Conventional Allergy Treatment

Consultation Procedure

Even though the principles outlined below focus on conventional medicine and pharmaceutical treatment for allergies and dog allergies, they should apply equally to good practice in Natural Allergy Treatment.

If self-treatment proves unsatisfactory, or the sufferer is in an ‘at risk’ group e.g. has a pre-existing medical condition, or they simply prefer taking the conventional route, an individual will  require the advice of a qualified medical practitioner¹ who will:

• Undertake a consultation with the patient² to check their medical history and to find out various allergy-related issues to do with their family, lifestyle and type of work³. They will aim to establish the existence and nature of any pre-existing medical conditions that may interact with, or exacerbate the problem e.g. asthma related to other allergens. Enquiries will also be made into whether the patient² has self-treated previously, what they took and the results they achieved.
• Establish the frequency, severity and types of symptoms . This may involve the practitioner asking the patient² to keep an allergy journal or diary in order to chronicle and help establish trends and patterns associated with their symptoms.
• Possibly try a mild allergy treatment to see whether it alleviates the problem and if unsuccessful, undertake formal clinical diagnosis. This will help confirm the allergy, target subsequent treatment more precisely and rule out other possible causes and diseases. Depending on the practice in question or one’s locale, the practitioner may refer the patient to an allergist or other related specialist e.g. dermatologist.

Note: The information above applies to both people allergic to dogs as well as allergies in dogs, but in the latter:
Practitioner¹ = Veterinarian;  Patient² = Dog; In the context of Family, lifestyle and type of work³: Family = Breeding parents and siblings of litter (if known); Lifestyle = Indoor/outdoor type dogs, type of food they eat etc.; Type of work = Some dogs are sporting/hunting/working dogs which can bring them into contact with specific allergens e.g. dogs sensitive to rat allergens in a farm environment.

Conventional Treatment Basics

Categorization of conventional allergy treatment (outlined in Dog Allergies Treatment) can be described as follows:

• Conventional Antimicrobial Treatment (i.e. address allergy related secondary infections)
  This refers primary to the use of antibacterial and antifungal medication.
• Conventional Symptomatic Treatment (i.e. address the symptoms of allergies)
  Antihistamines, analgesics, steroids and medicated shampoos form the most common sub-categories.
• Conventional Immunotherapy (i.e. modify natural allergy state)
  This category is represented by allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots) and immunosuppressive drugs.

These categories will be fleshed out in the appropriate areas concerning allergic to dogs and allergies in dogs located towards the bottom of this page but in general, medications can be used:

• On a prophylactic basis i.e. preventative, or
• At the first sign of an allergic reaction.

In addition, treatment can be administered in a variety of ways and a given product may be made available in different formats. For example:

• Creams and lotions
• Drops (eyes)
• Inhalers and pumps
• Injections:
  • To treat a severe allergic reaction and anaphylactic shock.
  • As allergy shots (immunotherapy) that help desensitize the immune system to problematic allergens. They are used primarily for environmental allergens (dander, dust mites, pollen etc.) but not food allergies at the present time.

• Orally (caplets, capsules, liquids and solutions, syrups and tablets)
• Rinses (nasal)
• Sprays (nasal)
• Suppositories (rectal)

To minimize the risk of repetition of information, the technicalities and modus operandi of a given medication will be covered in the section allergic to dogs below. Conventional treatments applicable to dogs with allergies i.e. allergies in dogs, will focus on the practicalities of how the treatments are applied and differences that result due to the distinctive physiology and body chemistry of canines. 

	This area will explore conventional antimicrobial, symptomatic and immunotherapy treatments for people allergic to dogs.
	Information about conventional antimicrobial, symptomatic and immunotherapy treatments for canines suffering from allergies.