The animal then becomes de-sensitized to the offending allergens. Treatment is time consuming and requires a dedicated owner and veterinarian. I feel that this treatment is an excellent option in severe cases of atopy especially in young dogs. This testing and treatment option is currently grossly underutilized in the veterinary profession but is gaining in popularity. If you have an allergic pet that is not responding to conventional treatment seriously consider this as a treatment option.
Steroids are extremely effective for relieving severe itching and inflammation.
The problem is that they can have many short and long term side effects if not used correctly. I have seen steroids grossly abused when used as a cure-all with out proper diagnosis of a condition or using other alternative treatments. At the same time I have also seen veterinarians and owners refuse to use them to alleviate severe itching and pain when they were clearly the best choice and should have been used. Steroids are a drug, and just like any other drug they can be misused. If used correctly they can be as safe as any other drug that we use.