Finding our what are causing the allergies in a dog or cat always takes careful detective work. One method that can be used to find out what substances your pet would react to is a skin testing. It involves shaving off an area on the pet and skillfully injecting extracts from suspected allergens under the skin of the dog or cat, within a half hour, a wheat (round bump) and erythema (redding) will form on the skin from each extract to which the pet is allergic.

Alternatively, our veterinarian on staff can simply take a small amount of blood sample from your pet and send it to VARL for a complete Liquid Gold allergy blood test. The Liquid Gold allergy blood test for dogs and cats is a sensitive laboratory blood test which will identify the different allergic substances that are responsible for your pet’s allergies. THe VARL allergy blood test searches for and identifies each of those special allergy-producing antibodies (IgE antibodies) that may be present in your pet’s blood. By accurately finding and measuring the amount of allergen specific IgE antibodies present in the blood sample, the Liquid Gold allergy blood test is able to identify the different substances causing your pet’s allergies. – an essential first step on the way to getting your pet well.

VARL Liquid Gold serum allergy test will help you successfully hyposensitize your allergic dogs and cats. This is the only serum allergy test that is not ELISA/RAST and a double-blinded research study has shown hyposensitization based on results of Liquid Gold testing to be better than skin testing. The secret lies in our accuracy of identifying and treating only culprit allergens – not false positives. To you, this will mean better success with hyposensitization.

Your dog or cat can be rendered immune to a various substances detected by the Liquid Gold allergy blood test. This is achieved by vaccinating your pet against the identified substances, mush like children are vaccinated against childhood diseases. THe major difference is that allergy hyposensitization takes a longer time – up to 6 to 9 months, or longer in certain cases. Approximately 60% of pets hyposensitized will be controlled without the need for any cortisone. An additional 20% of the pets are helped by hyposensitization but may need further steroid drugs ( at much lower dosage than if not hyposensitized) during the worst of the allergy season. Successful hyposensitization is highly dependent on an accurate diagnosis and a faithful adherence to the prescribed schedule of treatment. If you suspect that your dog or cat has allergies, consult our veterinarian on staff to discuss testing and treatment options. Your best friend can live without the discomfort of allergies and the serious complications of long-term use of steroid.