Cytopoint?

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wifikitten

New member
My dog (3yr old Field Golden Retriever) has some allergy flare ups and I have been giving her cytopoint shots almost monthly.

However, they are VERY expensive and seem to only last a week or two before symptoms start up again. I also question if this is something I want to give to her long term. I need to do more research on that.

Has anyone found alternative allergy treatments that are

a) more natural and

b) less expensive?

I was reading something about gut health being connected to allergies so I was considering finding a good probiotic for her, but that will require more research...

Thanks!
 
@wifikitten I would ask your vet about doing a food elimination trial (allergy lab tests don’t work well) to see if she’s allergic to something in her food
 
If that doesn’t find anything, I would ask your vet about prescribing a medication like apoquel or Benadryl.
 
@wifikitten Unfortunately nothing else worked for my dog, we've been to skin specialists, tried food elimination, hypoallergenic and raw doets, shampoos, creams, apoquel, prednisone, it's been a long battle to find something that works. For us it's comes down to cytopoint 6 weekly, with a medicated shampoo when the skin starts looking red, and a cream on the effected area till it clears. It costs a bomb but I choose that over watching my dog distressed and itching till bleeding.
 
@wifikitten Do you know what is causing the flare ups? Can you potentially eliminate those things?

Probiotics might help. Adding healthy fats/fatty acids like fish oil to their diet might help. Some pet owners swear by CBD oil for skin issues. If diet or environmental you might be able to figure out and eliminate. If it's from pollen or autoimmune or from mange(like my parents dog) then there isn't much other than trying benadryl. Talking to your vet about proper dosing.
 
@mommykoko I'm pretty positive it's environmental. Definitely worse certain times of year. The cytopoint does seem to help but only temporarily and it's very expensive now.

I give her fish oil daily. I think I might as well experiment with probiotics and see how that goes. Just need to do some research on best ones...
 
@wifikitten $160+ every so many months is a lot of money, which is what my parents are paying for their girls shots, so I get it. Sometimes it's the only thing that works.

Dogs and humans share a lot of similar gut bacteria. In the meantime until you find the right one, you can give your pup a daily dose of plain yogurt. Any should do. I always have some skyr or Greek in the fridge. Alternatively you can use Now brand probiotic-10(relatively cheap and easy to find) and sprinkle it on food.
 
@wifikitten I stopped all of that ,my dog was on approquel. Sure it worked but same for me at my vet $125 and it also concerned me about how it could be affecting him. I stopped a few things to get to the bottom of his itching. Stopped all chicken products
Took him off the kibble ( dry food).
If I mowed my lawns I'd keep him off cut grass til the following day .
When we come home from a walk I'll run a shallow bath and add half a cup of apple cider vinegar and just let that sooth his paws and remove allergens.
I started reading about Gut health care and how probiotics/prepbotics help ,and that most of these things stem from gut health.
He's on raw meat now which I add tripe, vegetables, blue berries,a sardine in water once a week . I also get possum tails and deer ears with the hair left on them 🤢 as it removes anything yucky going on in the stomach like parasites . It sounds expensive but it's not the meat and tripe I collect made up into frozen blocks . The vegetables I'll buy frozen if they aren't in season or from my garden. Get yourself a kids paddling pool and use that as a foot bath .
He still gets flare ups but I can get on top of it . It's working for good luck it'll work for you
 
@aliciaew Thanks! I just heard about the probiotics too but am wondering what a good option is. I question how much of this stuff would make it past stomach acid alive, especially for a dog...
 
@wifikitten I haven't noticed my dogs tummy being off yet and tbh I'm new to feeding this way as well he's been on raw for 4 months . I was questioning like yourself, especially nutrition. I only add small amounts he get a meal at night and anything else like treats he has to work for it . I dish out a cup of training treats. On some days we don't need to use that much ..he's a Jack Russell I'm his 3 owner he came with issues which I'm sorting out slowly he's a great little dude ⭐ he's a challenge but very much worth it
 
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