My dachshund, Max is allergic to 3 kinds of dust mites and flea saliva (can you believe that!). He would chew constantly and then after being treated with prednisone, he would break out with secondary skin infections. He even had a bout of gastric hemorraging (sp) where we almost lost him.

Our vet suggested having him tested for allergies through Heska (www.heska.com) in Colorado. Your vet can take a blood sample and send it to them for analysis. It is somewhat expensive, but I think well worth it.

After the initial course of treatment, Max now takes his shots every 4 weeks during the winter and every week to 10 days during the summer. We supplement that with hydroxyzine. We also give him Skin Formula 3V capsules to keep the coat from drying out completely.

It has meant the difference between a totally miserable dog in danger of having to be put to sleep and his normal grumpy self.

Hope this helps!