How to deal with spring skin allergies in dogs and cats
Hooray, it’s spring! Everyone’s excited to get outdoors and enjoy the good weather… including your pets.
But wait — it’s also spring allergy season, and that can cause annoying itchy skin conditions for dogs and cats. This is called an inhalant allergy, or atopy, and it’s very common in dogs and cats that are allergic to tree, grass and weed pollens now flourishing as nature comes to life after the long winter.
If you see your pet suffering from itchy skin, here’s a brief guide on how your veterinarian can help.
First, know that your pet’s primary reaction to atopy may be severe, generalized itching. It’s quite normal for this itching to cause your pet to chew and scratch the ears, tummy, hind end and feet. Sometimes you may even see red skin patches around the overly itchy areas.
If you see your pet becoming agitated by skin itchiness, bring your pet to your veterinarian for relief.
Your veterinarian can diagnose atopy based on symptoms and ruling out other causes of itching, such as flea allergy dermatitis or food allergies. A thorough medical history will help narrow the causes. For example, if the itching occurs in the spring when certain pollen is prevalent, this narrows the field of investigation.
Your veterinarian will conduct allergy tests to provide a specific diagnosis. The two primary methods of allergy testing are:
- Intra-dermal allergy testing consists of injecting a tiny amount of an allergen into the skin. If the body produces a response to the allergen, it is allergic to that substance.
- IgE allergy testing consists of taking a blood sample and testing it for IgE antibodies against specific allergens. If it contains a high number of these IgE antibodies, an allergy is presumed to exist.
It may be possible for your veterinarian to desensitize your pet to the offending allergens through a series of injections. For about half of the treated pets, these “allergy shots” result in significantly reduced itching — a big relief to your pet and you.
The great news is – your pet doesn’t need to suffer from spring skin allergies and constant itching!
Call your veterinarian for the best remedy.
Written by LifeLearn/MyPetED.com.
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