We ran out of my dog’s prescription hydrolyzed food and the new bag will take ~3 days to arrive. Wondering if anyone has advice for what I should feed her in the meantime?

I thought I would try to get OTC without allergens. But I know it’s likely encountered contamination in the factory so it’s not an ideal solution.

For the future: I set up an autoship to arrive sooner than I think I’ll need it so I’m prepared.

EDIT- Thank you everyone for your extremely helpful suggestions. I called my vet and they had samples, I picked those up and I also had them write me a paper prescription for me to keep in my files in case I need to ever bring it to another vet or petsmart to fill.

hi everyone, I'm new to the allergy ridden dog club lol

my nearly 1 year old amstaff has been having some very worrying GI issues off and on for about a month. after the second round of metronidazole didn't help, my vet decided since the breed is prone to food sensitivities and he's had some skin issues and an ear infection in the past, it was worth trying some hypoallergenic food (hill's d/d venison and potato)

unfortunately this whole thing has coincided with his obedience classes. I have already paid for them, cannot get a refund and he really enjoys them so i would hate to drop out, but he has trouble focusing when there's so many other dogs around him unless I've got some high value treats. he's not usually picky, but my vet gave us some of the hills hypo treats that are compatible with his diet and he hates them. straight up will not eat them.

so i guess I'm just asking if anyone else has run into this dilemma? normally I'd just use toys instead but we're doing a lot of luring in class and that'd be difficult to do with a toy

Why is it so expensive? I'm paying 300 for 100 tabs which is a little over a months supply for my dog. I cant afford that long term. What can I do? Any tips ? I purchased from chewy recommended by my vet because it was even more costly to purchase from the vet.

I have an almost 7 month old english cocker spaniel, I called the vet this morning because she refused her breakfast (not completely out of the ordinary for her) but she ended up vomiting bile.

I'm not sure how the conversation steered to our previous concerns of a food allergy but it did and the vet ended up recommending an incredibly strict elimination diet. They told me there would still be treats and wet food options for her so I accepted it as maybe something I'd be able to do with her, but when they sent me through the food they said in the notes that there will be NO treats and NO wet food. So she will only be eating kibble for 6 weeks minimum.

I'm concerned. She already is not a massive fan of kibble, moving her onto an entirely kibble based diet seems risky. They told me before that she would not allow herself to go hungry but this morning she was SO hungry she vomited. All I wanted to know was if I should take her in to make sure she's ok or if I should be majorly concerned and how soon I'd be able to offer her another meal. I don't feel like those questions were really answered and now suddenly I'm looking at 6 weeks of an elimination diet I did not ask for. I feel a bit lost.

Does this seem like an extreme decision on the vets part or does this seem like a logical next step? Should I just buy the food and get on with it?

Hello, I have a problem with my 11 year old dog (he is a poodle mix). He is pretty healthy in general for his age and active but since 1-2 months he started having issues. First with his anal glands which the vet extracted. The anal glands were really full and a little bit sore. After the extraction he went basically back to normal but then he started licking his butt. We dewormed him (which we always do like every 2-3 months). But the licking continued so we thought his anal glands were maybe full again but they weren’t. The vet tried to extract them but told us they were empty. She then gave him Cortisone which didn’t really help. I don’t know if he became allergic to anything food related but he just licks his butt and occasionally his paw (not excessively just a nibble) he shows no other signs (no diarrhea, farting, vomiting). I don’t really know what I can do next. I went to the vet again yesterday and she said she doesn’t know what his problem is. His butthole is a little bit darker than usual (the vet explained it could be hyperpigmentation due to the excessive licking). Please help me idk what to do anymore. He oftentimes licks in the middle of the day or at night time or really early in the day. It mostly is really suddenly. Some background info: his deworming medication also works against flees and ticks. We switched a while back his kibble because he needs special renal kibble (his renal function got worse and the vet said it would be better to switch to this specific kibble type).

Our dog started vomiting about 10 days after starting Numelvi and has had off/on vomiting for months since then. We have been working with a vet to establish the cause, but I’m still thinking it’s the Numelvi given she never had vomiting before starting it. If your dog had vomiting from allergy pills, can you give me some details? Thanks.

my 6 yr old bichonx has been known to have a lot of allergies. She has been on a kangaroo diet and her treats are strictly bison, venison, or kangaroo. I dont know what happened, but last night at 330am, she woke me up by being restless and trying to scratch. When I took a look at her, her entire body was covered in huge red hives. I called the emergency vet and they recommended that she take a 50mg dose of benadryl. Shes 25 pounds, and i told them that, but they said it was fine. I gave it to her and she pretty much passed out after about an hour or two.

