Stop the Itching and Chewing

Help your pet get relief from the symptoms of allergies.

Obsessively scratching, chewing, rubbing, or licking the skin: All these aggravating symptoms in your pet may be caused by allergies. If you suffer from seasonal sniffles and wheezes, then you know how miserable your pet must feel. While dogs and cats aren’t likely to excessively sneeze or cough like you, allergies will make them as unhappy as they make you.

WHAT IS AN ALLERGY?
Allergies occur when the immune system reacts abnormally to what are usually innocuous substances, such as molds, house dust or house dust mites, and the pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds, just to name a few. Your pet may show only seasonal symptoms if the allergy is to a flowering grass or other plant. Mold allergies can also be worse during certain seasons. While their duration can vary depending upon location, truly seasonal allergies tend to last about three months, and can be managed during that specific time of year. However, a large number of dog and cat allergies are not considered seasonal and, while they may wax and wane, they often occur year round.

Even the smallest exposure to an allergen can set off a major allergic reaction. For example, your pet does not have to be infested with fleas to start scratching. Just one bite from one flea can cause a severe reaction in an allergic animal. In addition to causing irksome symptoms, allergies can lead to recurrent bacterial skin infections, yeast infections, as well as painful ear infections. Some food allergies may upset your pet’s digestive tract, resulting in diarrhea or vomiting.

It is important to recognize that allergies are life-long, chronic problems. They are not cured, but rather managed. On the bright side, there is a lot you can do to help your pet feel better.

IDENTIFYING TRIGGERS
Pinpointing the offending substance is the first step to alleviating symptoms. Allergies take time to develop (think of ragweed allergies in humans), so don’t necessarily blame a new living room rug or a new brand of pet treat for triggering the problem. Instead, a substance that your pet has been exposed to for a prolonged period of time could be the culprit. The change is your pet’s reaction to the substance, rather than a sudden exposure to it. Identifying the allergen may be difficult since most common allergens are ubiquitous in your pet’s environment. Rather than guessing at the cause of your pet’s reaction, your first step should be to visit your veterinarian, who will help you determine the best course of action.

DIAGNOSING ALLERGIES
Your veterinary team will evaluate and treat your pet. When your visit begins, you will be asked detailed questions about your pet’s history, including information about food and environment. You’ll likely be asked when the problem began, what symptoms you are seeing, and which part of your pet’s body is most affected. With these questions, your veterinarian is trying to find important clues to help determine the cause and severity of your pet’s allergies.

After gathering this information, your veterinarian will do a dermatologic examination of your pet’s hair coat, skin, eyes, and ears. This examination will identify the body regions affected and help determine if there is evidence of infection or additional skin damage from scratching or chewing. Certain allergies often affect certain areas of the body. For example, flea allergies often affect the rump, tail, groin, and thighs. Therefore, this information can be valuable when trying to narrow the likely causes. The doctor will also be looking for evidence of fleas, ticks, and other ectoparasites.

TESTING FOR THE CAUSE
When the examination is complete, the veterinarian may be able to diagnose your cat or dog’s problem. If not, further testing will be needed to help narrow the list of likely causes. Additional tests may include evaluating skin scrapings for mites, or testing the ears for infection. After these diagnostic efforts, even more testing may be needed. However, your veterinarian will likely start treating your pet’s symptoms at this time. Remember, allergies are not cured but rather require life-long management. The best treatment for allergies really depends on how often your pet experiences symptoms and how severe those symptoms are.

Food sensitivity could be the underlying cause of your pet’s reaction.

Food sensitivity could be the underlying cause of your pet’s reaction. To determine whether this is the case, your veterinarian might suggest a trial elimination diet. During the testing period, which can last eight to twelve weeks, you will need to feed a special prescription diet available from your veterinarian or a home-prepared diet. You must feed this food exclusively, that means giving no treats or table scraps. If a home-prepared diet successfully resolves your pet’s allergy, for your convenience, your veterinarian may then prescribe a special commercial diet containing similar ingredients. If you are lucky enough to find a diet that eliminates your pet’s symptoms, stick with it. Remember, you must continue to avoid offering treats with different ingredients that could trigger your dog or cat’s allergy.

If your veterinarian believes your pet suffers from environmental or airborne allergies, he or she may perform blood tests or patch tests of the skin to identify the allergens. Once the environmental or airborne trigger has been identified, the doctor will initiate immunotherapy, such as prescribing allergy shots. This isn’t as scary as it might sound. Pet owners can easily learn to perform these subcutaneous (just under the skin) injections at home rather than traveling to the veterinarian. This immunotherapy is given regularly, often weekly, gradually desensitizing the immune system. It takes a long time to reprogram the immune system, and it can be six to twelve months before pets show improvement. This therapy is successful for about 60% of patients.

MANAGING THE PROBLEM
Regardless of whether your pet’s allergy trigger is found, you will need to provide symptomatic treatment either as the only therapy for mild or infrequent symptoms or for temporary relief while a food trial or allergy shots are being instituted. Symptomatic treatments may include the use of corticosteroids, antihistamines, antibiotics for secondary infections, essential fatty acids, cyclosporine (an immunosuppressant), and some topical shampoos or ointments recommended by your veterinarian. You will be able to give your pet a lot of relief by treating symptoms as they occur. This requires patience and determination, but keeping your allergic pet comfortable is worth the effort.

Identifying and controlling allergies in dogs and cats can be a challenging, complicated process. By working closely with your veterinarian and remembering to be patient, you can greatly improve your allergic pet’s quality of life and reduce the frustration of constant scratching and licking.

DON’T FORGET FLEAS

Flea allergy is probably the most common allergy in pets. No matter what the cause of your pet’s allergies, it is imperative to control fleas. Even if your pet has never had fleas (that you have seen), an allergic cat or dog can become symptomatic after just one stray bite and be itchy for up to five days. It is critical that all pets in your household be kept flea-free to help your allergic pet remain comfortable.

Thankfully, there are many highly effective and easy-to-use products available to help eliminate fleas on your pet and in your home. Because allergic pet’s skin is sensitive, it is important to talk to your veterinarian about which flea-control product will work best for your pet. As with other allergy triggers, you will likely need to symptomatically treat your pet from time to time to keep him comfortable.

Just a reminder: While ticks are not likely allergens, they do transmit several serious systemic diseases. You should protect your pet year round by using a quality tick-preventive product that’s recommended by your veterinarian.