Fighting Our Dog's Allergies In Singapore

Have you ever wondered what the true cost of dog ownership in Singapore is? Behind a healthy, happy, and well-balanced dog, there may often be a wealth of challenges around training, nutrition, or disease.

Being pet parents, we always tried to be proactive and sensible in looking after our dog’s health, nutrition, and training. However, even with a focus on ensuring our pup gets the best life that he can get, we still went through a difficult period of managing severe allergies and nutrition issues.

We hope that by sharing our story, you will be able to find out more about how to manage allergies with your dog, and know that you are not alone in this journey to nurture our pups back to health again.

It Started With Surgery

When we first got our golden retriever as a puppy, he was diagnosed with one undescended testicle. Other than this seemingly minor issue, our pup was healthy, happy and ate very well with no signs of any allergies to most foods. At 12 months, our furkid, Bagel, weighed in at 28 kilos, ideal for his age and activity level.

Thereafter, we waited until he was 18 months old to monitor the full descent of the remaining testicle, but that did not happen. This led to us bringing our dog for an ultrasound, discovering that his undescended testicle was situated next to his stomach which had to be surgically removed, otherwise it might become a malignant tumor.

We then scheduled his surgical neutering to be three months later, and that’s when our sleepless nights and endless visits to the vet began.

The Allergies Begin

Upon the completion of the successful surgery, Bagel was put on a two week antibiotic course to prevent any inflammation or infection at the surgical site. We fed him the course of medication religiously, and after the completion of this course, he began to show signs of itching around his paws, ears and lips.

Two weeks later, we became very concerned about the itching when we began to see redness and bleeding. Bagel chewed his paws and scratched his ears aggressively as long as he was not on the Elizabethan collar. The allergic reaction has gone out of control, and we immediately scheduled a visit to the vet.

The vet assumed that he had an imbalance of good bacteria in his body which led to the itching. A sticky tape test showed abundant amounts of bacteria and white blood cells on his paws, and a severe yeast infection in his ears. The vet prescribed us with more oral antibiotics, an antibiotic wash for his paws, antifungal ear drops, and probiotics to help our pup mediate this problem.

However, the allergic reactions continued, and we were getting desperate. It was utterly upsetting to see our pup in a cone all the time, and unable to go out to dog parks or cafes with us. His scratching would be so uncontrollable and uncomfortable that once he was off his cone, he would start biting at his paws or scratching intensely at his ears again. His weight has also dropped to 23 kilos in a matter of months, likely a complication from the surgery and constant medication.

A Second Opinion

We decided to visit another reputable vet for a second opinion. This vet seemed more experienced, and hypothesized that Bagel was having allergic reactions to the food he was consuming. The vet found an active ringworm infection, bacterial infection, and yeast infection on different parts of our dog’s body.

A quick decision was made to put him on a food trial, which led to us feeding him a novel protein and novel carbohydrate for two full months. We went with turkey breast and organic rolled oats as it was accessible and reasonably priced. Other novel protein options like rabbit, crocodile, or frog were considerably more expensive for us to prepare for a big dog like ours.

Bagel’s novel protein diet of cooked turkey breast

The vet also recommended a cytopoint injection, which helps to control the itch for 4 weeks to 8 weeks. It contains a protein that blocks signals that trigger itch, and is much safer than taking drugs for relief. The cure was very effective, and within a day, Bagel was significantly less scratchy than before. We were also instructed to put Bagel on an antibiotic bath twice a week, steroid creams twice a day on affected areas, and oral medication daily. In between were visits to the vet every two weeks to review if the ringworm and bacterial counts on his body were decreasing.

Life seemed to turn for the better, the itching was under control, and the ringworm infection went away after less than two months.

Resurgence & Struggles

We had a full three months of peace until an incident occurred where Bagel stole a piece of banana bread on a visit to a friend’s home one day. Our respite from the vet visits were short lived, the banana bread triggered a series of watery stools that lasted for days. For a long-coated dog, this might be the worst nightmare for their owners, as the poop stains their butt fur abundantly every potty time.

A week later, we were back at the vet to seek options for treatment. Another concoction of antibiotics, stool firmers, and probiotics were prescribed, and it was back to the daily routine of tricking our dog to take medication every meal. The watery stools did not stop, so we googled our way through multiple scenarios and reached out to other dog owners for advice. Finally, we discovered that fasting helps to soothe their digestive tract, and gives it time to recover. It worked for us after almost four whole weeks of diarrhea and soft stools, even on heavy medication.

Staying Strong

Out of the totality of this experience, a key learning lesson would be that being a pet parent is tough and it throws you many curveballs. We have learned to take many problems that surface in our stride, and appreciate the days where Bagel’s scratching seems somewhat better than the day before.

His diarrhoea also comes back occasionally, but we celebrate every time he has solid stools and enjoy the days where he is just like any other good-natured furry friend.

Hope & Determination

Until today, Bagel’s itching and scratching has not stopped completely. The allergies came back after we took advice from a junior vet to alter his diet two months ago, and it continues to this day. Since then, we have tried a variety of three to four different proteins to eliminate the itch, but to no avail. It has been almost a year of battling against the allergies, feeding and applying medication daily, sleepless nights waking up to his cries and watery stools, and stacks of vet bills in excess of thousands of dollars. Having access to quality single-ingredient treats was a relief for us.

If you are a dog owner who, like us, has experienced such challenges, you are not alone, and we hope the best for you and your pup. Do reach out if you have any questions or need help.

Behind the glamorization of dog ownership in Singapore, there are facets unknown to new and aspiring owners. Puppy fever could last for a few days, but getting a dog is a 10 to 15 year commitment. You need to have a strong will and unconditional love to own a dog, and your furry friend will love you back a thousand times over.

Puppy fever could last for a few days, but getting a dog is a 10 to 15 year commitment.

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xo
Nellie

A Powerful Lesson We Learnt From Fighting Our Dog's Food Allergies & Constant Excessive Itching.