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My dog is very itchy after allergy immunotherapy. Is this normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Female | unspayed | 7 years and 4 months old | 65 lbs

Just started immunotherapy for LOTS of allergens. Is my dog supposed to be severly itchy? She's had 3 injections so far. She has seeping sores and scabs, hot spots, and has itched her paws raw. Should we continue immunotherapy? Switch to steroid treatment?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on May 25th, 2017

Severe itching while introducing allergy immunotherapy can indicate that Paris needs a dose reduction or a change in the interval between injections. I would not give up on immunotherapy yet! It can take 6-12 months to see a positive effect in many dogs. In the long term, immunotherapy has many fewer side effects than chronic steroid use. At this point, Paris should be rechecked by her vet and may need a course of antibiotics and Apoquel to help her current issues while the immunotherapy continues. You can also consider consulting a veterinary dermatologist for another opinion. Allergy issues are extremely difficult to manage and take a lot of time and patience. I hope that all goes well!

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 16th, 2017

    I understand the frustration with this problem. Allergies can be extremely difficult to treat and steroids are often effective, but due have some undesirable side-effects. There are some other drugs such as cyclosporin and apoquel that can be used, but are much more expensive. Alternatively, Duchess could have blood and skin tests done to determine what she has the allergies to. From this, an allergy shot can be made and given regularly to prevent allergies. I recommend having her evaluated by a veterinary dermatologist. These vets specialize in skin diseases and will be able to give the best insight into further diagnostics and treatment needed. They are more expensive and you may need to drive closer to the city to get her evaluated, but it will be well worth the visit to assess the possibility of alternative treatments. I hope that helps and Duchess gets better soon.

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