I am pleased to report that our little Westie patient, Sam, (original story) (first update) (second update) has made dramatic improvement.
We did all we could here at our hospital, but finally had to call in an expert, board-certified veterinary dermatologist Dr. Steven LeMarie’ to perform skin testing for Sam and begin hyposensitization, or “allergy shots.”
Hyposensitization is a process of giving a patient injections of exactly what he is allergic to in order to effect a change in the immune system so that it reacts less to those allergens. Hyposensitization is not a cure-all, but it certainly makes a huge difference in many patients, as it has for Sam.
West Highland Terriers can among be the biggest dermatologic challenges for veterinarians.
Sam is such a sweet little man we hope he never has to go back to the suffering he has experienced in his life.
See you tomorrow, Dr. Randolph.
