doesn't just strike at night in our bed...

Sue

[Penny's Aunt]

Second-guessing a medical professional is always a tricky business, but...

It kind of sounds to me like your vet was being a little TOO CAREFUL. The symptoms you describe were that of an allergic reaction, in my opinion.

The swollen eye almost sounds like an insect bite or sting. (My pup has been playing with yellowjackets, & we have had 3 stings in 10 days.) The rash (esp if it looked like hives) could have been part of that, rather than a contact allergy (grass, weeds, fabric softener). Without the swollen eye, it could well have been a contact allergy or a food allergy.

Treat the $230 as a learning experience. I assume they outlined what they were going to do before they did it. You DO have the right to refuse the treatment, or to ask if it is really necessary, or why, why, why. The next time, you will be armed with the following questions: "Why are you thinking it might be mange when it just showed up, & looks better now? What are these 2 drugs for, EXACTLY? Does he really need them? Why does he need the steriod shot when he isn't itching; can't we just wait a bit & see if it clears up? Why are you doing the test so soon to see if the steriod is affecting him? Wouldn't it take a few days to affect him?" THERE IS NO LAW (WRITTEN OR UNWRITTEN) THAT SAYS YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT YOUR DOCTOR OR VET SAYS.

First off, if your dog has an insect bite, grass or flea allergy, or food allergy attack that shows up as red ears or hives or swollen eyes, etc., the first thing you do is take a good look & see if it looks life-threatening.

And that usually means IS HE HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING? Is his tongue or gums nice & pink (normal), or purplish or bluish? If he is, call the vet immediately & tell whoever answers the phone that you have an emergency (NO, you CAN'T hold!), & get him to help as soon as you can. If he is conscious & can still swallow, give him the liquid Benedryl as below, but don't dawdle, & still head for the vet.

But if it is just a swelling from a sting, or a rash or itching skin, here's what I do. Whether you want to do the same is up to you.

I keep on hand a bottle of Benedryl Liquid (the generic equivalent is cheaper, as long as the active ingredients are the same, & the same strength: 1 tsp = 12.5 mg). This is better than tablets for small dogs because you can adjust the dosage for small bodies, & minor overdosing won't be harmful.

My vet says the dose for dogs & cats is 1 ml or 1 cc (if you have a syringe) of Benedryl for each 2 lbs of body weight; or 1 teaspoon for every 10-12 lbs.

For a 6 lb dog, that is 3 ml/cc or 1/2 tsp.

For a 12 lb dog, 6 ml/cc or 1 tsp

For a 18 lb dog, 9 ml/cc or 1.5 tsp

For a 30 lb dog, 15 ml/cc or 2.5 tsp

Giving a little too much (if you spill some) is still okay, since this is over-the-counter stuff, not exceptionally strong.

Don't try to force his mouth open. Just stick your finger inside his cheek & pull the cheek out enough to insert the syringe or spoon or eyedropper, keeping his head up just slightly above level.

Keep an eye on him for the next few hours to make sure his condition doesn't turn into something more serious. It usually doesn't.

THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO SNAKEBITES!!! For snakebites, a dog needs all the help he can get -- call first, then head for the vet.