From a very young age Oscar (Our lhasa apso) was diagnosed with severe canine atopic dermatitis. He was itching and scratching all day everyday so we knew something was wrong when his was a pup.

Allergic dermatitis is a common skin problem and is a predisposition to develop allergic symptoms following exposure to substances that are usually harmless, but have triggered an allergic response.

We've had tests done in the past and we found that Oscar was allergic to everything under the sun; dust, pollen, perfumes, cleaning products, fabrics, insecticidal shampoo, rubber and plastic materials beef, corn, wheat, soy, eggs, milk and just about every other food type besides chicken and fish.

So from a young age Oscar has been given monthly injection to desensitise him from the millions of things he's allergic to. Not only does he have his expensive monthly injection he also has half a Apoquel a day; these tablets provides relief and helps him fight the itching.


Every three months we put in an insurance claim that totals £500+. Monthly consultations, injects and tablets all add up.

The injections have to be tailored to his allergies and that is the reason why the bill every three months is sky high.

Since Oscar has been diagnosed with the condition we have been able to put through our claims as continual claims. Before he was diagnosed we had to pay a small fee of excess on each of the claims, whilst this was not large amount of money to pay it was one less thing we could have done without paying.

When it comes to food the entire family do there best to try and avoid feeding him anything he's not meant to have. Even the littlest of scraps can cause his condition to flare-up - annoying right, i would love to have a dog that is allowed to hoover up those leftovers.

In terms of Oscars diet he can only eat a few brands of food as he has to have hypoallergenic dog food. He was on perception food but we found that he didn't take to canned food very well.  Most dog foods these days contain preservatives which is a big no no for dogs like Oscar.

If it wasn't for our quality and manageable dog insurance we would have had to give Oscar up as we simply couldn't afford to pay for his regular treatment.

I refer to Oscar as my first born and life without him is not worth thinking about. Oscar and my son get on really well and i can see their relationship blossoming now that Ted is growing older.

It's not easy for Oscar living with his condition but we make his life worth living with fun, food and long walks.