It’s one of the most frustrating conditions we see in dogs and cats, and we happen to be in the middle of allergy season. Many pet owners deal with the frustration of a pet that just won’t stop scratching or chewing or licking themselves. It cuts into their sleep, and into their wallet with repeated visits to the vet. Unfortunately allergies are a lifelong condition, but there are many options available to help keep your furry friend comfortable.
The culprits:
1) Fleas are probably the most obvious cause of itching, and some pets can actually be allergic to their bites, losing hair over their back, tail, and down their legs.
2) Food allergies. Some pets do develop allergies to certain foods. Reactions to chicken and beef appear to be the most common, but there are many possibilities. These allergies can manifest as vomiting and diarrhea, but often (especially in dogs), show up as itchy skin.
3) Atopy. This is basically a genetic predisposition to developing allergies to environmental antigens, such as pollen or dust mites. Symptoms are commonly seasonal, and are first noticed in young adult pets.
How do you know your pet is itchy? You will see obvious things such as scratching and chewing and hair loss, but sometimes slightly less obvious signs, such as shaking their head, rubbing their face/body on the floor or on furniture, or licking their feet or other places. Frequent licking can cause light colored hair to stain a brown color.
Secondary problems:
The longer an allergy goes unchecked, the more issues develop. The constant inflammation, scratching and chewing often leads to skin or ear infections. These infections can be itchy in and of themselves. You may notice patches of hair loss, scabs, flaky skin, pustules (look like big pimples), or thickened skin (can look like elephant skin).
Treatment:
The first step of treatment is to treat for any parasites that are present, and clear up any skin or ear infections that have set in. Your vet will need to do tests to look for parasites, and to determine the type of skin or ear infection that is present. Testing ensures that your pet is treated with appropriate medications and it gets cleared up the first time around! Your vet may also send you home with a steroid or other medication to give your pet some immediate relief from the itching and to help those infections clear up faster. Steroids do a great job of stopping the itch, but can have some nasty side-effects if they are given long term. This is why it is important to figure out the underlying cause for your pet’s suffering, and address that directly.
Obviously if your pet is allergic to flea bites, strict flea control is a must! Some topical products can even repel fleas or kill them before they bite. See our blog post on fleas: http://rockbridgeanimal.com/fleas/
Food allergies must be ruled out as a contributing cause. Your vet will discuss diet options, but basically your pet will need to be strictly on a special diet for 8-12 weeks, not getting any other treats, your other pet’s food, table scraps, or crumbs off your toddler’s face. If your pet responds well to the food trial, you’ll put him back on his original food to see if the allergy comes back. This makes sure it wasn’t just a coincidental improvement if an environmental allergen disappeared at the same time you did the food trial. If the symptoms do return, you will go back on the food trial food until he stops being itchy, then introduce one food at a time to determine what foods are a trigger for him.
To determine the type of environmental allergies your pet may have, you can either do a blood test, or skin testing with a veterinary dermatologist. Once the allergens have been identified, a company will make a vial of serum containing allergen proteins your pet reacts to, and you will administer that to your pet periodically to help desensitize him to those allergens. See this page for more information on allergy testing: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2430
Some pets with mild environmental allergies will be comfortable with just Benadryl or another antihistamine. Talk to your vet about the best option for your pet.