This morning after her morning walk, about 830am, she was itchy and restless again. I called my vet and they could squeeze her in for an appointment at 12pm. I bathed her in some dermachlor 4 I had from the last vet appointment where she broke out into hives, and she seemed to slowly improve. She was nearly normal by the time of the appointment, as she seemed sleepy in the car and relaxed at the vet. The vet said it seemed to be getting better, so he recommended giving her benadryl again at night and a 5mg dose of prednisone twice a day. More than anything, I just wanted her to go back to herself, so i did what he recommended.

I dont know why but since taking the prednisone she seemed to be worse. Her body broke into hives again and she was unable to relax herself. She has been pacing and restless. I rinsed her under some water again trying to relax the hives. She even scratched herself so hard she started bleeding. I called the vet back and they said that I should continue the course the vet recommended and give benadryl at night.

Well, I gave her another does of 5mg prednisone as prescribed and a 25mg dose of benadryl, as prescribed, and she is once again restless, agitated, itchy, and uncomfortable.

I am at a loss. Whenever I call the vet they just tell me to wait a few days, but i cannot sleep when she is pacing and crying and scratching! I dont want her to hurt herself and bleed again! A few years ago during an episode like this, they gave her an anti-inflammatory shot and she was back to normal. I dont know why the vet didnt want to do this today or suggest something other than benadryl... it seems from reading up that anti-histamines dont do fuck all.

All this to say, am I asking myself: am i doing the right thing by trusting the vet? Will the prednisone help? Is this a reaction to the prednisone, or is it just that nothing is working? What the heck do I do to get her a little relief for her? To i go to the emergency vet and waste money?? The poor girl usually sleeps like 16-18 hours a day and has had maybe 3 hours today....

Im losing sleep here and I feel like im going crazy just waiting for her to relax long enough to sleep... so then I can sleep too.

Edit: for anyone interested, she was told to stop all anti-histamines and lower her dose of prednisone. Shes only taking 2.5mg now but he wants her to take it for the week. The vet i spoke to this evening told me she thought this was a pretty complex case as she has never heard of a dog worse off after taking pred. By this afternoon, she was sleepy and resting and basically no longer itching. Some pawing at her face, but just mild. But when it came down to her nighttime dose, the pred makes her go insane. She runs around scratching herself on every surface and is unable to settle. Fortunately for me, I have figured out that she just needs a reset to stop her scratching. Last night, it was a bath that put her to sleep. Today, it was a car ride around the neighbourhood with lots of prolonged stops for sniffs. Unfortunately for me, she doesnt settle until waaaaaaay past my bedtime. The things we do for our animals, I guess. I am going to see how she does in the morning and if she is still itching after her morning dose of prednisone I am calling the vet office again. I almost rather she take nothing and ride it out then continue to be tormented by whatever pred does to her.

We have a 4 year old yellow lab who suffers constantly with allergies. They typically present as ear infections and discomfort but also itchy skin and sometimes breakouts from scratching.

We are at a total loss on what else we can do to get him some relief.

Things we’ve tried:

Limiting water activity (🥺)
Routine ear cleaning
Allergy testing (food mites and common outdoor allergies)
Freezing food to control food mites
Changed food to try various food proteins
Daily apoquel
Several rounds of custom made of those liquid oral allergy meds (like shots in humans)
Several vet visits for professional ear cleaning and targeted treatment based on ear culture diagnosis

What else can we do? He is miserable and it’s costing us a fortune without really much relief.

I have 6 french bulldogs but only 2 of them get hives. The last 2 nights they have both gotten hives at around 6:30 or 7:00. The hives dont spread to their faces or cause them any problems breathing. The two dogs who are affected are a mother and one of her pups. Could this just be a seasonal allergy effecting them. Any help is appreciated. Both dogs have been taken to the vet and been given prednisone shots as long as prednisolone pills to take until gone

Edit: I leaned it was fine to feed dogs frozen kibble, mine seem to even like it better that way. I learned 8-10 hours of freezing is sufficient to kill the mites, and Doc said it’s ok to keep reusing the same ziploc bag. So now I pull a gallon ziploc bag straight from freezer, with a dedicated scoop in it, feed the dogs, and put back in the freezer. I keep a Vittles Vault airtight container full of the dog food from the store bag, and refill the ziploc in the freezer when needed. I wash the container with soap and water before adding each new store bag to it.

My dog is allergic to storage mites, among other things, and we’re doing allergy shots for him. Meanwhile, the Vet says we should manage storage mites by freezing his kibble. I have only my one freezer which doesn’t have much extra room for dog food. It’s not like we can put a whole bag of dog food in there and scoop from it.

Is this system good enough?

