It’s been awhile since I’ve updated on Whiskey’s allergies. I suppose it’s because we’ve “solved” them or at least found a solution that works well.
To quickly summarize, we had noticed that Whiskey would get bumps on her exposed skin (normally ears/head) sometimes when she was outside. These bumps would quickly go away (within an hour or two) once she was inside and sometimes would be so bad she would resemble a Shar-pei. It was pretty clearly environmental, not only because they went away so quickly once out of the elements, but also because it never appeared where she wore a jacket, and sometimes they would appear only on the front of her legs (where she got splashed more) for places where she was more exposed.
These allergies were worse when it was raining, especially after a period of dryness (corresponds with high allergens being released and popped by rainfall). We went to a dermatologist, did a full allergy testing (intradermal and blood) and tried Benadryl (no effect) and personalized immunotherapy (no effect).
Eventually the vet suggested Reactine, which I thought wouldn’t work since Benedryl had no impact, however it worked! And right away! Whiskey is now on two pills of Reactine a day (2x10mg pills in the morning). If I skip a day, sometimes I can see bumps by noon, the effect is so obvious. I buy a large brie (or Camembert) cheese that last a month or longer and wrap her pills in the cheese (cheaper than pill pockets). The Reactine I get at Costco (no-name brand, cheapest option I’ve found). I haven’t noticed any side-effects or issues and I’m SO thankful we’ve found an easy solution although Whiskey will probably be on Reactine for her lifetime.
