Allergy Testing

Poor Annie.

For the first 12 years of her life she was as normal as most dogs. That is to say she spent her days in search of the doggy basics: food, walk, play time and loving. Not to mention the never ending hunt for the single best place to pee or poop.

Then about a year ago Annie began to develop dog allergies. At first we thought she had fleas. We diligently applied Frontline, gave her flea baths and combed and brushed her but this did not relieve her itching for long. Over time she developed red and scaling sores on her belly and especially on the butt near her tail.

Her licking and scratching went on every day and, worse, into the night. It was not uncommon to be awakened by the sound of her licking. She, and I, needed relief.

We visited the vet and she informed us that dog allergies occur in over 40% of the dogs that seeks vet treatment for itching and scratching. She explained that these allergies are caused by any number of food or airborne allergens.

The first issue was to get her licking and scratching under control.

To do this involved a three step approach. The first step was a medicated bath that helped sooth the skin. Step two was to start Annie on a course of antibiotics to kill the sores that had formed on her body. Finally, to control the scratching, a 10 day steroid dose was prescribed. In terms of side effects the main issue was the steroids that caused her to drink a ton more water than normal and to be hungry all of the time. Fortunately she did not start to exhibit personality changes brought on by mood swings caused by the steroids.

Within 3 days Annie was feeling much better. She was better but the cause of her dog allergies was not yet understood.

Was it in her food? Was it in our home? Was she allergic to our cat?

The search for answers is a long process much like getting to the bottom of a human allergy problem. There are many approaches to take but we chose to focus on the food related possibilities. The first step was to eliminate all the store bought food from her diet. But wait, this can have unforeseen side effects. You see as bad as dog food is, given the fact that it contains simply unknown parts of unknown animals, there has been enough testing to know that from a nutritional standpoint it does provide the right blend of nutrients to keep our normally healthy dogs healthy. So by feeding a diet of homemade food we effectively removed the potential allergen but compromised her health. An alternative solution was to move to a vegetarian based dog food and get the animal impurities out of her system.

The follow up step was to do lots of research, as even the best vet in town does not have the time to dedicate to understanding the issue as much as the dogs owner. The internet contains a huge database of information on dog allergies as written by drug companies, veterinarians, pet owners, and complied into many useful sites.

Don't let your best friend suffer. Start by getting some help for your dog today and then do your homework. Making your dog feel better will make you feel better.

The Boston Terrier is a fairly sturdy breed. The list of most common Boston Terrier health problems is relatively short, and most people enjoy a long, healthy life with their lovable companion.

These issues generally include eye, orthopedic and skin issues, but Boston Terriers are also known for having breathing problems as well.

Whether you are considering bringing home a Boston Terrier puppy or already enjoy the company of this sweet and gentle breed, you will need to be aware of some of the issues that may affect the health of your beloved pet.

Eyes: Those cartoon bulgy eyes are cute, but can develop problems such as cataracts that can lead to blindness with age. Watch for bluish, grey or white flecks in the eye. In some cases, surgery may be possible to correct it. Another eye problem is corneal ulcers. These may develop through irritation of the eyes from particles in the environment or from other internal eye health issues that cause infection and irritation. Protect your Boston Terrier's eyes in dusty or windy conditions.

Orthopedic: Boston Terrier health problems can include knee and back leg problems known as Patellar Luxation. Signs of patellar luxation are limping, pain, and frequent stops to stretch the rear leg. This condition can sometimes require surgery.

Skin: Allergic Dermatitis is one of the skin issues that many Boston Terriers deal with. Allergy testing by a dermatologist can help to determine the underlying causes. Sometimes the dog may have to eat a specialty diet and take medicine to combat the problem. Although it is not recommended to bathe the afflicted animal too often, using medicated shampoos and lotions can sometimes help.

Breathing Problems: Because of the short head of the Boston Terrier, there is a little more work for them in order to breathe. For that reason, Boston Terriers tend to snuffle, snort and even snore. (Mine snores pretty loud!) It is recommended that you use a harness-style instead of a traditional neck collar for this reason.

By all means, this does not include all Boston Terrier health problems that may be experienced and is not meant to diagnose any condition. If your dog exhibits any symptoms of discomfort or illness, do not hesitate to call your veterinarian immediately.

