When your allergic pet gnaws on her haunch or licks his feet incessantly, the habit might annoy you just as much as it does the pet. Some furry friends go their entire lives without suffering from allergies. But those of us who have had pets with allergies know the problem can take a big toll on quality of life.
Dr. Stephanie Bruner is a veterinary dermatologist who recently joined the faculty at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She sees patients at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and offers insights into what’s going on with all that scratching and shaking.
What Are Allergies?
“Allergies occur when the patient’s immune system experiences an over-the-top response to any of a wide variety of triggers,” Dr. Bruner explains. “Offending stimuli may range from fleas, foods, pollens, and mold spores to dust mites or even medications. The result is an adverse reaction somewhere in the body.”
Currently, science does not have an answer for why allergies occur in one individual but not another. However, we do know that certain breeds are more susceptible to allergies.
“Genetics plays a role,” Dr. Bruner says. “Various breeds of retrievers, spaniels, and terriers, to name a few, are at a higher risk of developing clinical signs associated with environmental allergens.”
Other factors besides genetics include geography, seasonal fluctuations in pollen counts, the animal’s indoor and outdoor habits, air quality, diet, and the health of the patient’s skin barriers.
“This exceedingly lengthy list explains, at least in part, why no two allergy patients can be treated the same way,” says Dr. Bruner. For this reason, veterinary dermatologists must take a tailored approach to treating each allergy patient.
Allergy Symptoms
In humans, allergies tend to manifest as itchy eyes, sneezing, or runny noses. They can appear as rashes or even result in inflammation and difficulty breathing. In dogs and cats, however, allergies trend toward a different list of symptoms entirely.
In dogs, symptoms include scratching, licking, and rubbing in areas such as the ears, face, feet, belly, and rear end.
“I refer to these as my ‘Big Five’ patients,” Dr. Bruner explains. “These are the head shakers, face rubbers, foot lickers, belly scratchers, and bottom scooters.” Other signs include ear or skin infections that just keep coming back, no matter how often you treat them.
Our feline friends are better at hiding symptoms, and therefore cat allergies tend to look more like excessive grooming. “Cat allergies can also become more obvious if itchy crusts develop on the skin or large areas of swelling arise, possibly resembling ulcers or growths,” says Dr. Bruner.
Identifying the Allergy Culprit
When diagnosing an animal with allergies, veterinarians start by determining what is not causing the reaction.
“First, allergies are diagnosed by ruling out other disorders that can mimic them, such as external parasites, fungal infections, or autoimmune disorders,” Dr. Bruner explains. “Then, the real work begins.”
Pets, like people, suffer from many different types of allergies, such as environmental allergies and food allergies. The first type of allergy to rule out is flea allergy dermatitis.
“Flea allergy dermatitis patients are not typically horribly infested with fleas, but a small number of fleas can cause big problems,” says Dr. Bruner. “Routine flea prevention, prescribed by a veterinarian, can be a real game changer.”
If fleas aren’t to blame, then doctors move on to environmental allergies. “In this case, the patient’s medical history can help answer this question. For example, a dog that only scratches and experiences ear infections in the summer is less likely to be reactive to foods.”
For those patients who do not have a seasonal aspect to their allergy symptoms, a diet trial is the next step. “A highly restricted diet trial, using a prescription-grade food under the guidance of a veterinarian, may be the next diagnostic test performed,” Dr. Bruner states.
During the diet trial, which lasts at least eight weeks, the pet cannot have any treats, table food, or dog food other than the special diet food prescribed. “If the patient does not improve by the end of the trial, environmental allergens are likely to be at fault.”
Finding Relief from Allergies
For those pets with food allergies, treatment means staying away from the foods that have been found to cause the reaction. For those with environmental allergies, treatments can range from medicated shampoos, sprays, lotions, and wipes to oral medications or injections.
Dr. Bruner adds, “Most patients will achieve their best outcomes when a veterinarian or veterinary dermatologist works with the whole family and puts together a highly personalized care plan that includes several of these treatment modalities to attack the problem from multiple angles.”
Unfortunately, no “cure” for pet allergies exists. Treatments are meant to ease symptoms so the patient can be more comfortable throughout the rest of their life. “My goal as a veterinary dermatologist is to develop a safe and effective care plan for every allergy sufferer. The plan should be sustainable—both in terms of time and financial investment—for their humans,” Dr. Bruner explains. “Perhaps the best thing that pet owners can do is be aware of the possible early signs of allergies—remember the Big Five!—and consult with a veterinarian before secondary ear and skin infections take the problem to the next level.”
By Lauren Bryan
