The time has come!
Not too long ago, we were talking to our vet about Norman’s ongoing itchy situation. Most of what he’s been treated for up to this point are common environmental allergens.
But this time she mentioned that if all the medication isn’t helping, it is more likely food related. So how do we find out? There are a few different options, but dog allergy testing is often expensive and can take weeks to complete.
Blood tests, intradermal skin test, food elimination trial…sigh
So at this point you’re probably expecting me to tell you that there’s a better, faster, more affordable way to get your dog’s allergy test results, right? Well…There is! And you don’t even have to go to the vet.
So we are doing it. 5 Strands Affordable Testing offers an easy and yes, affordable at-home test that measures both food and environmental substances that may cause intolerances in our dogs. And ours arrived yesterday!
The Dog Allergy Testing Kit
It works by using your pup’s hair samples. When you receive the kit, fill out the form, take a few hair samples, and mail them back in the envelope.
Everything you need is provided, and you can get the results in about a week or so via email. That’s about as easy as it gets!
Even better, they can test for over 1200 food ingredients and over 100 environmental items. You can see the list of everything they test for right on their website. Here is the list of food ingredients: https://affordableallergytest.com/pet-food-ingredients-tested/
So if you’re looking into dog allergy testing, this is a good place to start.
If you follow Itchy Frenchie on Instagram, you may have seen us take Norman’s samples last night. We mailed them in this morning so be sure to check the blog in the coming weeks. We will be posting his results and discussing the test a little more.
I can’t wait to see what it shows! It really was as easy has combing out some of his hair and putting it in a bag. Once we have the results, hopefully we can find a food that better suits his intolerances and he can get some relief. In the meantime, go check out the dog allergy testing kits and the 5 Strands Affordable Testing website.
So appreciate you. Hugo had his serum tested. Allergic to beef, lamb, dairy. Food adjusted accordingly. Now on Hill’s Ultamino. Subsequently found he is allergic to Black Eyed Susan’s. Removed them from gardens. While better(no weeping lesions), still so itchy, red excoriated, and on Apoquel daily. Thinking about skin testing. Thank you for being there!
Thank you for the message Cheryl! It might be worth a shot if you haven’t already done it. ID’ be interested in hearing about others’ results.
I heard reports that someone sent two samples at two different times and got completely different results. Someone else said it was like peddling snake oil. I understand the frustration of an itchy frenchie, i am keen to see cytopoint released in australia. One thing we did which helped a lot was to change his diet to a ‘single protein’ diet, an unusual protein he would ot have encountered before. We have a brand called prime100 and they do a crocodile roll. After maybe 2 days his funky smell was gone, it was a miracle because we had tried so… Read more »
Georgie – It is possible to for intolerances in dogs to change over time. So it wouldn’t be unusual to see different results from the same dog if some time had passed. This type of testing probably isn’t perfect, and it’s not the same type as a full allergy test from the vet, but it should give a good idea of what to avoid. Cytopoint has worked fairly well for Norman. We have been on a limited ingredient food for a while. It only has one protein. If what you’re using is working, then definitely don’t change it! I’d be… Read more »
George, Cynopoint is now available in Australia, as my dog Pixie has just had her 2nd injection 3 weeks ago. Our Vet did a free trial on her with the 1st cynopoint, so ask your Vet, we live in Quirindi which is near Tamworth in NSW. Where did you buy the Prime 100, would love to try it on Pixie. Pixie was on Apoquel but she was getting very yeasty and ear infections, so Cynopoint seems better but she is not getting 4 weeks and have to bandage her legs down to her toes as she will lick them till… Read more »