My dog has scratched almost constantly since I got her about 8 months ago. She has cost me a small fortune in treatments and tests and it is suggested that she has allergies to just about every food with the exception of white fish, rice and egg, and has allergies to almost every pollen including grass.

So she has been on steroid injections every couple of weeks till about 2 months ago and has been on steroid tablets since. I obviously dont want her on steroids for the remainder of her life so am considering ATOPICA but it would seem that for a dog of her size she will need around £280 of treatment PER MONTH

I will struggle to find that amount each month but if it gets her off steroids (which are costing me around £100 per month) than I will have to find it.

Does anyone have any experience of ATOPICA?

Thanks in advance.

Firstly what steroids are you getting because we get 90 days supply plus a vet consultation for about £45 so it looks like you are paying well over the top for them.

Duncan has been on prednisone for several years now and his itching is as under control as it will ever be I think, grass is the biggest problem as his diet we can control but stopping him going near grass is just not possible.

Hi Mollypops .... I am not sure what tablets she is on but she has an injection once a month which costs very nearly £60 and lasts 2 weeks, she has 2 weeks worth of steroid tablets for the remaining fortnight which costs around £35 .... she is 35kg (which I believe means she has to have quite big doses).

To be fair she has been on a quarter doses since the 2nd Feb because she had to have a major operation which meant she was on other medication that would have been affected by the steroids so this month (apart from the £1250 for the operation and antibiotics) it's been a cheap month

I think you need to find out what they are giving you and why it costs so much as I said ours is way cheaper and the steroid injections I thought could only be used occasionally not as an on going treatment - at least that is what we were told.

Hi Graham, what breed is she and how old?

Have the allergies been identified by skin tests?

I have had dogs with skin problems but after typing out a long reply, decided it would be better to see if relevant.

My current dog (16kg) is on low dose prednisone 1 mg alternate days after a malignant mast cell tumour, also Piriton, they cost about £5 a month, vet visit every 6 months to renew prescription on follow up visit charge £23.50 + VAT. I am in outer London.

I have a 7 year old newfoundland that has allergies, Dust mite being the main one, He has been on everything and cost over £30,000 in vet bills so far and still gets hot spots, I treat him myself now and just put him on James welbeloved food which seem to be helping his skin, I also have a 5 year old Newfie that has developed allergies over the last year, at the moment she is on Atopica, 400mg aday, is it helping??, sometimes I think it is and other I think no, but am still going with the Atopica, Try and give it time, takes 3 months or longer to see if it is working really, but to be honest I give up with vets most of the time, never seem to fix anything and just keep taking the money.

I think I must be very lucky with our vet he is very honest and doesn't seem to try to push things that don't have much hope of working he knows we don't have much money too so keeps the bills down to a dull roar where he can.

Thanks for the replies everyone .... My dog is a 12 month old American Bulldog bitch. She has had blood tests & skin tests, which came back as positive for just about everything! I cook her rice and white fish every night as well as giving her white fish & rice james Wellbeloved meal. This seems to help.

The steroid injections have been stopped (as much on my say so as anything else) but we are still on the tablets. I just got a repeat prescription yesterday and without any consultation fees it will be about £30 per month, however I dont want her on steroids for the rest of her life if we can help it. I also give her piriton which Im not convinced is helping anything.

Every time I visit the vets they suggest another trial which is wearing my wallet very thin (She's not insured as Ive had dogs all my life and NEVER needed to spend money on any of them ..... until now). It does seem to me that the vets are making a bob or two out of me knowing that I will try almost anything.

I have been told that fom my dog she will need around 400mg of Atopica per day, which at my vets prices equates to £280 per month!! But I can find it on the internet at less than half that price. (although I still need prescriptions from the vet).