Are Allergies giving your pet a problem?
by Dr. Sheila King
With springtime right around the corner, it's time to address inhalant
allergies. Allergies are one of the most common problems affecting dogs.
Allergies occur when a pet's immune system overreacts to different
things in its environment called allergens. The most common
manifestation of this is itching, regardless of whether the allergen is
from food, contact or something the dog is breathing.
The most common allergy is inhalant allergy, or atopy. Dogs can react to
all the same inhaled things that people do. Pollens, molds and mildew
often cause seasonal problems, whereas things like dust mites can cause
year-round problems. Although allergies can cause itchy skin just about
anywhere, most dogs begin by licking or chewing their feet. If you don't
see your dog licking, scratching or chewing, other telltale signs are
saliva staining (which leaves the hair rust colored), red skin and hair
loss.
Often when allergy signs are mild or infrequent we use symptomatic treatment.
This treatment often includes fatty acid supplementation, which improves
the overall health of the skin and coat. This alone will not control
allergies but can decrease the amount of other medications necessary.
About 50% of dogs will respond to an antihistamine.
As a rule dogs do not respond as well to antihistamines as people do. Antihistamines can
work well to prevent itchiness but seldom work to stop the scratching
once it has started. There are several different kinds of antihistamines
that can be used safely in dogs. Where one doesn't work, another might.
Corticosteroids, like prednisone and dexamethasone, work very well to
stop and prevent itching. However, there can be adverse side effects
especially with long-term high doses.
Often higher doses are used
initially to control the signs and then a much lower, alternate day dose
will prevent signs from recurring. This can be an acceptable form of
treatment if we can take the dog off the medication in the winter or if
the dose of cortisone is sufficiently low. For occasional, mild
allergies symptomatic treatment may control signs better than allergy
injections.
For uncontrollable, chronic or recurrent allergies, allergy
testing is recommended to determine to what specifically this pet is
reacting. This is done either by intradermal skin test at a
dermatologist or blood test at your regular veterinarian. Once the
allergens are identified allergen injections can be specifically
formulated for your pet. These regular injections can. be given at home
and serve to "sensitize" your pet to not react when he/she
encounters these allergens in the environment. Allergen injections work
to lessen allergic reactions (ie itching) in 30‑50 % of cases. The
goal is to reduce or eliminate the need for corticostcroid use. Food
allergy, flea allergy and contact allergy need to be ruled out when
treating atopy. The best treatment to keep your pet comfortable varies
widely with the individual. Contact your veterinarian for specific
recommendations if you are concerned that your dog may be suffering from
allergies.
Dr. Sheila King
Animal Hospital of Streamwood
904 E Irving Park Rd
Streamwood, IL 60107
(630) 837-4400
ahsl@imerwise.com
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