Spring is in the air! And so are allergens. This time of year we see a lot of pets with ear and skin issues due to allergies. Let's talk about the different types of allergies.
Fleas
First and foremost are flea allergies. Some pets are not only itchy from the usual flea itchiness, but they're actually allergic to the saliva of the flea. It's hard to imagine something so small causing so much damage but it happens! Common symptoms of Flea Allergic Dermatitis (FAD) include itching, fur loss (particularly around the back of the neck and near the rear - fleas' favorite spots), and red skin. It's important to address the flea issue, but also to address the secondary skin infection that usually accompanies this allergy.
Atopy - Inhaled allergens
The second most common type of allergies are inhaled allergens. We're talking about pollen, mold, cigarette smoke, cutting the grass, smoke from burning leaves, etc, that manifests as itchy skin. Does your dog have seasonal or chronic ear infections? Lick their paws constantly? These are common symptoms of atopy. It's important to thoroughly clean the ears and treat them with medication, as well as stay on antihistamines throughout your pet's allergy season (which may only be spring, or it could be all year round).
Food
Food allergies can be challenging because without an allergy panel it's a process of elimination and guessing. Luckily, there are hypoallergenic prescription diets to cut to the chase if a food allergy is suspected. We can also send off a blood sample to the lab where they will test against a large panel of allergens and different brands of food to see what your pet is allergic to.
Contact
Contact allergies are usually pretty easy to figure out. It usually follows an event such as carpets being shampooed or new clothes detergent being used.
Asthma
Cats can develop asthma due to allergens. Symptoms include coughing (they may sound like they are trying to get a furball out of their throat) and wheezing. Cats with asthma may need steroids, bronchodilators or even inhalers. They make a chamber mask to help administer the inhalers since it's hard to demand a cat when to inhale ;) Surprisingly, cats tend to get used to it after awhile! Maybe the realize it helps them breathe better?
Summation theory
Dr. Mastafiak uses the term "summation theory" to explain why you pet my have an allergy that suddenly decides to flare up at times. For example, maybe your pet has minor food allergies that are easily managed, but when spring time comes and the pollen is in the air their allergies are out of control. We can't do anything about the pollen in the air, but we can try a hypoallergenic diet to help reduce allergic reactions.
How to treat allergies
Treatment depends on individual needs but consists of treating:
- skin infections
- ear infections
- difficulty breathing
- itchiness
- watery or dry eyes
Usually, antibiotics and steroids are initially required to treat skin and ear infections and help with the itchiness and inflammation. Then pets are maintained on antihistamines. If the allergic reactions are severe and persistent, sometimes an immunosuppressant like Cyclosporine is prescribed. Immunosuppresants and Immunomodulators can have some potentially serious side effects, so Dr. Mastafiak tries to hold off prescribing Cyclosporine or long term steroid use until it has been proven that antihistamines and a hypoallergenic diet are not enough to put an end to allergy discomfort.
Fleas
First and foremost are flea allergies. Some pets are not only itchy from the usual flea itchiness, but they're actually allergic to the saliva of the flea. It's hard to imagine something so small causing so much damage but it happens! Common symptoms of Flea Allergic Dermatitis (FAD) include itching, fur loss (particularly around the back of the neck and near the rear - fleas' favorite spots), and red skin. It's important to address the flea issue, but also to address the secondary skin infection that usually accompanies this allergy.
Atopy - Inhaled allergens
The second most common type of allergies are inhaled allergens. We're talking about pollen, mold, cigarette smoke, cutting the grass, smoke from burning leaves, etc, that manifests as itchy skin. Does your dog have seasonal or chronic ear infections? Lick their paws constantly? These are common symptoms of atopy. It's important to thoroughly clean the ears and treat them with medication, as well as stay on antihistamines throughout your pet's allergy season (which may only be spring, or it could be all year round).
Food
Food allergies can be challenging because without an allergy panel it's a process of elimination and guessing. Luckily, there are hypoallergenic prescription diets to cut to the chase if a food allergy is suspected. We can also send off a blood sample to the lab where they will test against a large panel of allergens and different brands of food to see what your pet is allergic to.
Contact
Contact allergies are usually pretty easy to figure out. It usually follows an event such as carpets being shampooed or new clothes detergent being used.
Asthma
Cats can develop asthma due to allergens. Symptoms include coughing (they may sound like they are trying to get a furball out of their throat) and wheezing. Cats with asthma may need steroids, bronchodilators or even inhalers. They make a chamber mask to help administer the inhalers since it's hard to demand a cat when to inhale ;) Surprisingly, cats tend to get used to it after awhile! Maybe the realize it helps them breathe better?
Summation theory
Dr. Mastafiak uses the term "summation theory" to explain why you pet my have an allergy that suddenly decides to flare up at times. For example, maybe your pet has minor food allergies that are easily managed, but when spring time comes and the pollen is in the air their allergies are out of control. We can't do anything about the pollen in the air, but we can try a hypoallergenic diet to help reduce allergic reactions.