Finding the best type of dog food for allergies is essential once you discover that your dog has allergies. Because normal food may not be good for him anymore.

Since every dog is unique - just like men - and what he is allergic to is unique to him too. But you can find it out by simple testing different food types and seeing his reaction.

The food that normally causes him irritation is the one that he is allergic to, and so should be avoided in his diet.

How to Find an "Allergy Free" Food Formula for Your Dog

You may have seen some vets selling something called an "allergy free formula diets", which are always very expensive.

But the little secret that they won't tell you is that you can create the same formula uniquely for your own dog easily and save lots of money.

Simply try including some usually non-allergic food in your dog's diet and monitor his reactions.

For example chicken is rarely a food that causes allergies in pets, so you can try adding chicken for a week. If that goes well, than your dog is probably OK with chicken.

Using the same method, try some variety of food types with your dog and after discovering which ones he is fine with, add them to the list of his safe diet.

NOTE: Another common type of allergies in dogs is skin allergies. So if you are seeing some symptoms in your dog, have you thought that is might be a skin allergy - not food allergy?

You can find out more about signs of dog skin allergies and compare it to find out which one your dog is really allergic to.

Dust mite allergy or intolerance is one of the most frequently found healthcare determinations most medical doctors make throughout their practice as an allergist. These are amazingly small to medium sized members of the Arachnid class and Acari subclass, similar to spiders and "other relatives" to head lice and ticks. Individuals with this type of allergy are allergic to both the termite and its waste material. The indications involve scratchy and drippy eyes, itchy nose, sneezing, coughing, wheezing, and dry out, itchy skin.

Would you have Dust Mite Allergy? Whenever you could have allergy signs and symptoms around dusts in the house, additional probable sources of allergy consist of cockroaches, household animals, mouse and rat dropping, and molds. A person will even most likely discover important amounts of pollen in house dust during season when allergies are prevalent. This is exactly why it's critical for you for getting skin testing accomplished by an allergist to help pinpoint the source of your allergic reactions. Using this method, when you go to the difficulty and expenditure of environmental prevention, you can prevent the particular things to which you have allergies.

Medical doctors have experienced clients who gave away the family cat and then discovered it was a dust mite allergy that was getting their child unwell, or other people who have gone through rigorous dust mite prevention procedures only to find out they weren't hypersensitive to mites in any way. Right after having the skin testing, patients identified with a dust mite allergy are usually defensive about their housekeeping habits.

With a tiny effort, you can significantly decrease your exposure to these mites and subsequently decrease the allergy signs and symptoms ensuing from exposure. However to beat the dust mite, we must first realize how it exists and thinks. Termites love our skin. Believe it or not, these enjoy feeding on our skin, especially the skin cells which we normally get rid of and which fall off our body.

Termites will not be air-borne. This is principally since they are overweight but also mainly because there is no foodstuff (i.e. dead skin) in the air (until you have incredibly bad dandruff or flaky body pores and skin. Therefore, we come across high levels of activity in bedding, in apparel, in upholstered household furniture, and, to a lesser extent, in carpets. Jumping up and down on the mattress or substantial cleaning may for a limited time send the termite adrift inside your home (giving those with a termite allergy a great excuse to go to the beach while another person with no mite allergy is vacuuming and/or other anti-dust mite activity).

Mites just like to reside where there's considerable foodstuff, dampness, and warmness. For mites, this usually means our bed. Our bed is the best location for dust mites in a number of exactly the same ways as it is for people: most of us like to sleep there simply because it's warm and toasty! And also, we as people tend to get rid of most of our skin in the bed. And that's great news for our eager dust mite bed companions. But dust mites proliferate wherever there is warmth and moisture, not just your bed. That may be why when you open a house that's been shut for a very long time, you may encounter a few violent sneezing and wheezing.

Nobody knows exactly why rosacea develops, but what we do know is that the process of "inflammation" is of paramount importance.

More recent scientific evidence suggests that the kind of inflammation in rosacea is associated with the generation of molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS).

When patients apply skin medications that contain antioxidants like vitamins, C, E and flavonoids to areas affected by rosacea, the symptoms are often reduced. These antioxidant nutrients work to quench ROS.

A growing body of research indicates that H pylori infection may have a role to play in rosacea as well as some of the other skin disorders because it causes a great deal of inflammation in the stomach and intestines that may "overflow" into other areas of the body.

