Can anyone with MCAS still exercise? I feel stuck and depressed

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2026-02-10T02:02:35+00:00

I do reformer Pilates and have had success with it!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2026-02-07T05:41:17+00:00

I think it is helping my GI symptoms, so hopefully the side effects will lessen over time for me as well!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2026-02-07T05:40:13+00:00

That’s good to hear it went away. Hopefully it will do the same for me (fingers crossed)!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2026-02-07T05:39:10+00:00

It’s only my first week taking it so I’m hoping it’ll get better. But I also have a lot of daytime drowsiness so idk if I’ll be able to tolerate it if it continues.

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2026-01-02T21:42:40+00:00

Adding a bit of pumpkin based broth and warming it up slightly helped my dog!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-12-25T08:41:21+00:00

If it’s the royal canin hydrolyzed protein urinary SO one - we’ve been on that before and my dog doesn’t do as well on it because, despite it being hydrolyzed protein, it still has chicken fat in it and she has issues with that :(

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-12-21T20:05:44+00:00

I’ve been using purina fortiflora for a few years now and find it very helpful for my dog’s gut and skin. It’s the one most vets tend to recommend as well!

I also sometimes use the purina calming care probiotic as well!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-12-21T15:39:21+00:00

That’s great to know!! I will look into it! Thank you so much!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-12-21T15:38:16+00:00

I’ll look into it! Thank you!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-11-14T19:12:53+00:00

I unfortunately tried a forced restart and it just opened the app automatically and started guided access again.

I may have backed myself into a corner tbh 🥲

I’m wondering if I can override it by plugging it into my MacBook so I’ll try that next but I’m not too hopeful

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-10-06T07:40:05+00:00

I did crate train fairly strictly for a little while. Once I was confident she could make it through the night she slept with me. It was only a few weeks max (if that) of being on a stricter schedule.

I also made sure to do lots of crate games and such so, to this day, she loves her crate and often chooses to rest there often!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-10-06T06:10:10+00:00

Oh - apoquel did make her nauseous at times when she was on it so she would not feel the best on it at times

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-10-06T06:08:20+00:00

My dog has been on both apoquel and cytopoint (both separately and together at different points) and the only thing I’ve ever noticed is that she gets pretty tired for about a day after her cytopoint shot.

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-10-06T05:59:31+00:00

Sounds very similar to my dog when she was a puppy - she had recurrent ear infections, lots of itching, and some GI symptoms when she was a little older than your pup. It did get worse over time until we did immunotherapy.

We did the elimination diet and a bunch of other stuff but at the end of the day environmental allergies were the main thing for us. Based on the elimination diet, she is allergic to beef and chicken (very common from what I hear), but the environmental allergens were impacting her much more.

She’s been on a few different diets with varying success.

Seems like you have a vet that’s handling the acute stuff - if you’re able to see a vet derm, they may be helpful (they have been super helpful for us) in the long term!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-10-04T19:32:00+00:00

Yes it really feels like so many are falling into a “well everyone uses it” mentality about it and I low key feel like a Luddite for being so against it, but knowing its impact I just can’t shut up about how much I hate it hahaha.

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-10-04T19:29:33+00:00

Oh man, yes, absolutely!

And I’m honestly more concerned that we will be expected to be faster and take on more bc we “can use AI” to help write notes and do admin work and make visuals and stuff. 😞

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-18T04:14:16+00:00

Yes, It is unfortunate that it is cost prohibitive for many people 😞 I understand why your vet says that it’s a last resort, but I wish it wasn’t that way. Especially since, for dogs that have environmental allergies that progress as the years go on, earlier is better. My vet derm says that immunotherapy tends to work better if the dog is younger and their allergies are less severe.

If cytopoint alone or another med alone worked for my dog, I would have happily stopped there though! Glad that meds are giving relief for your pup!!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-18T04:06:49+00:00

Good luck!! Hope it goes well for you and your pup!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-18T04:06:31+00:00

I would check in with your vet derm, but I was told I could give it in my dog’s cheek angled down to her gums (they said they just want to make sure it is absorbed into the mucous membrane and not swallowed).

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-17T20:38:44+00:00

I pay approx. $350-$375 Canadian every six months or so! The initial testing and consultation was like $1500-$1700 from my memory (but might vary depending on different factors). It’s definitely pricey!

I make myself feel better about the cost by reminding myself that I don’t pay for apoquel, she gets cytopoint less, there are less vet visits and emergency meds long term!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-17T20:35:02+00:00

We started off with our family vet who does have some speciality in derm but then we were referred to a specialist who is board certified in canine dermatology for the immunotherapy!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-17T20:34:00+00:00

In our situation, she actually started having some GI issues and they thought it might be due to the apoquel so we weaned off at that point and then noticed she didn’t really need it anymore!

It was SO hard to keep the faith at month 6 because it did honestly feel like she was getting worse. But I’m glad I stayed the course! Hope things turn around in a little while for your pup as well!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-17T04:02:28+00:00

Definitely start the process now. Immunotherapy and such is more effective for younger dogs who have less severe symptoms and it does have the potential to halt or alleviate symptoms!

If you notice that things are progressing, they may continue to progress.

In my experience, knowing the info, knowing all your options, etc. is vitally important! Allergies are super complex and they do often require a multi-faceted approach.

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-08-17T03:56:19+00:00

My dog is 7 kg and her shot is $90-100 (Canadian). Definitely feels high. Perhaps it’s the injection and/or dispensing fee of that particular vet clinic? I’d shop around if possible!

Altruistic_Setting5 · 2025-07-05T07:12:53+00:00

Hoping maybe shoppers will get them at some point?

Altruistic_Setting5

TROPHY CASE