grovercentervetAllergies in Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Guide to Soothing Your Itchy Pet
You aren’t alone if you’ve ever experienced a night of stress while lying awake and watching your pet shaking their head, chewing the skin, or licking their paws. Fur babies are just like us and are very sensitive to seasonal, dietary and environmental irritants. In fact, allergies in pets, both dogs and cats, are among the most common issues that dog and cat parents visit veterinary clinics around the world for.
Humans tend to react to an allergy when their eyes get watery, their nose runs, and they sneeze. Our pets usually react in a different way, however. Pets don’t get watery eyes, a runny nose and sneezing when they have an allergy, but they react in a very different way. Their main arena of combat is the skin. Thus, allergic reactions in dogs and cats will typically appear as extreme itching, inflammation of the skin/ear and recurring ear and skin infections.
When your furry friend is in constant pain, it’s devastating. To truly be of assistance, you have to first comprehend what is in fact causing their allergy, how to identify the subtle symptoms and how you can help bring peace and comfort back into their everyday lives.
How Does an Allergic Reaction Work?
Allergic reactions are essentially the body’s immune system mistaking the environment with which it is in contact as a foreign invader. Allergies in dogs and cats is a case in which the body’s immune system mistakenly targets a perfectly harmless substance from the environment (or food) and labels it as a dangerous invader. In response to this perceived threat, the immune system generates appropriate antibodies and sets off a host of inflammatory chemicals in the body, such as histamines.
These chemicals in pets are very prone to moving towards the skin, the ears and the gastrointestinal tract. This localized inflammation produces the high temperature, redness and the desire to scratch that results in allergies in dogs and cats. The more they scratch, the more they irritate and infect, which leads to a vicious cycle of irritation and infection.
There are three main types of allergies that are common among dogs and cats.
There are basically three main types of causes that trigger allergies. The first major step to developing an effective treatment plan is to determine what type of variant is affecting your pet.
1. Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)
This is most likely to be the cause of allergies in dogs and cats. The intense reaction is due to proteins found in the flea’s saliva, not the crawling flea itself. A flea’s bite puts a very small amount of saliva into the skin. A normal pet may experience itching from a bite which is only temporary. Dogs and cats with allergies caused by fleas however, will have an explosive itching reaction from a single bite by a flea, and it will happen all over their bodies. Usually, dogs will gnaw on the base of the tail and thighs and cats will get tiny, crusty scabs on their neck and back.
2. Environmental Allergies (Atopy)
As with people, pets can be extremely sensitive to airborne particles in the environment. Dogs and cats get environmental allergies from tiny particles, like tree, weed, and grass pollens, mold spores, house dust mites and mildews. More often, atopy begins as a seasonal disease (only in spring or fall), but can progress to a year-round condition as the pet ages.
3. Food Allergies
While environmental sensitivities are more common than food allergies, the latter are a big hassle to deal with. In dogs and cats, if they develop a food allergy it is to a protein that is found in their normal diet. Beef, chicken, dairy, fish and lamb are the most common allergens in both dogs and cats. These ingredients can cause chronic and severe skin problems and digestive complaints as well.
Symptoms to be aware of:
Dogs and cats don’t say when they are feeling lousy, so we must watch for signs and symptoms of allergies.
Irritation: This is the most common sign. Relentless scratching, chewing and licking. Your dog or cat will be seen chewing at their paws, rubbing their face against the carpet, and scratching their underarms.
Recurrent Ear Infection: The skin of the ear canal is a hotspot for allergies in dogs and cats. If your pet is constantly shaking its head, ears are red and swollen or there is a foul, dark discharge, there’s a strong chance your pet has some sort of allergy.
Hair Loss and “Hot Spots”: Self-trauma creates patchy hair loss and “hot spots” are raw, weeping bacterial skin infections which occur overnight.
Bright pink or angry red skin: Parting the pet’s fur might expose bright pink or angry red skin, especially around the belly, groin and paws.
Food Allergy: Pets get diarrhea, vomiting, flatulence, or loose stool constantly, or they may have a lot more bowel movements than normal daily.
