How is Allergy Testing Done for a Dog with Skin Allergies?
Allergy testing can be performed in two different manners: • skin testing • blood testing Skin testing involves injecting small quantities of test allergens under the dog’s skin and watching for a response to the potential allergen. • A positive response is a reddened area which occurs in the skin surrounding the injection site, indicating that the dog is sensitive to the substance injected at that site. • A negative response is no change in the skin surrounding the injection site, indicating that the dog is not allergic to the substance injected at that site. • Normally, many different potential allergens are tested at the same time and the injection sites are clearly marked to identify which substances produced positive responses. Blood testing requires your veterinarian to draw a small sample of your dog’s blood. The blood is sent to a specialized laboratory where it is tested against numerous potential antigens to determine which react with the blood. A positive reaction indicates