An excellent article on H pylori and skin conditions appeared in the European Journal of Dermatology, in 2009. The paper reported that:

H pylori is more common in patients who have rosacea than in patients who do not have the skin condition.

H pylori can increase levels of nitric oxide (NO) in the blood or tissues. This may lead to dilation (opening-up) of the skin blood vessels or inflammation and immune system changes that lead to the development of rosacea. Nitric oxide produced as a result of H pylori may cause the "flushing" of facial skin.

Successful H pylori treatment can reduce the symptoms of rosacea, or even completely alleviate them.

Reading this information it would be easy to point the finger at H pylori as the sole cause of rosacea. However I believe that anything in a person's body that creates an inflammatory response has the potential to cause skin conditions.

Foods such as gluten, chemicals in food and water, intestinal parasites or bacteria other than H pylori, yeast and fungal overgrowth and nutritional deficiencies could all theoretically lead to skin conditions such as rosacea because they can all cause inflammation.

Even mental and emotional stress or lack of sleep can increase inflammation in the body. It is therefore prudent to take a look at your complete diet and lifestyle if you have "unexplained" skin disorders of any kind.

My recommendations regarding a course of action would be to first eliminate foods like gluten, processed sugar, soy and cow's milk for 60-days.

I also recommend that you seek professional guidance on running comprehensive stool analysis to see whether you have any hidden digestive infections such as H pylori or parasites. You could also look into running IgE and IgG food allergy testing, again under the supervision of a qualified professional.

Make no mistake, skin conditions do not always have obvious causes. In order to clear the symptoms, you have to address the cause, which sometimes means thinking outside the box. If you feel we can help in any way, please do get in touch.

Although disease affects all different breeds of dog, certain breeds are more prone to certain ailments than others, due to their particular anatomical structure, genetic make-up, or other factors. In this article, we will briefly describe some of the most common ailments that affect the Shih Tzu.

Eyes and Ears: Because of the anatomical structure of the Shih Tzu's head, their eyes are especially vulnerable to being injured. This can be caused by collisions with foreign objects, encounters with other animals, rough play, etc. Eye injuries are probably the most avoidable of all ailments that affect the Shih Tzu and can be prevented to a large degree by providing a safe environment for the dog to play in, with special care taken to removal of potentially injurious objects. Shih Tzu should always be supervised when interacting with other animals and should discouraged from rough play. Another important preventive measure is to keep the eyes and eye area as clean as possible. Avoid allowing crustiness or dirt to accumulate. When grooming, it is recommended that the hair covering the eye area be left at a reasonable length as it protects the eyes from dirt and debris.

A genetically linked disease that often affects the Shih Tzu is Progressive Retinal Atrophy, or PRA. PRA is basically the de generation of the retina and retinal tissue over time and can lead to blindness at an early age. If a dog is suspected of having PRA, veterinary care should be provided. As PRA is an inheritable disease, dogs that suffer from the affliction should not be bred.

Shih Tzu are also very susceptible to ear infections. Ear infections are generally not serious and can be treated easily by a veterinarian. Some preventive methods include keeping the inside of the ears immaculately clean and free of hair and other debris.

Bones, Joints, and Internal Organs: Another genetically linked disease that affects ShihTzu is Hip Dysplasia. Hip Dysplasia is a degenerative disease that affects the function of the ball-and-socket joint of the hip. This can be an extremely debilitating disease and cannot always be corrected by surgery. Dogs suffering from Hip Dysplasia should not be bred.

Renal Dysplasia is an inherited disease that affects normal kidney function which, in turn, affects the overall health of the dog. Although Renal Dysplasia is more prevalent in older dogs, it can also affect young puppies and in some cases, can be fatal. Dog with Renal Dysplasia should not be part of any breeding program.

Other Concerns: Just as in humans, some Shih Tzu suffer from abnormal thyroid function. This can be treated with medication prescribed by a veterinarian, although the dog may have need of the medication for the entirety of their lives.

Shih Tzu also seem to be prone to certain types of allergies including food allergies, flea allergies, and hypersensitivity to environmental substances. This can lead to any number of secondary ailments, such as irritated skin, hair loss, and overall poor health. Allergy testing can be performed by a veterinarian and can be treated with medication.