Hi everyone,
I’m looking to see if anyone has dealt with a similar situation with their puppy and can share what their vet or veterinary dermatologist said, or if you have any insights/strategies while we wait for our appointment.

The Situation:
My puppy has been experiencing acute, rapid-onset hives (urticaria) that pop up roughly 15 to 60 minutes after eating.

Our primary vet was essentially stumped because it’s happening across so many different foods. She advised us to pre-medicate him with Benadryl before meals until we can see a veterinary dermatologist (which helps lessen/block the reaction, confirming it's an immediate histamine response).

Diets We Have Tried:
He has gotten hives after every single one of these foods:
1. NutriSource Large Breed Chicken & Rice (Kibble)
2. Open Farm Salmon & Ancient Grains (Kibble)
3. JustFoodForDogs Fish & Sweet Potato (Fresh Food)
4. JustFoodForDogs Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni (Fresh Food)
5. Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Hydrolyzed Protein PS (Prescription Hydrolyzed Kibble)

What We Noticed:
When looking closely at the ingredient lists across all 5 foods, we realized there is only one common whole-food ingredient present in every single one: fish or marine-derived ingredients.

The salmon and fish diets use wild/ocean whitefish and salmon oil.

The chicken diet contains menhaden fish meal.

The turkey and hydrolyzed soy diets both contain fish oil for Omega-3s.

Other common allergens like chicken fat or specific grains vary completely across these foods, leaving marine protein/marine oil cross-contamination as our primary suspect for this immediate IgE-mediated reaction.

What We’re Asking the Community:

1) Has anyone had a pup allergic to fish or trace fish proteins in fish oils? How did your vet/dermatologist confirm it?

2) Did your dog react to hydrolyzed diets that still contained fish oil?

3) If you did an elimination trial with a puppy (who still needs DHA/growth nutrients), what diet or protein source ended up working?

4) Any specific questions or testing we should mentally prepare for before our dermatologist visit?

5) Any recommendations on Vet Dermatologist in the Bay Area? We received a list from our regular vet but wanted to see if anyone had first hand experience

Thanks in advance for any advice or shared experiences!

My coton de tulear has been licking her paws until they are pinkish. We have tried the standard treatments from the vet and nothing has worked (apoquel and chlorhexidine). The only thing left to try is allergy shots. I’m worried about side effects though. Is there anything else that might work?

Does anyone else’s allergy dog get these? Do they tend to be a one-off or a frequent recurrence? And how long do they take to go away? My poor pup has been on steroids and chlorohexidine washes for 2.5 weeks now and it’s still there.

I was just noticing that after few years of multiple summers trying chewable apoquel, the doggo has vomitting and dirreah But I dont remember this from before when they used the white tablet non chewable version of apoquel. Has anyone else had this issue before? Myabe the pork they use in the apoquel

My boy (2yr old Keeshond) just started apoquel tonight… the itching has been slowly getting worse the last month and in the last 2 days he has been rubbing his paws on his face and I can see the skin around his eyes is all irritated. Lots of other skin irritation too since it took me like a week to get a vet appointment and he keeps finding new spots to chew and scratch. I keep trying to physically stop him scratching/chewing/licking and we are both getting very frustrated with each other. I was planning to crate him tomorrow and leave the house just so we have a break from each other and I can do something besides obsess over the dog, but I’m worried about him harming his face. He also started antibiotics since they were concerned about skin infection from the more irritated spots but I don’t know if that will make a difference with how he feels.

The vet said they would check in next week to see how he’s doing but I really just want to know when is realistic to hope for improvement!

Our boy Remi is a 5 year old havanese, and I’m hoping to hear from other dog owners who have dealt with really persistent itching because I genuinely feel like we’ve tried EVERYTHING with Remi and I feel so bad watching him be uncomfortable all the time.

He’s been dealing with chronic itchiness since he was around 2 years old, possibly even before that, so this has been going on for at least 3 years now. He scratches and chews himself constantly, and sometimes gets so itchy that he scratches himself to the point of getting scabs.

