This has been a really bad year for my dog's allergies. He has both food and environmental allergies and when he first went into foster care he was about 80% bald with open sores. His foster family slowly nursed him back to health and by the time I adopted him he was perfectly healed and I was given instructions on what to feed him, bath schedules, etc. He was also on Zyrtec and when that stopped working eventually my Vet added Prednisone. The Prednisone worried both me and my Vet because it can affect the liver, but he needed more relief.
Anyway, for just under 4 years it went relatively well with just "normal" itching with the baths, diet and drugs. Then this Spring all hell broke loose with him. He was obsessively scratching everywhere, and scratching hard, especially under furniture to the point he was yelping in pain. I was a bit concerned that he would hurt his spine, he was rubbing so severely. If he was standing, he was scratching his belly and his back. And chewing at his feet. All day long!
So when it came time for his 1,000-bark checkup at the end of June I told the Vet what was going on, not that she couldn't see the sore spots on his back. During the year between annual check-ups a new drug (to Canada) came on the market. My Vet told me it is totally safe, does not harm any organs and would start to work within 24 hours. It is a Cytopoint vaccination that would last at least a month and to avoid numerous Vet appointments she told me I didn't need an appointment because a Vet-Tech can administer it as needed.
Well, it was as if Harvey was wearing a watch. The next day he stopped scratching. He was able to walk past furniture without spending 10 minutes hurting his back. It's been just over a month without Prednisone and even without Zyrtec. It truly is a miracle drug. He has no side effects. He likely won't need another shot any time soon and probably he won't need one in the winter at all.
I feel like a commercial but if your pet has severe allergies you should consider asking your Vet about Cytopoint.
cytopoint4dogs.com
Oh. During his 1,000-bark checkup the Vet discovered a loose tooth and he also needed a dental which we booked for later that week. He came out with 4 less teeth, 3 upper molars on the right and 1 upper on the left. He was already orthodontically challenged but the loss of 4 more teeth hasn't challenged him. Nothing comes between him and his food. It worked out better for Harvey than his summer best friend, a Yorkie who a couple of years ago had 16 teeth removed. Ouch! |
