Hello!

And sorry about the gap in posts, this year has started off with a bang already!

I thought it was a perfect time for me to talk about pet allergies, since I am beginning to suffer from them myself.

Like humans, pets can suffer from allergies. The definition of allergy is a disease in which the immune system reacts abnormally to everyday substances, such as pollens, animal danders, mites and certain foods.  An allergic reaction can be caused by inhalation, digestion, or direct skin contact.

In animals, these allergies are usually categorized as three different types; atopy (environmental), flea allergy, and food allergy.

Atopy – This is what we commonly think of as allergies.  These are the grasses, trees, flowers, etc. that trigger the word allergy in our minds most often.  Pets can be allergic to many things, even other animals’ dander!  They can also be allergic to trees, weeds, grasses, dust and storage mites, molds and fungi.  These can be, but aren’t always, seasonal. The most common symptoms to watch for are:

*Scratching, biting, and chewing at skin

*Excessive face rubbing or grooming

*Hair loss

*Red, irritated looking skin

*Chronic ear infections

These most often occur in “hot spot” areas like the belly, feet, base of the tail, and face. Sneezing and coughing has also been observed, but less commonly than the signs listed above. There are blood tests that can be done to check for this kind of allergy, and those can even tell you what the pet is allergic to so that a treatment plan can be formulated.  Some companies, such as Heska, even make injections for the maintenance of allergies in dogs and cats.  Please consult a Veterinarian for details, as other possible causes can exist to make your pet itch, like skin infections, dry skin, or fleas, and they will discuss testing options for your particular case.

Flea allergy – Aside from the “regular” itch of having fleas ( which should be still be addressed due to other health concerns), some pets can actually have a more severe allergic reaction to flea bites.  These pets can be so sensitive that even one flea bite every few weeks can keep them itching and uncomfortable!  These animals commonly will have more irritation near the base of the tail and the lower half of the spine compared to other areas, but this is something that your Veterinarian can help you to determine.  Many of the blood allergy tests will also check for a flea allergy with the other items, and this may mean a more personalized flea/tick preventative program, or an added treatment option.

Food Allergy – This allergy actually has to do with immune reactions to food ingredients being ingested.  This is usually a protein, can cause inflammation and irritation to the digestive system, and can occur at any age. Common symptoms can include:

*Vomiting and/or diarrhea

*Flatulence

*Frequent scratching and hair loss

*Red, irritated skin and/or chronic ear problems

*Coughing, wheezing and/or sneezing

This one is a little tougher.  After seeing your pet, your Veterinarian may choose to start with a “food trial”.  This would involve starting him/her either on a hydrolysed prescription food (which coats the proteins to help with gut irritation while passing through the digestive system), or a food with a “novel” or “new” protein and grain.  This means trying to find a food that your pet’s digestive system has not seen before.  For example, switching him/her from a beef and wheat – based kibble to a salmon and potato – based one.  Your Vet can help you with this, as many pet foods have multiple proteins and grains in them.  This food trial will need to take place over a long period of time to see if it helps or not, and many recommend continuing with it over the course of about three months.  This also means that the pet can have ONLY that food and water, which means NO people food, NO treats.  These also have some of the ingredients that you are trying to avoid with the new food.  Also, it doesn’t take much to start your dog itching again.  Many times, one small bite of food can cause weeks of itching, proportions don’t matter in the allergy department!  This can also make it harder to decide if the food trial is working or not, since the itching may continue due to a beefy treat, or some dropped chicken from dinner.

Sometimes pets can have multiple allergies, meaning they could have a flea AND a food allergy, or atopy AND food, or even all three!  This is where regular communication with you Vet can come in handy, to see if allergy treatments need to be combined, switched, or new plans need to be formulated to address all avenues of your pet’s allergies.

I am sure that after all of this information, you are wondering “Why bother with all of this when I can just give my dog or cat steroids?”

Well, it is kind of a long answer. All of the tests mentioned above are to find a long-term,  non-steroidal method of treatment for your pet.  While the short-term use of steroids can be safe and effective when given properly, long-term use not only means the underlying cause is not being addressed, it can also have long-term effects on your pet!

Steroids can have short-term side effects that include:

• Increased hunger, thirst and urination
• Increased panting (especially dogs)
• General loss of energy, and less commonly, vomiting and/or nausea
• Development or worsening of infections (especially bacterial skin infections)

And long-term effects can include:

• poor wound healing ability
• development of thin skin, blackheads and a poor or thin hair coat
• muscle weakness secondary to protein breakdown
• development of hard plaques or spots on the skin,which are the result of calcium deposition in the skin.
• increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial infections, fungal infections and sometimes development of adult onset demodectic mange.
• Predisposition to diabetes mellitus, pancreatitus, blood clots, and ulcers
• A pot belly, which often signals the presence of Cushing’s disease
  

So, I hope you find this information useful, and for more information on skin conditions of many kinds, feel free to visit the Windsor Animal Clinic web page by clicking on the picture below!