Allergy Testing - How much?

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MagicMelon

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Anybody know how much it costs to have a horse allergy tested? (ie. have things injected into the skin to see what reacts).

Have got my vet having a look for me, but I want to gain an idea right now! Also, how successful was it?
 
Hey, i don think this will be to much help but my friends horse came out in lumps and rashes. she went down this road and tested for allergies, i think it was costly but she did find out what he was allergic to and changed his diet completely. i dont think she ever really came to the bottom of it though and he still had rashes for some time after then one day they disappeared! vet said they often grow out of allergies just as quickly as they develop them, sorry not much help!
 
Oh god, that much? I wouldn't mind paying this much IF I got a result at the end of it.

My horse has itched his mane out since I got him as a 3yo. He's now 6. Last winter he began itching patches raw on his face which he is still doing now (have tried numerous creams, steroid cream etc.) so assumed it must be sweet itch and so on went a Boett which he's worn since early March. Its made no difference. Yesterday he had a rash either side of where his neck meets his shoulders. Today he has big lumps all over his shoulders and the lower half of his neck. They're obviously very sore to touch. Will get the vet out tomorrow for anti-hystemines if the lumps havent gone down. There's something very wrong with my horse - I can only assume it is an allergy. But am going to be totally lost if this test doesn't show anything up.
 
My pony had bloods taken for allergies last winter which came back inconclusive. It was really fustrating as she was rubbing herself silly. She had bald,raw patches over her mane, shoulders and hindquarters. The vet injected steroids, which helped for a while, and she was treated for ringworm, bacterial infections, the lot!! The vet bill came to hundreds in the end which i had to claim for. I changed her bedding from straw to shavings,to no effect. I finally changed her food from her normal course mix to Allen and Page's Sugar and Cereal Intoloerance Diet, and Dengie Alpha A Oil (mollases free chaff) Even though the food allergy tests came back negative against molasses,sugar and cereals, i thought i would give it a go. And Wow! no more itching after a couple of weeks!. I would definately recommend trying dietary and bedding changes before commiting to expensive allergy tests!!!
 
I think its cheap. If i'd have had it done 2 years ago I would probably have saved double that on steroids and antibiotics.
When they find out what the horse is allergic to they make you up a 'vaccine'. From what I can gather you inject it into the muscle (so bypassing the skin) over a 9 month period so they build up an 'immunity' to the allergen.
Vaccine and immunity '' as i'm not sure thats the correct term, but hope you get my drift.
 
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