My dog has severe allergies & itching. What are steroid alternatives?

Question

Allergy problems! She almost always has a runny nose, sometimes so bad that it drips. She has black dots along her inner thighs, and some redness. She is starting to get small, black scab-like patches. She is scratching herself bald down her chest & neck. Vet keeps prescribing prednisone, which works, but I'd rather not give her steroids her whole life. Claritin helps her runny nose a bit, but doesn't stop the itching. I'm desperately looking for any alternatives! Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 9 months old | 40 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

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.

My dog has severe allergies & itching. What are steroid alternatives?

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