Allergies and Your Pet

Allergies in pets can be very rewarding or very frustrating to diagnose and treat.  Is there anything worse than your dog or cat scratching so much it keeps them and you up at night?

The three most common types of allergies are flea allergy, inhaled, and food allergies.   When we see a dog or cat with itchy skin and maybe a few sores we think first of fleas.  The allergy is actually due to the saliva of the flea.  When a flea bites your pet he or she itches and scratches for much longer than from just the initial bite.  The itching can be over vast areas of the skin.

 Dogs and cats also have inhaled allergies to pollens, mold, dust, etc. just like people.   However, dogs react differently than people.   Dogs get itchy skin where people get runny noses, itchy eyes, sneezing and congestion (that seems to describe me this time of year!).   Cats can react to inhaled allergies in two ways.  Our feline friends can either have itchy skin or respiratory problems.  The respiratory problems cats can have due to allergies are actually called feline asthma.

 The third type of allergy is food allergy.  It seems strange that eating a certain food can make a pet’s skin itch but it really does happen.  The allergen can be common food ingredients that the dog or cat has eaten.  This can make food allergies difficult to diagnose and treat since most foods have similar ingredients.

 There are a few other skin problems that can frustrate the diagnosis of allergies.   There are mites that can infect hair follicles causing hair loss.  If your pet gets a skin infection due to a bacteria or yeast they can itch.  It then becomes difficult to know which one came first, the allergy or the infection.

Most seasonal itching problems are either flea allergies, pollen, or mold related.  If the itching season is short for an individual pet, it may be possible to control the problem with antihistamines or other medications.  If the problem persists for longer periods or is year round, it may be an indication to have allergy testing performed and begin desensitization to try to achieve long term improvement without the constant use of medications.   Food trials can also be done to rule out food allergies.

What this all comes down to is this:  In order to get to the bottom of a pet’s itchiness and control the itchiness, it takes a close relationship between owners and veterinarians as well as a lot of patience.  Treating allergies can be very rewarding when the pet stops itching and we can all get a good nights rest.

Dr. Tony Fuller
The Animal Care Center
www.animalcarecenters.com