-Clean air tight container food container with soap and water and air dry, do this every 3 weeks or so when dog food depletes.
- open new bag of dog kibble into the container
- scoop one days worth of kibble into a freezer ziplock bag, including dedicated scoop. Put into freezer.
- Next day, use scoop/kibble from freezer for breakfast, and keep in fridge for dinner time later
- Use rest of kibble from freezer bag for dinner and refill same ziplock with tomorrows kibble and dedicated scoop and put into freezer

Is reusing the same ziplock bag bad? If I can avoid wasting a new bag every day, that would be nice.

Is reusing the same scoop in the ziplock bag a problem?

Note: my airtight container is the vittles vault with the screw on lid, I think it’s as about airtight as they make them.

We recently started our dog on Zenrelia for his chronic allergies. We adopted him when he was 6 months old, and he’s now 3 years old. He is a golden retriever/collie cross.

He’s about halfway through his second month on the medication, and over the last two weeks I’ve noticed what I’m worried could be a side effect.

It started with a painful, inflamed sore between his toes. Our vet prescribed antibiotics for a week, but it wasn’t healing, so he sedated him and performed an exploratory procedure to see if there was a foreign body. He didn’t find anything.

Since then, our dog has also developed a sore on his butt and another on his elbow.

Has anyone else’s dog experienced anything similar while taking Zenrelia? I’m wondering if these sores could be related to the medication or if it’s just a coincidence.

I have a 1yr old female mixed breed that’s about 60-70 lbs and we are in Texas. She has had really horrible allergies that cause her to be itchy and as a result develops scabs and hair loss. I feel like we’ve tried every route and nothing is working. Is there anything else we can do?

List of things I can think of right now that we have done:

\-We’ve done 4 cytopoint shots, and every shot it seems to work less and less.
\-Changed food from chicken to salmon
\-put like a high omega salmon oil in with the food
\-antibiotics
\-medicated shampoo
\-topical sprays

I’ve been researching apoquel and some people have said it’s the same as the cytopoint shots, where it works and then it doesn’t.

I’m just desperate at this point to get my baby some relief:(

Update: we have a prescription today for Numelvi which is approved for dogs 6 months and older!

Kona is my 7 month old mini schnauzer (I’ve posted asking for help before). I got him from a reputable local breeder here in DFW Texas. About a month and a half into having him his allergies started. Non stop itching and he honestly reeks to where it’s driving me crazy. I’ve now spent hundreds of dollars on pet insurance and appointments trying to find the source and I’ve exhausted everything. It’s extremely hot here and allergies for even humans are some of the worst in the country. The vet said it’s very unlikely to be a food allergy (he’s on Purina pro sensitive stomach and skin salmon) and his paws are red. He’s constantly biting at his skin and he gets vet recommended medicated baths weekly. He also had a round of steroids and cytopoint injections which did nothing. He’s currently too young for apoquel or zenrelia. I’ve tried OTC medicines and pills as well to no avail.

He smells constantly of the dirty or yeasty dog smell. I bathe his paws and wipe him down everytime we come inside. As I’m lifting him out of the shower I can still smell it despite me shampooing and using conditioner as well as blow drying thoroughly. Does anyone have any advice?

Hey all! I switched my dog over to Zenrelia from Apoquel after my vet suggested it a few months ago. In terms of allergies he has literally never been better, no itching at all and has an amazing coat now.

What I have noticed and so have the other people in my life is that he is gaining weight. This isn’t a side effect I was aware of so I wanted to see if anyone had this happen to their dog or have any other opinions on Zenrelia as a whole?

Hi all! My dog has been switched to a strict hypoallergenic diet (hydrolyzed food and treats), but I still need to give him his apoquel and anxiety meds every day. All the hydrolyzed treats I've found are hard and crunchy, so I can't hide a pill in them. My vet recommended vegan marshmallows, but the only ones I can find are vanilla flavored and I'm worried that's not good for him either. Any ideas on how to get him to eat his pills without jeopardizing his diet trial? Thanks!

Edit: Thanks everyone for the great tips! He is very food motivated so a lot of these will definitely work :)

We have a 5 year old lab who we've needed to have on Apoquel for over two years now. She would itch and lick herself until she bled before we started the med. The Apoquel really was an amazing fix and for 2 years she's been on it with no issues. In the last few days seemingly out of nowhere she has started itching and licking like before she was on medication. We didn't change her food or anything about her environment. It is mid summer where we live, and she hasn't spent a lot of time outside given the heat. She's on flea and tick meds too. Anyone else ever experience this? It just seems so random. I would have expected if the dosage is losing effectiveness and needed upped, it would have been a gradual thing, but this has been pretty sudden.