Over the years we’ve tried:
Hypoallergenic shampoo
Dandruff shampoo
Allergy shampoo
What feels like every food under the sun 😭
Currently feeding partially raw/freeze-dried food
We eliminated chicken from his diet when this all started and he is still fully chicken free
Soaking his paws in a solution recommended by our vet
Allergy medication prescribed by our vet, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to make much of a difference
We even took a bit of a long shot and brought him to a holistic/herbal vet. They thought yeast could potentially be contributing to the problem and gave us herbs that were supposed to help get the yeast out of his system. We’ve been trying that for about 4 months now and unfortunately nothing has changed.

It honestly feels like nothing gives him lasting relief and we’re running out of ideas. 😭

Has anyone else had a dog with itching this persistent? Did you ever figure out what was actually causing it? Environmental allergies? Food? Yeast? Something dermatological or something completely unexpected?
I’ve also heard recently that probiotics can potentially help some dogs with allergies/itchiness. Has anyone tried probiotics with their dogs specifically for this? Did you actually notice a difference, and if so, what did you use and how long did it take to see an improvement?

We’re obviously not looking for Reddit to diagnose him and we’ve been working with vets throughout all of this. I mainly want to hear from people who have dealt with something similar so we can hopefully find some new avenues to look into or things to bring up with our vet.

I just feel so bad watching the poor little guy constantly itch, especially after years of trying so many different things to help him. 😭❤️

We just finished allergy testing and are going to start immunotherapy soon. I opted for the shots because one shot every one to two weeks is harder to screw up schedule-wise, given the other option is twice daily drops.

I have an appointment in a few weeks for a tech to show me how to do subcutaneous shots at home. I’ve given myself shots so I’m fairly confident in administering it, and I’m more than happy to learn a new first aid skill.

What I want to know is, if you’ve done immunotherapy, what’s something you wish you knew before starting? Do you have any advice or tips that would make the process more comfortable and easier for everyone?

Hi,

Our Dasschund gets bad ragweed from august-October and we had to stop apoquel last year because of bad GI issues, vomitting/puking/diarreah. Cytopoint gave him really odd tremor side effects too so we don't want to go with that. I've heard numelvi is the new one that is more JAK selective. Can anyone share a report that if it its worth trying Numelvi and if their dog had worse side effects on Apoquel? Or would they both be the same for this. Currently he has to wear a sweater and cone and we've tried wiping him down, various shampoos and sprays even cortavance. It's always superbad and we know it will get worse in September, then by november he is normal again

Thanks

EDIT: Appreciate the replies, but I think I need to clarify right I'm not asking 'did Numelvi work' or 'was there any side effect at all,' I'm asking for the specific combo of bad Apoquel side effects + clean Numelvi experience. So far every answer has been adjacent to that, not actually it. If anyone's dog matches that exact scenario, I'd love to hear it

i've seen a lot of people asking about the skin allergy test and whether or not it's worth it. Wanted to share how much we paid and what we found in case its helpful to someone else trying to make the decision.

background : our golden retriever had been itching like crazy for months. did cytopoint and itch kept coming back. food elimination diet (ugh) and nothing changed. then we saw a derm who recommended the skin test. it was $$$$.

This is what we paid (for context, we live in NYC, and this was done in 2022)

Consultation - $167
Intradermal Test - $696
Catheter, IV - $160
Sedatives (Dexmedetomidine $89 Atipamezole sedation reversal: $92, Dexamethasone: $60)

TOTAL = $1264

not included was the additional cytopoint injections they gave for same-day relief, a cytotology recheck and a prescription for fluconazole for a fungal infection uncovered by said cytology, and the uber rides to and from the appointment ;)

Obviously it was a big investment. I hated having to pay that bill. However, it did show us that she was allergic to 50+ environmental substances. the big ones are grass, weeds, trees, dust, human dander, and insects. now that we know exactly what we are dealing with, we can better manage her symptoms.

