u/Kawasumiimaii

Hopefully this is allowed ( kind of skirting rule 2) but for those food allergy friends, RC HP is 50% off right now for your first S&S. Saving a penny where you can with these puppers. For those of you that already use amazon Petsmart has 20% off w/ SAVE20 through 6/25. :) edit Hills has 45% off first S&S

Occasionally, there are few people asking about harness and I got the opportunity to try 2 harness by Non-stop dog wear. We typically use the XL front Range Ruffwear harness but I've been noticing that it's a bit too small for my girl now.

We tried the Line 5.0 in size 8 as well as the Rock Harness Long in L and XL.

For reference, my girl is 38"ish around the chest so even though on paper the L ranges up to 43" it does not fit.

I used these guides to judge the harness: https://doggearreview.com/article/yharnessfit/
https://doggearreview.com/article/threestrapharnessfit/

Line 5.0 size 8 -- very light weight and attractive. Nice a sturdy, seems like very good construction. Down side is their sizing. There is not a lot of adjustments on this harness, only chest adjustments. The head hole is fine for my girl, a little snug going on but not forceful. Seems to sit about right on the neck and protruding chest bone but as you can see, it does not extend back below the sternum far enough. It's about 2-3in shy of being in the right spot. Instead of the apex or just lightly behind the apex of the chest, it's marginally in front. If I would to get this, I would most definitely size up to a 9. I went with 8 for color options and because their site said to size down if you think you're between sizes but definitely size up.

Side view

2 finger space

a little right around the neck and not being long enough on the bottom is causing it to bulge at the top.

Rock Harness Long XL -- people complain about build quality and symmetry on this harness but the one I received seemed within normal tolerances (symmetrical to the eye). The mesh material seems durable and reinforced. I do wonder about the longevity of their hexivent padding material. It seems like it's the type of material to split at after too many folds in the same location. This is all speculation on my part and I have not seen any reviews showing it breaking at common fold areas. The straps are kind of a pain to do up but you get a lot more customization here. The harness is a 3 strap style so it's much longer and more likely to fit than 2 strap harness. Deep chested dogs really struggle to fit 2 strap harness because of the underbelly length--the problem with the line 5.0. I'm not a huge fan of the harder reinforced piece just behind the neck, it seems like it's poking her when she's up and alert. The size would definitely accommodate a larger male though, there is a lot of slack still for my girl. L was entirely out of the question, I couldn't even extend the straps far enough to try. I do like that this one has a handle that could help you hoist your pup up, I tried it on her and she didn't yelp or anything so the weight is distributed enough for it to work.

You can see the 2nd strap is right at the apex of the chest instead of slightly in front like the previous harness.

https://preview.redd.it/5z1geh5oic6h1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31484daf90b62cfed9dd02685a3ab2b78fba2bf1

the bit that pokes her in the back of the neck

this is a lose fitting but you can see how far back it goes

I don't know if it's the AI overlords messing up but I just contacted Metlife about a recent claim that I got more money back than I expected.

We went to the dermatologist for an annual but also to have a spontaneous growth reviewed. This growth is not related to allergies so I figured I could get something back there. Luckily I did but then I also noticed that they somehow gifted me back money on a small clinical service fee (clinical assistance cause my dog is nervous) under 'environmental allergies (atopy)'. Which all this time, I thought was excluded because my puppy had a case of pyoderma when she was between 7-10mo which was before we had insurance at 11mo old. So I contacted Metlife and found out that her only pre-existing condition is pyoderma and NOT environmental allergies. We got diagnosed w/ food and environmental allergies under our previous embrace insurance but they denied it. We did a no gain no loss transfer to MetLife (employer sponsored plan) so I figured it was no different. Based on this, I rolled the dice and submitted my claim for a new allergy medication we've been put on but without getting my hopes up. Just to see but lo and behold! I received a notification of a payment from Metlife! Has anyone else experienced this and am I allowed to rejoice yet? Or do I just cautiously keep submitting these claims and pray every time?

https://preview.redd.it/qu7z2jh4li5h1.png?width=699&format=png&auto=webp&s=1b52b581b238fdc7aa828cb82af4b1c724f262b2

We’ve had our dog on Apoquel since May 2024, and we recently switched to Zenrelia in February 2026.

Her annual blood test in November 2023 (at 1 year old) showed a neutrophil count of 8,000. About two weeks before that test, she had been on prednisone for infected skin, so I’m unsure if that elevated the result.

After starting Apoquel, we saw a significant drop in her neutrophil count:

• October 2024: 2,780
• July 2025: 2,470
• January 2026 (right before starting Zenrelia): 2,400

Now, two months after switching to Zenrelia (April 2026), her neutrophil count is 1,800.

I’m wondering if anyone else has seen a downward trend in neutrophil counts while their dog is on Apoquel or Zenrelia. It’s also possible that her “true” baseline is just naturally on the lower side, and the 8,000 result in 2023 was elevated due to prednisone.

For additional context, she’s very prone to skin infections. That’s why we went to a dermatologist in May 2024—our primary vet couldn’t determine the cause of recurring papules. She’s never been particularly itchy, but she frequently develops bumps that progress into pustules and become infected.

We did IDAT testing, which showed mild-to-moderate (2–3 level) environmental allergies. Apoquel didn’t fully resolve her symptoms, but it seemed to reduce them somewhat. Started Immunotherapy but couldn't tell you how we fall on the spectrum of success.

She still consistently has hive-like bumps between her toes, along with scabbing and flaking. These also appear on her thighs and rear—typically on the side she lies on—and have never fully resolved with any treatment so far.

Even on Zenrelia, these symptoms never fully went away. The main improvement we’ve noticed is reduced inflammation around her eyes. Throughout all of this, she rarely scratches—maybe once or twice a month, she’s around me most of the day, so I can monitor that closely.

The dermatologist mentioned that 2.5% of dogs just have naturally low neutrophil counts but 1800 is worrisome to me and her vet team. The plan right now is to stop both JAK inhibitors and just up baths & keep immunotherapy going. If things don't improve we probably need to add an IM to our team of specialist (damn dog has seen more specialist than I have). I just wanted to ask on the forum to see if anyone else has seen a trend in their dog.