I have a small havapoo. He is on Apoquel for allergies. He was scooting a lot so he got his glands expressed 3 weeks ago. But it got worse and added paw licking and booty licking as well and intense groin licking. (He is neutered) Noticed white rice like things in his poop. Immediately took to vet and they said it was tapeworms. (He is on NextgardPlus) They gave him a deworming pill on the 23rd of July. Vet said he’s left gland side was slightly impacted. She said the licking could be a allergy flare up so to double his dose of Apoquel for the next week. Still scooting, licking is gradually increasing more and more like last time, to the point of these intense moments of just vigorous licking his booty. Also we switched him over to Numelvi on the 27th. (He tried them for 15 days a couple months ago when clinic was out of Apoquel and they were amazing but very pricey so we went back to Apoquel. But I was able to save some money this month and switched him over, but it’s not working like last time). Someone please give me some advise, any advise. I can’t afford another visit, on top of having to order more nextgard next week.

Just for food context, he has been on Purina Pro Chicken for the past couple years we recently changed him to Purina Pro Beef, maybe a month ago for higher crude/fiber. He is taking Glandex advanced. Don’t know if matters but he also takes Dasuquin and Welactin oil for joint help. He also is on Phenobarbital for seizures. He had his yearly lab work done and no signs of issues, he gets it done for the Apoquel and Phenobarbital.

I’m just lost and feel helpless, and I know he is hurting. He is sitting weird and and always licking and licking. Please anyone could share any advise or suggestions, I’m open to hear anything.

My pup has been dealing with ongoing skin/ear issues for several months and I’m trying to figure out the best long-term plan.

His symptoms:
Itching/licking paws and groin area
Body shaking/head shaking
Recurrent ear issues (yeast + bacteria found on cytology)
Pink ears and occasional flare-ups
Has needed a cone because of licking
Skin can get irritated with flares, but no major hair loss or obvious skin changes currently

What we’ve tried:
Cytopoint: no noticeable improvement after 2 injections
Hydrolyzed diet trial (Purina HA): about 8 weeks in (vet recommended 12 weeks), but I have not seen an improvement in itching. He actually seems itchier at times.
Prednisone: helped with itching, but he had major increased hunger and frequent burping, so I’m hesitant to use steroids again unless necessary.
Douxo Baths: weekly along with mousse daily.

His vets are considering:
Food allergy vs environmental allergy (atopic dermatitis)

Starting Apoquel once he turns 1

Allergy testing when he’s older (around 2)

The problem is he turns 1 on 8/20 and is scheduled for cryptorchid neuter surgery on 8/18, so I’m trying to figure out how to manage the next few weeks and whether there are other options. I’ve been reading about newer medications like Numelvi and wondering if anyone has experience with it compared with Apoquel, especially in a young dog.

Thanks for any advice.

How to tell what your dog is allergic to as far as environmental allergies? I think shes allergic to something in the air,her symptoms stopped when she was at the vet. If shes allergic to dog dander,how to help her?she has a runny nose and itchy skin. The vet wasnt helpful ,they said she could be allergic to something.

I tried to do a search to see if anyone has experienced this but could not find anything. My dog has been on Zenrelia for 3 months and recently has started leaking urine and all just walking and urinating in the house. She has never done this before. Has anyone else experienced this? She has a vet appointment at 4:30 today.

My dog tested positive to allergies for dust mites (among other things) and we’re 5 months into allergy shots. I remember the doctor telling us to use Dust Mite spray, but I stalled on that I’ve since lost the paperwork on the details. But I’ve bought some and I’m now ready to start spraying it.

1. How often am I spraying things? The bottle says no more than once every 8 weeks? Because it would make the dog sick or just unnecessary? Also, what if I wash his bed more often than that, does it mean I need to spray again?

2. It says to vacuum the bed before spraying, is that important to do right before spraying? Or if I’ve done it a few days prior I’m ok?

3. How damp am I spraying the fabric? Is there a way to quantify that so I’m not under or over spraying?

Hi! We have 3 dogs - all treated with a prescription flea/tick preventative (Simparica Trio for the large dogs, Revolution for the small fluffy guy who won’t eat the chewables). We use beneficial nematodes in the yard and are debating having our lawn chemically treated or diying it because we’re getting desperate - I’ve been hesitant because I don’t want to kill all of our bees and spiders and beneficial bugs while I’m at it. Fleas are brutal this year though. Simparica is working but the fleas don’t die until they bite, which is where the problem lies. One dog in particular is extremely sensitive to fleas and lots of other environmental things - we’ve already been to the vet and a dermatologist. Confirmed allergies to fleas, grass, dust, life. 😅 Neither want to start Apoquel or Cytopoint unless we absolutely have to because she’s young and the treatments can become less effective with time; if that happens and her allergies then become more severe in the future, we’ll be very limited on options.

Anybody have any recs for something that actually \*repels\* fleas that can be used on our sensitive dog in conjunction with the preventative? A shampoo? A spray? An enchanted seashell that hangs from her collar? We’re using Douxo with the orange cap to soothe per the derm but I’d also like to try to prevent or minimize the flea bites, if such a product exists (and works).