How can I accurately test to find the cause of my dog's allergies?

Question

What is the most accurate allergy test?My dog is suffering from severe allergies . She’s on the steroid rn and special food,but I would like to know for sure what is causing her allergies. Than you in advance. Pet's info: Dog | Belgian Shepherd | Female | spayed | 1 year and 7 months old | 70 lbs

C. Rathjens, DVM · Accepted Answer

For food allergies, the best test is a food trial in which your dog doesn't eat any of a particular food for 3 months, and then if the allergy symptoms go away, you feed the old food again, and if the symptoms come back with the old food, it means she was indeed allergic to the food you were testing. As far as environmental allergies, there isn't a clear conscience on what the best test is. It can either be a blood test or a skin test. I think most dermatologist still recommend the skin test as best, but it does require going to a dermatologist and having her off steroids for some number of days (the amount depends on the particular dermatologist). I would also recommend checking with a dermatologist to make sure it's ok for her to be on steroids when you do the blood testing if you go that way. The results of either type of test for environmental allergies are used to make shots to help the body learn to react less to the allergens. This takes several months to a year. Wishing you the best of luck!!

How can I accurately test to find the cause of my dog's allergies?

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