# allergy shot = trouble urinating?



## Aczdreign (Jun 15, 2010)

Hello folks, I haven't been around the boards for a while, I just started my final semester of college, hope all is well with everyone...

Anyway, I took Argos to the vet yesterday morning because of his allergies, he's been chewing on his tail a lot and was starting to break the skin. 
The vet gave him a shot that he said should last about a month, after which I am to give him one pill every other day once he starts to itch again.
The visit seems to be a success, as he has stopped chewing his butt, but now I notice that he seems to be having trouble urinating. He isn't completely stopped up, but it takes him much longer than usual to urinate, and it seems to come out in 'squirts.' I've also been seeing him chew on his paws from time to time, but nothing as incessant as his butt chewing.
He does not seem to be feeling bad or anything, he is acting like himself, I'm just a little worried about his slow urination.

Is this a normal thing?


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## jayandlacy (Sep 21, 2009)

Well, My dog Kaos didn't get an allergy shot-I will refuse that because I believe there is some form of steroids in that, He did get oral steroids for his allergies-which I will never do again. He drank sooo much water, then starting peeing in the house on accident-looking at me like "oops ma I sowwy...my bad" I took him off after 4 days,and talking to the great folks on here. It did help his allergies, but I felt it wasn't worth it. I didn't have the same experience as you are having-rather the opposite. But you didn't say what was in the shot.


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

jayandlacy said:


> Well, My dog Kaos didn't get an allergy shot-I will refuse that because I believe there is some form of steroids in that, He did get oral steroids for his allergies-which I will never do again. He drank sooo much water, then starting peeing in the house on accident-looking at me like "oops ma I sowwy...my bad" I took him off after 4 days,and talking to the great folks on here. It did help his allergies, but I felt it wasn't worth it. I didn't have the same experience as you are having-rather the opposite. But you didn't say what was in the shot.


from personal experience i prefer to use the injection vs the prednisone. Prednisone does some wicked stuff to my dog that has allergies.

To the OP, what your veterinarian did was only treat his symptoms, his issue will continue to come back, that is a promise. Is he itchy around his face/neck/ears as well as the feet? If he is, you're looking at a food allergy. If he is not, it's an enviornmental allergy which can be pretty tricky to eliminate. You really need to get on the ball with figuring out what exactly he is allergic to before you run out of meds because if you do not, you will be repeating the process of paying your vet in the next month or two.

What meds did he send you home with? Hopefully two, an antibiotic and an antihistamine. not all antibiotics and antihistamines are created equally so it would really help me to help you if you gave me the info on the bottle.

EDIT: all steriods reduce the bodies ability to fight infection so hopefully he sent you home with preventative antibiotics.


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## jayandlacy (Sep 21, 2009)

Indigo Bully Connection said:


> from personal experience i prefer to use the injection vs the prednisone. Prednisone does some wicked stuff to my dog that has allergies.


I meant that I would rather use neither the shot or the Prednisone. I thought based on what my vet had said to me that the shot also contained some sort of steroid as well....My dog itches everywhere. I give him Benadryl, it doesn't seem to help much if at all. It makes him sleepy. We thought it was a pollen allergy, but it is no better as of yet with the change of seasons. Between his paws is red and swollen...they've been worse though. Base of his tail is itchy. IDK, it's time to go back to the vet. He eats Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck. This is my first dog with allergies.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

If the reactions is bad I use predinisone and it is good for short term use but not long term. Steroids (pred) make dogs drink more water and urinate more and can cause weigh gain among other side effects but can help with an acute reaction.

The question is what type of shot did the vet give? there is no one allergy shot and I am thinking he gave your dog prednisone. Call the vet or fine your receipt and see what they gave the dog. True allergy shots are made after a dog has had a full test and they know what they are allergic too. Then a special blend is made for the dog and give weekly or monthly and it is low doses of what the dog is allergic to, to help them get over it. This does not sound like what the vet did so I am thinking they gave your dog pred.

What they gave your dog could effect your dogs system but only for a short time, how long ago was the shot given? 

The dog peeing in spurts could be normal I know many males who pee like that but it could be abnormal if they are straining. If your dog is straining and/or the pee is brown or red colored could mean your dog has another issue like kidney stones or an infection.


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

*


jayandlacy said:



I meant that I would rather use neither the shot or the Prednisone. I thought based on what my vet had said to me that the shot also contained some sort of steroid as well....My dog itches everywhere. I give him Benadryl, it doesn't seem to help much if at all. It makes him sleepy. We thought it was a pollen allergy, but it is no better as of yet with the change of seasons. Between his paws is red and swollen...they've been worse though. Base of his tail is itchy. IDK, it's time to go back to the vet. He eats Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck. This is my first dog with allergies.

Click to expand...

*You are correct in many places in your post... the injection is also a steriod, but the one that my vet uses (can't remember what it's called off the top of my head) is not prednisone.

Benadryl does NOT work for dogs like it does us humans. It serves only as a sedative like you stated, this is one of the few things i learned while spending thousands at a dermatologist for Neela.

Feet, face/neck, and ears are signs of food allergies, where when you see a irritation somewhere else it is a contact allergy. The only time a food allergy will affect another part of the body is once you've let the infection set in and it runs rampid through your dog. Also, when infection sets in most owners think that the "allergies are getting worse" which is not the case. What we see as "worsening" allergies is really the infection manifesting in our dog.