How to treat allergies
Treatment depends on individual needs but consists of treating:
- skin infections
- ear infections
- difficulty breathing
- itchiness
- watery or dry eyes
Usually, antibiotics and steroids are initially required to treat skin and ear infections and help with the itchiness and inflammation. Then pets are maintained on antihistamines. If the allergic reactions are severe and persistent, sometimes an immunosuppressant like Cyclosporine is prescribed. Immunosuppresants and Immunomodulators can have some potentially serious side effects, so Dr. Mastafiak tries to hold off prescribing Cyclosporine or long term steroid use until it has been proven that antihistamines and a hypoallergenic diet are not enough to put an end to allergy discomfort.
What you can do at home
The main take away is this: If your pet is itchy, licking their paws, and/or has dirty ears it's likely that they have allergies. Depending on how bad the allergy symptoms are, your pet may need to be seen for antibiotics and/or steroids; But what you can (and in some cases maybe should) do at home is:
-Get rid of fleas. We like the name brand Frontline, K9 Advantix, Advantage or Seresto collars. You can also give Capstar/Fastcaps (Nitenpyram) at the same time as applying one of these flea/tick control methods. Capstar/Fastcaps will kill what fleas are on your pet at the moment, but does not offer residual prevention. You don't have to do this at the same time as applying one of the preventions listed about (Fronline, Advantix, or Seresto) but it your pet is really miserable from the fleas, it is a safe to give at the same time. Don't forget to separate a flea/tick application from a bath by 2 days. This means, if you have given your pet a bath, wait 2 days to apply Frontline or Advantix. Then wait another 2 days after application to give a bath if your pet needs one. This is because the topicals work via oils on the skin. So if you bathe your pet and then immediately apply Frontline or Advantix, it will not be able to spread over all of the body since the oils have been washed away.
-Clean out the ears and USE SALINE. Ear cleaner will BURN infected ears. When they are red and raw you want to use saline and gauze to gently clean out the ears. Cleaning will help, but they probably will need medication to get rid of the infection.
-Bathe your pet in a hypoallergenic shampoo or something mild like baby shampoo. DO NOT use Dawn! I know there have been many rumors over the years about using Dawn to get rid of fleas. The truth is ANYTHING that suds up will kill fleas, so you don't need to use something as harsh and drying as Dawn. It's great if your pet has been in an oil spill, but for regular baths it's pretty harsh and will dry out their skin.. leading to more itching.
- Give Benadryl. The dose is a milligram per pound of body weight twice daily. So if your pet is about 12.5 lb, give 1/2 of a 25 mg tablet twice daily. 25 lb gets 25 mg, 37 lb - 1 1/2 tabs of 25 mg, 50 lb - 50 mg, etc. if you have the 25 mg tabs just divide your pet's weight by 25 and that's how much their dose is. If applicable, try to get to the closest fraction of a tablet without going over. There are other antihistamines such as Zyrtec, Claritin, etc but in our experience they haven't been as effective as Benadryl. Cats however do have another option with Clemastine. Their dose is once half (1/2) of a 1.34mg tablet once daily. Since these are over-the-counter drugs we want you to be aware of the correct dosage for your pets, but as always, it's best to consult us or your pet's vet before starting any medicine, especially if your pet is already taking medication.
Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
-Get rid of fleas. We like the name brand Frontline, K9 Advantix, Advantage or Seresto collars. You can also give Capstar/Fastcaps (Nitenpyram) at the same time as applying one of these flea/tick control methods. Capstar/Fastcaps will kill what fleas are on your pet at the moment, but does not offer residual prevention. You don't have to do this at the same time as applying one of the preventions listed about (Fronline, Advantix, or Seresto) but it your pet is really miserable from the fleas, it is a safe to give at the same time. Don't forget to separate a flea/tick application from a bath by 2 days. This means, if you have given your pet a bath, wait 2 days to apply Frontline or Advantix. Then wait another 2 days after application to give a bath if your pet needs one. This is because the topicals work via oils on the skin. So if you bathe your pet and then immediately apply Frontline or Advantix, it will not be able to spread over all of the body since the oils have been washed away.
-Clean out the ears and USE SALINE. Ear cleaner will BURN infected ears. When they are red and raw you want to use saline and gauze to gently clean out the ears. Cleaning will help, but they probably will need medication to get rid of the infection.
-Bathe your pet in a hypoallergenic shampoo or something mild like baby shampoo. DO NOT use Dawn! I know there have been many rumors over the years about using Dawn to get rid of fleas. The truth is ANYTHING that suds up will kill fleas, so you don't need to use something as harsh and drying as Dawn. It's great if your pet has been in an oil spill, but for regular baths it's pretty harsh and will dry out their skin.. leading to more itching.
- Give Benadryl. The dose is a milligram per pound of body weight twice daily. So if your pet is about 12.5 lb, give 1/2 of a 25 mg tablet twice daily. 25 lb gets 25 mg, 37 lb - 1 1/2 tabs of 25 mg, 50 lb - 50 mg, etc. if you have the 25 mg tabs just divide your pet's weight by 25 and that's how much their dose is. If applicable, try to get to the closest fraction of a tablet without going over. There are other antihistamines such as Zyrtec, Claritin, etc but in our experience they haven't been as effective as Benadryl. Cats however do have another option with Clemastine. Their dose is once half (1/2) of a 1.34mg tablet once daily. Since these are over-the-counter drugs we want you to be aware of the correct dosage for your pets, but as always, it's best to consult us or your pet's vet before starting any medicine, especially if your pet is already taking medication.
Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
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