Pesto has a number of allergies!

We paid the $$$ to get a patch test for Pesto since we could not determine what was causing his allergic reactions through change of diet, etc. Well, the vet called my wife today and said he's allergic to a lot of things! She'll be going in Friday to discuss this more. But so far we found out he's allergic to duck (so much for the potato and duck "anti-allergy" formula dog food)

... and cotton! Wow, if he's allergic to cotton, we have to do some serious brainstorming. Does anybody know if a cotton allergy refers to any contact with cotton materials (blankets and bedding, sitting in laps), or more to do with chewing up plush stuffed toys, etc? Poor boy is scratching and biting all the time, the medication has helped just a little.

joe

Golly! So very sorry to hear that!! Will keep an eye out for the post on his final results, but cotton? Crikey that's a toughie! Can't speak from experience on that one, have NEVER heard of it before, poor wee chappie :hug: :flwr:
Keep us posted?

Wow! Poor Pesto! Yes. Any contact with cotton fiber will irritate him. That mean's your denim, cotton shirts/tees. I would definitely treat it like my own allergies i.e. no wool in my clothing. And that was the hardest for me, I love cashmere.

A lot of time the allergies fade -- as with people they tend to be more pronounced when they are young. The patch test also isn't totally reliable -- I've had indications I am severely allergic to cats but I live with four of them and they and other cats do not make me sneeze. I am also supposed to be allergic to feathers, dogs, dustmites, ciagarette smoke, perfume. The only things that make me react are smoke and dustmites.

So while he may be testing allergic to cotton it may not be something he actually reacts to. If you have had him on a duck based food it can take weeks of a new food before you will see results.

There are other materials you can get in bedding -- for example why not order a nice soft sheepskin to line a plastic dog bed? I'd try to get rid of cotton on things he sits on for long periods like his own bed and see how he does then. You may end up only being able to manage his reactions thiugh, not give him complete relief. Remember most people with allergies can do little more than take decongestants and so on. It sure is a pain though especially if the allergen is something really common and ubiquitous. I hope a little time and experimentation will bring some simple solutions.

Wow, fancy being allergic to cotton of all things. I sure hope he grows out of it as Karlin has suggested he might.

We also did the patch test on my little guy and he is allergic to 25 out of 36 things, one of them being grass! My dermatologist did say that there is a possiblity for them to grow out of it, but a maintence allergy shot would help a lot. Basically, there is no way to keep him from grass, like yours and cotton, but the shots are mixed personally for each dog and after 6 months symptoms and itching can decline. We are on month 5 of shots and I can already tell a huge difference.

I actually give the shots myself and they are quick and painless, my little guys actually goes right to his bed and lies down when he sees the syringe come out because he knows to get ready.

We've had teats and still don't know what Teddy's allergies are, except for dust mites. We are going to try him on Atopica, as the vet says it tends to help dogs who respond to steroids, which Teddy did, but we don't want too many of those.

You could also line his bed with fleece since it's made out of plastic or something like that.