SubscribeAllergy Shots for Dogs: Canine Immunotherapy 101
Dog allergy shots (immunotherapy) help desensitize dogs to allergens, providing long-term relief. Though costly and requiring commitment, they can significantly reduce symptoms. Consult your vet to see if they’re the right option for your pet.
Living with chronic allergies can be miserable for dogs. When diet changes, medicated baths, topical treatments and medications aren’t enough to make your dog feel better, allergy shots for dogs could be the answer.
Dog allergy shots are effective. Research shows that 60 percent dogs who get the shots, called immunotherapy, got relief from dog allergy symptoms like scratching, licking, coughing or has diarrhea, vomiting, hair loss or recurring ear infections.
Pet parents often wonder if shots are the best treatment for dog allergies. Your veterinarian may recommend immunotherapy if your dog has frequent, severe allergies all year and other treatments aren’t providing relief.
Don’t Guess When It Comes To Your Pet’s Care
Don’t Guess When It Comes To Your Pet’s Care
What Are Allergy Shots for Dogs?
Immunotherapy is different than other types of dog allergy treatments. The vaccine contains small amounts of allergens and the amount of those substances increases over time. Unlike other dog allergy treatments, the goal of immunotherapy is to desensitize dogs to allergens and help their immune systems build up tolerance.
Immunotherapy is often called “dog allergy shots” because the treatment is often delivered via injections subcutaneous injections (SCIT) that are given under their skin but it can also a sublingual treatment. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) involves placing drops of the medication under the dog’s tongue.
Your vet will determine how often dogs need allergy shots but the injection schedule is often every other day and decreasing to once or twice a week for the rest of their lives.
Who Can Benefit from Allergy Shots for Dogs?
Allergy shots for dogs are only recommended for those that have severe and chronic environmental allergies to things like fleas, pollen, mold and feathers. There is also a link between dust mites and dog allergies.
Topical treatments and other medications, including antihistamines and steroids, are given to dogs that have mild and seasonal environmental allergies. If these “front line” treatments don’t work, your vet may suggest dog allergy shots.
Effectiveness of Allergy Shots for Dogs
Immunotherapy is a long-term treatment and it takes time to see results. In fact, it can take up to one year before your dog has built up enough tolerance to the environmental allergens for dog allergy shots to be fully effective. Your dog will likely need to continue with other medications or topical treatments during that time to help control their allergy symptoms.
Although it takes time for immunotherapy to work, it’s worth it to stick with the treatment plan. Studies show that dog allergy shots controlled the symptoms for 31.5 percent of dogs and 28.5 percent of dogs had a “good” response to the treatment with more than a 50 percent reduction in their symptoms.
Potential Side Effects and Risks
Dog allergy shots are considered safe, but there are a few side effects and risks to consider:
- Possible reaction (itching, swelling) at the injection site
- Allergic reaction to the injection (irregular breathing, rash, fever, swelling around the face)
- Oral drops can cause drooling
- Some dogs won’t respond to the treatment
It’s important to monitor your dog during treatment and contact your veterinarian if you notice any dog allergy shot side effects.
Cost of Allergy Shots for Dogs
There is no sugar-coating it: Immunotherapy is expensive. The cost for dog allergy shots ranges from $700 to $1,200 per year for the medication and syringes.
Dogs with allergies will also need allergy testing so your vet can determine what your dog is allergic to and formulate the right serum to treat their allergies. The cost for allergy testing ranges from $200 to $400.
Allergy shots for dogs are more expensive than other prescription medications and long-term allergy treatments. A popular oral medication often prescribed for dog allergies costs less than $90 for 30 tablets while over-the-counter antihistamines cost as little as $15 for 100 tablets.
Alternatives to Allergy Shots for Dogs
There are many options for treating dog allergies.
Medicated baths: A bath with a medicated shampoo can rinse tree pollens, mold spores, mildew and other environmental allergens from your dog’s fur and soothe their itchy, irritated skin.
Topical treatments: Over-the-counter creams, anti-itch sprays and anti-inflammatory wipes can help alleviate dog allergy symptoms.
Medication: Medications including topical and oral corticosteroids and antihistamines are often used to treat dog allergies. Antihistamines are sold over the counter at human pharmacies but can have side effects such as drowsiness; check with your vet for the right dose and never choose an antihistamine with a pain medicine or decongestant, which are not safe for dogs.
Steroids, available with a prescription, are more potent but have more side effects, including vomiting, diarrhea and weakness, fever and, in high doses, diabetes.
It’s important to remember that immunotherapy is used to treat chronic environmental allergies. If your vet suspects your dog has food allergies, they may recommend a food trial or elimination diet.
Beef, pork, chicken, corn, wheat and soy are common dog food allergens and testing foods without these ingredients to see if it alleviates itching, licking, chewing, ear infections and other allergy symptoms is the best way to diagnose and treat food allergies in dogs. Food trials last around eight weeks.
Dogs with food allergies can be switched to hypoallergenic diets to keep their symptoms in check. Understanding dog food allergies is essential for finding the best treatment.
When to Talk to a Veterinarian
Allergies can make your dog miserable and can cause symptoms like itchy skin, vomiting, diarrhea to ear infections that impact their quality of life. Your vet can make recommendations for the best treatments to alleviate the symptoms and get your dog feeling better.
It might take some trial and error to find the most effective treatment and dog allergy shots are an option when medicated baths, antihistamines and other treatments fail.
Dog allergy shots can be a very effective, long-term option for treating environmental allergies in dogs but it’s important to talk to your vet about the risks, benefits and costs before starting immunotherapy because success requires a long-term commitment.
The reward for your patience, consistency and financial investment is a high likelihood that immunotherapy will alleviate your dog’s allergy symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Feature image via NICOLAS TESSARI on Unsplash