If you are interested in finding an antihistamine that will not dope your dog up , talk to your vet about Hydroxyzine. There are two different types of Hydroxyzine, the one that i have used with success was Hydroxyzine Pamoate. It all depends on your dog though, it may need a different type of antihistamine depending on the allergy itself. I paid 20 for a months supply at the pharmacy with a prescription from the vet.

*


performanceknls said:



If the reactions is bad I use predinisone and it is good for short term use but not long term. Steroids (pred) make dogs drink more water and urinate more and can cause weigh gain among other side effects but can help with an acute reaction.

Click to expand...

*


performanceknls said:


> *The question is what type of shot did the vet give? there is no one allergy shot and I am thinking he gave your dog prednisone. Call the vet or fine your receipt and see what they gave the dog. True allergy shots are made after a dog has had a full test and they know what they are allergic too. Then a special blend is made for the dog and give weekly or monthly and it is low doses of what the dog is allergic to, to help them get over it. This does not sound like what the vet did so I am thinking they gave your dog pred.*
> 
> *What they gave your dog could effect your dogs system but only for a short time, how long ago was the shot given? *
> 
> *The dog peeing in spurts could be normal I know many males who pee like that but it could be abnormal if they are straining. If your dog is straining and/or the pee is brown or red colored could mean your dog has another issue like kidney stones or an infection.*


Spot on, Lisa. "allergy shots" is really a laymens term for immunotherapy.

The injection would take about 3 days to work through the dogs system to reduce the inflamation and will stay in your dogs system for approximately 3 to four weeks. Which is when your dog will experience side effects.


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

Argos might just be bored ...

When Kane is bored, he will chew on his front paws. He just gnaws on them a little bit or picks at his dewclaws, never enough to break the skin or cause any harm though. He used to chew on his tail before he migrated to his paws. Also, Kane usually pees in squirts, especially if he doesn't really have to go but is just going because I'm telling him to.


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## Aczdreign (Jun 15, 2010)

thanks for tall the responses, you guys.
The reaction was around the base of his tail and his back legs.
He is peeing in short spurts, he always has, but for the rest of the day after he got the shot, he looked like he was having a little more trouble than normal. The urine is not red or in any other way unusual, and he is totally back to normal now.
I am unsure what the shot was, I could call the vet but I am on a very short break from class and don't have time right now. I have not noticed any increase in frequency of urination or any effects other than the one mentioned and that he seems much more comfortable.
The pills that were prescribed for 'when he starts to itch again' are 10mg prednisone, one to be given every other day.

Since he got the shot, he's been scratching far, far, FAR less, though he still does chew on his paws from time to time. His paws have never had broken skin the way that his tail did.

EDIT: also, very little facial itching. I am feeding him Blue Buffalo fish and sweet potato mix, a boiled egg (almost) daily, and an occasional raw meat or fruit treat.


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

Aczdreign said:


> thanks for tall the responses, you guys.
> The reaction was around the base of his tail and his back legs.
> He is peeing in short spurts, he always has, but for the rest of the day after he got the shot, he looked like he was having a little more trouble than normal. The urine is not red or in any other way unusual, and he is totally back to normal now.
> I am unsure what the shot was, I could call the vet but I am on a very short break from class and don't have time right now. I have not noticed any increase in frequency of urination or any effects other than the one mentioned and that he seems much more comfortable.
> ...


Okay, I did some back tracking through your health and nutrition threads and I came up with one common denominator in all of your problems, including this very thread.

Oatmeal... this may not be the biggest issue with allergies for you, BUT it is pretty fishy that Agros has had some sort of delima which this one thing has continually surfaced. I think it is safe to say that he should avoid this allergen.

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/28532-frequent-vomiting.html

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/27616-natures-recipe.html

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/27891-fleas.html


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## jayandlacy (Sep 21, 2009)

Thanks Indigo Bully Connection!! Hes on amoxil right now so theres no infection here, I'm just soooo over this allergy thing with him. It really is a pain so I will have to talk to the vet about another med and ask if he'll let me try the med you suggested! IF you even just pat Kaos's butt he scratches, he's just allergic to something and needs to be tested to see if we can find what hes allergic to....


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## Aczdreign (Jun 15, 2010)

Good point, Indigo, that hadn't occurred to me at all.
However, just to make sure that we are on the same page, how long would the oatmeal continue to affect him after the bath, if that were what he is allergic to?
The reason I ask is because he hadn't had a bath with oatmeal for several weeks before I decided to take him to the vet. He also had the irritation on his skin before the oatmeal, that was the reason that I started with it. 

I'll keep him away from the oatmeal and see what happens.

Thanks again!


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

Aczdreign said:


> Good point, Indigo, that hadn't occurred to me at all.
> However, just to make sure that we are on the same page, how long would the oatmeal continue to affect him after the bath, if that were what he is allergic to?
> The reason I ask is because he hadn't had a bath with oatmeal for several weeks before I decided to take him to the vet. He also had the irritation on his skin before the oatmeal, that was the reason that I started with it.
> 
> ...


Well, I looked at your dog foods ingredients list before i looked at any other threads. When I read oatmeal something just kinda clicked that there was mention of oatmeal before with you (ei the shampoo). If you're still washing him with oatmeal and feeding it to him he's getting a contact allergy as well as food.


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## Aczdreign (Jun 15, 2010)

once again, thanks for pointing that out, I hadn't realized.
Guess its time to try yet another food


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