What kind of signs do pets show when they are
suffering from allergies?
Typically in animals, allergies
manifest in the form of itch. You may
notice your pet shaking their head and rubbing their face on the ground as well
as chewing their sides, legs and feet.
If allergies become severe, your pet can cause irritated skin, lesions
and hair loss by excessively chewing and scratching. Even though allergies and infections do not
always come hand in hand, infection can be caused if the symptoms of itch are
not addressed soon enough.
Do all pets who have allergies require treatment?
No. If your pet has enough itch to cause
infection or affect their quality of life, that is when intervention is
recommended. If your pet’s itch is low
grade or temporary enough to not cause an interruption to their daily life,
there is often no need to intervene.
Can pets be treated with antihistamines?
Histamine is a chemical
released by inflammatory cells in the skin.
In people histamine is the major cause of inflammation and itch with
allergies. However, histamine is not the
major chemical released in the skin of our allergic pets. For this reason it is rare for antihistamines
to effectively treat our pet’s allergies.
Is there a cure for allergies?
Unfortunately, there is no
cure for allergies but they can be managed efficiently. The treatment for allergies differs on which
type of allergies your pet is affected with.
What are the different types of allergies?
Environmental Allergies:
These
allergens include but are not limited to plant pollens, dust mites, weeds,
grasses and mold. Environmental allergies
can be especially frustrating due to the fact that they are very difficult to
isolate. During seasonal transitions it is very common for us to see a lot of
itchy pets and spring and fall are the two most common allergy seasons. Blood and skin testing can be done to isolate
allergens and based on those results an injectable serum can be custom made in
an attempt to control itch and maintain comfort. Medications can also be used to manage
environmental allergies and is the most commonly used method.
Food Allergies:
Some pets develop
hypersensitivity to various ingredients that are very commonly found in
commercially prepared diets. Food
allergies are supported by the perception that the pet is consistently
suffering from itch all year round. In this case, a food trial will be
recommended to rule out whether it is in fact an ingredient in your pet’s diet
that is the offending allergen. A food
trial consists of transitioning your pet exclusively on to a hypoallergenic
diet and offering them nothing but the prescribed food during the length of the
trial. Although there are many diets in
the pet store that claim to be hypoallergenic, it is important to pick a diet
that contains no ingredients that your pet has ever been exposed to, only then
will it truly be a hypoallergenic. It
takes 6 to 8 weeks to confirm whether the change in food is going to be an
efficient way to manage your pet’s allergies.
Allergies are among the
most frustrating conditions to deal with and are very individual based on the
patient. If you are concerned that your
pet may be showing some of these signs or are interested in additional
information, please let us know and we would be happy to have a conversation
with you. At Streetsville Animal
Hospital we are here to help and will work together with you to develop the
best strategy to make sure your pet is living its happiest, most comfortable
life!
-Jennifer