For me, that made the test "worth it". hope someone finds that helpful, but happy to answer any questions! good luck out there, its a long road.

Wondering if this even exists. My dog is 9 so he’s in his senior phase and I am trying to take care of his joints. Luckily, he’s been a healthy weight all his life and he has also been taking a fish oil supplement his whole life, but he has a trick knee and it’s time to start a joint supplement.

But this MF is allergic to beef, pork, venison, duck, lamb, bison, pretty much all veggies except potato and beet, soy, flax, and yeast.

All of the solid supplements have yeast in them and/or flax. Most of them, including the liquid supplements, also derive the chondroitin from pork. Sometimes I see the glucosamine coming from mussels. That’s great. My dog can essentially do chicken, turkey, seafood, rice, potatoes, and beets.

I can’t find ANYTHING that is liquid (to avoid the yeast and/or flax) and derives chondroitin from a non-porcine or bovine source. Does anyone have any recs or know of another way to get glucosamine and chondroitin into my dog’s diet?

Ive been trying a liquid supplement for the past few weeks, which does derive its chondroitin from pork and my dog has broken out into rashes. I’ve been having to give him twice-weekly chlorhexadine baths to calm it down and my back is tired.

Anyway - does anyone know of a joint supplement that would fit the bill here? Or a natural source? I could give him chicken feet but that doesn’t provide chondroitin.

My pet 6 years old male Labrador has started having skin allergy since age of 4 years . Have shown to best vets in Faridabad and even dermatologist vet in Gurgaon but skin condition worsens during July-October due weather .
He was on Vivaldis Oclapet (Oclacitinib) 16mg , chevik shampoo and spray for a year but that too did not improve his condition . The vet says his skin barrier is weak and nothing can be done .

We have to give him Omnacortil 10 or 5 mg for a week to give him relief from iching but since it’s a steroid cannot give for long time .

Anyone faced this issue and any medication to help . Thanks

I need tips! The end is so close…. My pup has her skin test scheduled for 9/3 and has been on the elimination diet (Royal Canin Hydrolized, no snacks except apples and sweet potatoes) since 7/3. She did so well with it for so long, but in the past week or two is practically on a hunger strike. Every bite requires a song and dance. I’ve tried wet food, dry food, wet food mixed w dry food, heated wet food, water over the dry food, everything I can think of. All she wants is sweet potato and apple. If my other dog goes for her food, she’ll eat a little bit but it’s now given my other dog a tummy ache so that hack is done. She happily devoured this stuff for 6 weeks! I’m so tired and frustrated (as is she clearly). Anyone run into this and find anything that works? She’s a Yorkie, so she’s stubborn. Waiting for her to get hungry enough hasn’t worked yet.

Is anyone else’s monthly allergy shot bill for their dog getting out of hand? What are you doing to manage it? Is there something topical that works at home? I’m afraid to just try random things and make it worse.

Yesterday I went to the vet, and my dog was put on Cytopoint and they suggested he tried a hydrolyzed food diet.

I do want to try this, but I feel like he has environmental allergies, not food allergies. Of course I know they cannot take my word for it, but I’ve noticed his tear stains only worsening when he’s outside playing in the grass.

Im taking my dog to college with me in about a week, I feel like it won’t be the best time to try a hydrolyzed diet because he will be in a completely new environment with so many new changes. I am wondering if once he gets settled and more familiarized with his environment, I should try a hydrolyzed food diet.

They gave me a few prescriptions to try, but I’m nervous because he hates bare kibble without any toppings. I feed him half an egg in the morning with his wet food and some cooked turkey at night with his kibble.

When we tried switching his food he would refuse to eat for days.

Right now, I’m only going to be sticking to one protein which is lamb. My vet told me this is fine but I feel like he should go on a hydrolyzed diet eventually.

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

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.

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.