Pets can be allergic to many things including both food and the environment, and we’ve seen lots of pets with seasonal allergies recently at the practice. Allergies may manifest as itchy paws, itchy skin, repeated anal gland issues or even head shaking due to itchy ears. Often a combination of things may be going on making your pet itch, meaning we may need to do some tests.
We typically start an itchy skin work-up by ruling out ectoparasites and infection. This involves prescribing a veterinary-strength ectoparasite treatment and taking some samples such as swabs to examine under the microscope. Often allergies are accompanied by secondary infection either on the skin or in the ear canals and therefore microscopy is an important step for us to conduct to ensure your pet receives all the treatments they need. If your pet shows no response to flea treatment and we can’t identify any infection, then we may recommend a diet trial to rule food allergies in or out.
A diet trial typically lasts for 8-12 weeks, where we prescribe a hydrolysed diet for you to feed your pet during this time. A hydrolysed diet refers to a diet where the protein components are broken down into smaller pieces so they can’t cause an allergic response. This allows us to assess whether your pet is allergic to their food or something else entirely. It is very important that no treats or other foods are given during the trial as this may affect the results- this includes those sneaky table scraps! Sometimes we may prescribe other medications such as a short course of steroids to help relieve some of the initial itch and make your pet more comfortable in the early stages of the trial and gradually taper these off.
If your pet responds well to the diet trial then we can be certain they have a food allergy. In this case, our vets will work with you to find a compatible food which your pet can enjoy without having any response. If your pet doesn’t respond to the diet trail then they likely have an environmental allergy. This condition is a diagnosis of exclusion meaning we can only diagnose it by ruling other things out first! Some pets have environmental allergies all year round and some have seasonal allergies just like people. Others may be allergic to something new in the environment, for example, washing powder.
We have a variety of options for pets with environmental allergies, some of which include monthly injectable Cytopoint, and daily Apoquel tablets. These medications work by blocking the itch response within the body via various mechanisms to relieve your pet of the desire to scratch.
If your pet is diagnosed with an allergy, we have the option to take a blood sample and send it to an external laboratory who can find out which specific allergens your pet is allergic to, and there are even vaccinations that can be made specifically for your animal!
If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment to discuss your itchy animal, please call the practice on 01423 900449