Diagnostic Strategies: Finding the Root Cause
Your veterinarian needs to investigate the cause of your dog’s or cat’s allergy symptoms slowly and systematically to determine the exact cause.
Eliminating parasites first.
Your veterinarian will make sure that itching isn’t due to external parasites before testing for complex sensitivities. They will do skin scrapings to see if there are mites present and will use a fine-toothed flea comb to search for hiding fleas or flea dirt.
The Elimination Diet Trial
Blood tests are unreliable in case a dietary trigger is suspected. Rather, the most reliable method to diagnose a dog or cat’s food allergy is by trying an elimination diet for 8–12 weeks. The pet should only be fed a prescription hydrolyzed protein diet or a novel protein source (one the pet has not eaten before – such as kangaroo or venison). It is essential to be absolute with compliance – one single kibble, one flavoured medicine, one table scraps can spoil the whole trial.
Introduction of intradermal and serum allergy tests.
If your pet is an environmental atopic, the veterinarian can use special blood tests (serum testing), or may refer you to a veterinary dermatologist for intradermal skin testing, which is similar to human allergy scratch tests. These diagnostics identify the specific grasses, molds or trees that are triggering the immune system to panic.
The treatment is a multi-modal approach that relieves your pet.
While many people think of “magic bullets” to cure their pets’ allergies, there is no single “magic cure” for allergies. Rather, it depends upon a thorough, multi-modal approach customized to your pet’s life style and sensitivities.
Advanced Medical Therapies
In today’s veterinary medicine there are much more targeted treatments that avoid the long-term usage of steroids, which are the traditional treatments with very high side effects:
– Cytopoint: This is a highly targeted injection of a monoclonal antibody that works for dogs to block the specific itch-signal from the brain and can cure itching in dogs for 4-8 weeks.
– Apoquel: Rapidly interrupts the itch and inflammation pathway in dogs that comes from the biological pathway, administered as a daily oral medication.
– Atopica (Cyclosporine): This is an immunosuppressive drug which is safe and long-term approved for dogs and cats to help control an overactive allergic response. This is an optional item. This is an optional supplement.
Prescription medicated shampoos that contain an ingredient like chlorhexidine, ketoconazole or a soothing oatmeal help to physically wash away the allergens in the fur and to soothe inflamed skin. Adding high quality omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) to your pet’s food will help heal the damaged skin barrier, from the inside out, helping to lower overall inflammation.
Allergen Immunotherapy (Allergy Shots)
If environmental triggers are detected by testing, specific allergy shots or oral drops can be created for your pet. Over several months, the body is exposed to small, incremental doses of the allergen, and the immune system becomes accustomed to it, providing a permanent remedy for allergies in dogs and cats.
Conclusion
It can be an exhausting emotional roller coaster to live with a pet that has chronic allergies in dogs and cats. But by being patient, observing closely and working with your veterinarian, you should be able to break the itch-scratch cycle. If your pet requires a special food regimen, a focused flea prevention program, or even flea itch treatment with modern innovative products, it is possible to get your pet to feel better. Watch their skin and notice changes, steer clear of the things that may trigger itchy skin, and look forward to helping your companion live a happy, comfortable, itch-free life.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Q: May I use antihistamines (such as Benadryl) on my pet human for allergies?
A: Some antihistamines that can be bought at the pharmacy are appropriate for use in pets, but they are not as effective as they are in humans, and should be used only with strict veterinary supervision. They can be sedative, but don’t always work on intense skin itching that penetrates into the deeper layers. Always follow your vet’s instructions for the proper dose.
Q: Yes, there are some breeds that are more susceptible to allergies than others.
A: Yes, there is a significant genetic component. Many breeds of dogs are highly susceptible to atopy; such as French Bulldogs, Golden Retrievers, Labradors, West Highland White Terriers and Boxers. Cats with Siamese and domestic shorthair breeds often suffer from allergic skin disease.
Q: Food allergy trial results can be seen after 1-2 weeks depending on the diet.
A: It takes a lot of patience. It takes time for the skin to heal and dietary proteins stay in the body for weeks. The following general guidelines apply to the prescription elimination diet: It must be followed as strictly as possible for at least 8 weeks to 12 weeks before assessing the success of the diet.
Ali Hamza
