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Hydroxyzine safe for long term use?
Hi all...
Bonnie is a 30 pound, border collie mix (~7 years old). In the past she's always been a bit itchy in the fall and in the spring (we live in Atlanta, lots of pollen!). This past year or so, her itchiness has not improved with the seasons. We are pretty sure she's allergic to fleas, and use frontline to control them. We have not found a flea on her in a very long time. We have switched her food from Canidae to Solid gold to see if that improved her itchiness. It didn't help any (although her weight is easier to maintain on the solid gold). We have tried maintenance doses of benadryl, but that doesn't help. At our last vet visit (we took her in because she'd chewed up her belly and seemed to be itching all the time), we did a course of steroids (which our vet is very hesitant to do), to get the itching under control and now have her on hydroxyzine. In the past, I didn't like the hydroxyzine because it made her sleepy. It turns out she was taking 50 mg tablets. We now have her on 25 mg tablets 3 times a day and she has completely stopped itching and doesn't seem groggy at all. So the hydroxyzine seems to be working well. We've just gotten a refill from the vet and will see how she does in the next couple of weeks. I'll then make an appointment to discuss long term options with the vet. My question is whether long time hydroxyzine use is a good option for her. We've talked to the vet in the past about allergy testing and have gotten really mixed suggestions depending on which vet we are talking to. It seems like sometimes they suggest it, then other times they say it usually doesn't tell you anything. Any thoughts on that? The last vet we saw said that if they determine what the allergy is, they can do desensitization shots. She also said all this is pretty expensive. Additionally, to do the testing the dog has to go off the antihistamines for a while (a couple of weeks?), and I could see Bonnie really getting itchy again if we did that. Suggestions? Thanks! Mary |
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"Mary W." wrote in message ... My question is whether long time hydroxyzine use is a good option for her. We've talked to the vet in the past about allergy testing and have gotten really mixed suggestions depending on which vet we are talking to. It seems like sometimes they suggest it, then other times they say it usually doesn't tell you anything. Any thoughts on that? The last vet we saw said that if they determine what the allergy is, they can do desensitization shots. She also said all this is pretty expensive. Additionally, to do the testing the dog has to go off the antihistamines for a while (a couple of weeks?), and I could see Bonnie really getting itchy again if we did that. do you mean is it harmful to use long term? no. i've used it as a sleep aid for years with no problems. my fiancé has used it as an antihistamine for a long time as well. it's a fairly benign medication, just be sure she's drinking enough water and getting enough fiber (it can cause dehydration and constipation). it's certainly something i'd be comfortable giving to my dogs, providing they tolerated it well, which yours seems to. YMMV, of course. -kelly |
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