Pug Control Panel
Like the brave trooper that he is, Sid survived another full day at the vet yesterday, this time to see the Dermotologist for a full skin allergy test. This makes for two full days this week at the vet which wasn’t fun for anyone (esp. our flat-faced wonder). He was happy to return home and find solace in his bolster.
As you probably noticed, there is a patch shaved on Sid’s left side where they performed the skin allergy test. The little dots are Sharpie marks indicating where the various allergens were injected. We’ve dubbed this his “Control Panel”.
As you may have guessed, our bubble dog tested high for allergies to many common things: various grasses, trees, pollen, dust mites, fleas, flys, mold, sheep wool, and yeast – his OWN yeast in fact. So basically Sid is allergic to himself. Poor little dude.
Based on the various items Sid is allergic to, the dermotologist will put together a customized allergy shot that Sid will be getting twice a week. His own system will hopefully build up immunity to the various allergens which should desensitize him and basically not make him as allergic to mother nature (and himself) as he is right now. Unfortunately, this process can take anywhere from 3 to 12 months and even then there’s still a chance that the allergy shots won’t help him at all. We’re keeping all our fingers, toes, paws, and tails crossed (or “curled” I suppose) that he responds well to the allergy shots and our little dude will be able to get off the prednisolone train ASAP.
While we’re waiting for the allergy shots to kick in, we’re planning to try some various things to keep his itchiness in check. The main thing is an anti-yeast medication called Fluconazole. The dermatologist said some dogs with yeast allergies have responded really well to it. We also may try some other human drugs such as Zyrtec or Allegra (we’ve tried Benadryl in the past but that doesn’t appear to help him at all).
Thank you all for your positive juju and prayers this week. I know they certainly helped keep our spirits up and allowed Sid to make it through all these tests successfully. The results came back from the papillomas they removed on Monday and the good news is they are just normal papillomas and not the “C” word. Whew!
This weekend, Sid’s getting rewarded by having a sleepover party with Miss Timothy Buttons. I heard rumors that she’ll be wearing her new party dress.
“DID SOMEBODY SAY PARTY DRESS?!”
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Tags: allergies, Sid, Timothy Buttons, vet, wart
July 13th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Aww Sid! You are the king of the bolsters. Allergic to your own body?!? I guess this is just another thing that makes you special, worthy of your own Planet Cool. I have high hopes that the shots will work for you, buddy. Have an awesome party with Miss T, tell her I said hi!
Love,
Christy
July 13th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
on the road to recovery! I was taking Claritin for my sniffles. You should ask your pug doc about it. I did dry my eyeballs, and myy eyeballs have been big trouble for me, so i stopped taking it, but it did help.
Belly.
July 14th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Hang in there Sid! Having TB for a sleep over will help but dont let at your Control Panel or all heck with break loose! Sorta like a woman behind the wheel of a car! Hee Hee!
Gampy
July 14th, 2012 at 6:07 pm
Poor dude. Sometimes it’s hard being a pug. We seem cursed with the worst allergies. Mom adds omega 3 fatty acids to our food, fish oil and vitamin e, in our case. The omega 3s help our bodies fight the inflammation of allergic responses. If you aren’t allergic to fish, you might try that. Not a cure, but it can help.
July 14th, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Poor Sid, allergic to your own cuteness. We have our paws crossed for those shots
urban hounds
July 15th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
That control panel makes you look kinda tough Sid, like a tattoo!
Scarlet takes Zyrtec to help control her allergies, much better than the Benadryl. Have fun with Miss Timothy – hopefully she’ll be the only one in a party dress…
We love you Sid!
Meredith & Scarley
July 16th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
A party with TButz is a great reward for having to go to the vet 2x this week. Have fun xoxo
July 19th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
So glad you are posting this info. Frank has allergies and skin issues so we watch what he eats. He’s on Atopica now and I’m hoping it doesn’t make him sick – we’re starting on month 2 with it. I sure hope the shots work for you!! Sending juju and keeping our paws crossed for you!!