A Comprehensive Allergen Test for Dogs – Dogster

Ease of Use: 4.5/5

Scope: 4.9/5

Outcome Transparency: 5/5

Worth: 4.8/5

Caring for a canine who suffers from allergic reactions will be tough, each bodily and emotionally. This course of is made infinitely more durable once you don’t know what your canine is allergic to.

And that’s precisely the place EasyDNA’s Canine Allergy Take a look at is available in.

In contrast to so many canine “allergy” checks on the market, this selection makes use of blood serum and IgE antibodies to check for 120 environmental and meals allergic reactions, not sensitivities or intolerances. This provides you the data that you must make impactful adjustments to your canine’s life to assist them overcome allergy signs like atopic dermatitis and power diarrhea to allow them to have extra good days.

I had the chance to do this allergy check on my Dalmatian combine, Ragz, who almost died of anaphylaxis from an unknown allergen when she was younger. Discover out if this complete check was capable of uncover Ragz’s thriller allergy, what it took to get outcomes, and if it’s well worth the funding in my full EasyDNA Canine Allergy Take a look at product evaluation, under.

Overview

Our Expertise

When Ragz, my 14-year-old Dalmatian combine, got here into my life as a foster pup over a decade in the past, she was in poor form. Not solely was she soiled and coated in cuts and scrapes, however she had hives throughout her physique.

On the time, I didn’t suppose a lot of it. However the query of what triggered these hives would come up once more 4 years later when Ragz went into anaphylactic shock with out warning.

My husband had simply gotten residence from work. When Ragz didn’t run by the canine door to greet him, we immediately knew one thing was improper. By the point we discovered her, she was torpid and her gums have been pale and cheesy.

After we obtained her to the emergency vet, she broke out in full-body hives. It took three hours, however the vets have been capable of stabilize her and save her life. Since that day, we’ve been dwelling in worry, not understanding what might have triggered her allergic response.

Most homeowners of allergy-prone canine don’t have to fret about anaphylaxis, however less-emergent allergy signs will be simply as extreme and tough to reside with. I’ve identified dozens of canine who’ve suffered from crippling dermatitis resulting from unknown allergic reactions.

For Ragz and so many different canine on the market, EasyDNA’s Canine Allergy Take a look at provides solutions. That is precisely why I didn’t hesitate to get the check completed regardless of the additional steps concerned.

In contrast to cheek swab allergy checks that depend on IgA and IgG antibodies and that may be completed at residence, this in-depth check makes use of the extra dependable IgE antibody and requires a blood draw by a licensed veterinarian. Which means that there are further prices related to this check. Nevertheless it additionally means the outcomes usually tend to replicate precise allergy points which you could goal to cut back your canine’s signs.

It took some forwards and backwards to get the blood draw scheduled with my vet just because they weren’t accustomed to this product. In the long run, although, it solely price me $20 for them to do the draw, full the pattern, and mail it again to the lab for me.

This price can differ by vet and area, so I like to recommend calling round to get an concept of the worth earlier than buying the package to ensure it’s a viable possibility for you.

As soon as the check was mailed in, it took a couple of week for the lab to obtain it. From there, it took one other eight days for them to course of it and electronic mail my outcomes.

I discovered the outcomes to be very straightforward to interpret. On the prime of the PDF, it gave a fast abstract of the findings, together with what number of whole allergen responses have been recorded. It additionally broke down what number of of those responses have been Class I, Class II, and Class III.

After that, every allergen examined was listed together with the response consequence and the correlating Class response. The seven pages of outcomes I acquired additionally included some very neat info on attainable cross-reactions widespread to the allergens that confirmed reactivity.

Ragz reacted to 5 of the allergens that have been examined—pork, wheat, oat, European mud mite, and alder/birch pollen. All of her reactions have been low (Class I), which suggests they’re much less more likely to trigger a noticeable allergic response.

Whereas this check didn’t uncover the perpetrator that triggered her thriller anaphylactic shock episode, it did present some useful perception. For one, it highlighted potential allergic reactions to 3 widespread meals in our pet pantry: pork, wheat, and oats. I’ll positively keep away from feeding these to Ragz sooner or later.

Extra importantly, I can see how this check can be extremely useful for a canine that suffers from ongoing meals or environmental allergic reactions.

After receiving Ragz’s outcomes, I instantly despatched my pal a hyperlink to the product. Her canine has been battling limitless itchy and infected pores and skin with no identified trigger. I’m sure a check like this one would assist her and her poor canine lastly discover some solutions and a few reduction.

One factor I did be aware about this check is that the advertising and marketing info says that it’s going to check for 125 allergens. Nevertheless, the outcomes I acquired present that solely 120 allergens have been examined. EasyDNA does point out on their website that they’re at all times including new allergens to the panel, so it’s attainable that future checks will characteristic greater than 120 outcomes.

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