Could Your Pet Have Allergies? Tell-Tale Signs And Available Treatments
Allergies represent a change in a pet’s immune system and represent the number-one reason for veterinary visits outside of routine medical care, said Paul Bloom, DVM, a board-certified veterinary dermatologist in Michigan.
Allergies occur when the immune system sees normal substances as foreign and tries to attack them, Bloom explained. The internal attack prompts inflammation, which accounts for allergy symptoms that you see in your pets.
Although pet owners worry that they have caused allergic reactions by using new products or switching foods, it takes months for the body to develop allergic sensitivity, according to experts.
“Allergies are always caused by something the pet has been exposed to for a long time,” said Leonard D. Jonas, DVM, MS, at AAHA-accredited Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Colorado.
Flea and environmental allergies – caused by pollen, trees, grass, wheat and mold – are the most common in pets in comparison to food and contact allergies that are caused by physical reactions to touching substances.
Veterinarians and veterinary technicians identify allergy triggers by listening to symptoms reported by pet owners and confirm their diagnoses with blood tests.
According to Bloom, diagnosis is the easy part. “It’s figuring out what the culprit antigens are and managing allergic dogs” that’s difficult, he said.
While people sneeze or get runny noses from allergies, the hallmark sign of pet allergies is itchy skin.
Repeated ear infections in dogs and lip ulcers and oral nodules in cats are also signs of allergies. When asked if your pet is “itchy,” ask yourself if your pet has done any of the following recently:
Excessive licking
Scratching
Chewing, biting or rubbing of the skin
Flea allergic dermatitis is the most common skin disease in dogs and cats, but you want to rule out itchiness caused by parasites like Sarcoptic mange or demodex.
“If we’re suspicious of parasites we perform scrapings of the skin,” Jonas said. A ringworm culture is often performed to rule out fungal infections, he added.
Once parasites and ringworms are ruled out, professionals test for environmental and food allergies. Some doctors start with food trials.
Even if a dog has eaten the same food for years, he/she can develop an allergy to it, said Christine Horst, DVM, at AAHA-accredited Mesa Veterinary Hospital in Colorado. Wheat, soy, corn, dairy products, beef and chicken are common causes of food allergies.
Jonas puts pets with suspected food allergies on hypoallergenic diets that consist of protein and carbohydrates that are new to the pet. For example, he may suggest duck, venison, and potatoes, for up to 12 weeks. If an allergy is food related, improvement will be noted during that time.
If it’s not a food allergy, doctors may use blood tests to identify environmental agents that cause allergies. Treatment for environmental allergies entails shots given periodically to decrease allergic sensitivity. In most cases, pet owners can give these shots to their pets at home.
“If we do immunotherapy (allergy shots) based on blood work that takes a while to kick in and assess if we are successful,” Horst said.
Bloom agreed and said that improvement can take six to 12 months after allergen-specific therapy is started. “It’s a very special client who is dedicated enough to take the time, energy and dollars it can require to manage this problem effectively,” he added.
Allergies occur when the immune system sees normal substances as foreign and tries to attack them, Bloom explained. The internal attack prompts inflammation, which accounts for allergy symptoms that you see in your pets.
Although pet owners worry that they have caused allergic reactions by using new products or switching foods, it takes months for the body to develop allergic sensitivity, according to experts.
“Allergies are always caused by something the pet has been exposed to for a long time,” said Leonard D. Jonas, DVM, MS, at AAHA-accredited Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Colorado.
Flea and environmental allergies – caused by pollen, trees, grass, wheat and mold – are the most common in pets in comparison to food and contact allergies that are caused by physical reactions to touching substances.
Veterinarians and veterinary technicians identify allergy triggers by listening to symptoms reported by pet owners and confirm their diagnoses with blood tests.
According to Bloom, diagnosis is the easy part. “It’s figuring out what the culprit antigens are and managing allergic dogs” that’s difficult, he said.
Even if a dog has eaten the same food for years, he/she can develop an allergy to it, said Christine Horst, DVM, at AAHA-accredited Mesa Veterinary Hospital in Colorado. Wheat, soy, corn, dairy products, beef and chicken are common causes of food allergies.
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While people sneeze or get runny noses from allergies, the hallmark sign of pet allergies is itchy skin.
Repeated ear infections in dogs and lip ulcers and oral nodules in cats are also signs of allergies. When asked if your pet is “itchy,” ask yourself if your pet has done any of the following recently:
Excessive licking
Scratching
Chewing, biting or rubbing of the skin
Flea allergic dermatitis is the most common skin disease in dogs and cats, but you want to rule out itchiness caused by parasites like Sarcoptic mange or demodex.
“If we’re suspicious of parasites we perform scrapings of the skin,” Jonas said. A ringworm culture is often performed to rule out fungal infections, he added.
Once parasites and ringworms are ruled out, professionals test for environmental and food allergies. Some doctors start with food trials.
Even if a dog has eaten the same food for years, he/she can develop an allergy to it, said Christine Horst, DVM, at AAHA-accredited Mesa Veterinary Hospital in Colorado. Wheat, soy, corn, dairy products, beef and chicken are common causes of food allergies.
Jonas puts pets with suspected food allergies on hypoallergenic diets that consist of protein and carbohydrates that are new to the pet. For example, he may suggest duck, venison, and potatoes, for up to 12 weeks. If an allergy is food related, improvement will be noted during that time.
If it’s not a food allergy, doctors may use blood tests to identify environmental agents that cause allergies. Treatment for environmental allergies entails shots given periodically to decrease allergic sensitivity. In most cases, pet owners can give these shots to their pets at home.
“If we do immunotherapy (allergy shots) based on blood work that takes a while to kick in and assess if we are successful,” Horst said.
Bloom agreed and said that improvement can take six to 12 months after allergen-specific therapy is started. “It’s a very special client who is dedicated enough to take the time, energy and dollars it can require to manage this problem effectively,” he added.
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