So Itchy! Managing Your Pet’s Allergies

Have you ever been kept awake at night by your dog licking her paws? That slurping sound is enough to make you want to pull your hair out! Or your itchy cat who is, quite literally, pulling all his fur out. Then you have seen just some of the signs of allergies. Licking, scratching, smelly skin, infected ears and goopy eyes are all signs of allergies.
So what are they allergic to? Dogs and cats can have food allergies or atopy, which is an allergy to something in their environment. Unfortunately, there are no accurate blood tests for food allergies. We rely on food trials with either a novel protein diet (a protein the animal has not been exposed to) or a hypoallergenic diet, where the proteins are hydrolyzed or broken down so the immune system cannot recognize them. For atopy, we can do blood tests to detect what they are allergic to in the environment. We typically see allergies to trees, weeds, dust mites, and grass.
What can we do to help? First, we need to treat any secondary infections caused by the scratching. We see fungal and bacterial infections on both the skin and in the ears. Then we can use medications to help control itch. There are lots of options because one therapy doesn’t work for everyone. Animals with allergies can be sensitive to fleas, so we recommend good flea control year-round.
What if that still doesn’t work? There are veterinary dermatologists who are board-certified veterinary specialists that we can turn to. They are familiar with difficult and complex allergy cases.
Next time you hear that slurping or see your cat ripping out his fur, call your veterinarian and see if we can help!
For more information about Stevenson Ranch Veterinary Center go to 25832 Hemingway Ave., Santa Clarita or call 661-799-0655 or go to www.srvc.com.