10A: Friday, January 31, 2014

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Aiken Standard

Understanding allergies in your pets

KEVIN WEIS, DVM How many of you have a pet that is constantly scratching, chewing, or shaking their head? In 2012, Veterinary Pet Insurance released the top 10 reasons for veterinary visits. For dogs, skin allergies, ear infections, and skin infections were the top three reasons for a veterinary visit. For cats, skin allergies ranked eighth. Allergies in pets can be very frustrating, expensive, and have a major impact on your pets quality of life. Understanding how allergies work will help you develop a working plan with your veterinarian to provide long term success for your pet. Allergic skin disease (a.k.a. allergic dermatitis) occurs when a pets immune system over-reacts to a particular substance (or allergen). These responses result in prolonged and chronic inflammation which usually leads to infections. With allergies, even small exposures result in dramatic responses from the immune system. Do you know someone who is allergic to peanuts? For them, a small exposure can result in a life threatening reaction. Fortunately, life threatening allergic reactions in our pets are rare, but this basic principal of allergic reactions holds true for all of the types of allergies we will discuss below. Our pets skin is not sterile and its normal to have some bacteria and yeast present. Their immune system keeps these microbes in check and prevents them from causing infections. For pets with allergies, the normal protective barriers of the skin are broken down. Without these protective barriers, secondary skin infections are more likely. This is even more pronounced in areas that are warm, dark, and moist. For dogs and cats, these include inside their ears, between their toes and where their legs meet their chest and abdomen. The main categories of allergies in dogs and cats include Flea Allergy, Food Allergy, Contact Allergy (e.g., grass), and Inhalant Allergy (e.g., pollen). Although our pets may be allergic to a wide variety of substances, the general signs of allergic dermatitis are common to all types. These include intense itching, redness and sores, secondary skin infections, recurrent ear infections, and reddish-brown staining of the skin and hair secondary to persistent licking and chewing. Over time, the skin will become thickened and dark from the chronic inflammation. Flea allergy dermatitis is by far the most common. According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council, flea allergy dermatitis accounts for 50% of all canine and feline dermatologic cases presented to veterinarians. Aikens sub-tropical climate will support fleas 12 months out of the year. Flea allergic pets actually have a reaction to the flea saliva when bitten. This reaction causes the skin to become red and itchy. For dogs, this is usually most prominent at the tail base but for cats the itchiness can be anywhere. It is important to remember that for a flea allergic patient all it takes is one flea bite every 2 weeks for them to be miserable. Not seeing fleas on the pet does not rule out flea allergy dermatitis. They must be on proper flea prevention 12 months out of the year. Food allergies develop when the immune system recognizes and over responds to an allergen in the food. Basic principles of food allergies include; 1) Any substance is capable of causing a food allergy, 2) They can occur at any age. 3) They are common in dogs but less common in cats, and 4) They can develop after a food change but also after years of feeding the same diet. Typically food allergic patients are itchy year round because they are being continuously exposed. In most instances, trying another brand of commercial food will not work as almost all commercial pet foods contain similar ingredients. Also, commercial pet food manufacturers can substitute other ingredients as long as they meet the guaranteed analysis stated on the package. The best way to determine if your pet has a food allergy is to talk with your veterinarian about performing a food elimination trial. This is done by feeding them a balanced diet that is novel to their immune system. A food elimination trial typically lasts for 2 months. During this time it is paramount that the pet only eat the prescribed food. Remember that sources of exposure include people food, chew toys, and food

Dr. Kevin Weis flavorings. Because allergies only require the presence of the offending antigen any cheating will result in frustrations for you and your pet. If the symptoms resolve, then the assumption is that the new food does not contain the allergen that your pet is sensitive to. Because these elimination trial diets are balanced your pet usually remains on them for life. Contact and inhalant allergies are also commonly seen. Contact allergies usually occur after prolonged exposure to the offending allergen. The most common contact allergens are soaps/ shampoos, carpet/fabric, poison ivy, and seasonal grasses and pollens. Skin that frequently contacts the ground is usually the most affected. Inhalant allergies (a.k.a Atopy) occur when

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microscopic particles such as pollens, grasses, dust mites, and molds are absorbed through the respiratory tract. Once the allergic reaction occurs, these pets become very itchy and develop secondary skin and/or ear infections. Contact and inhalant allergic patients typically have symptoms during the pollen and grass seasons and accordingly their symptoms usually wax and wane with the season. However, in severe cases their symptoms will be year-round with little or no period of relief. The best way to determine if your pet has a contact or inhalant allergy is to discuss having allergy testing done. Once the causative agent(s) has been identified the most effective treatment is to eliminate the allergen from the pets environment. Sometimes

this is not possible and you and your veterinarian can discuss long term allergy medications available to your pet. Although there is no cure for allergic dermatitis, equipped with the knowledge of why it happens, what the key symptoms are, and what treatment options are available you can work with your veterinarian to provide the best care for your pet! ____________________ Kevin Weis, DVM Hollow Creek Animal Hospital 126 Dominion Drive, Suite 1060 Aiken, SC 29803 803-226-0551 803-226-0553 (fax) www.hollowcreekvet.com

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