Taming the Itch That Just Won’t Quit

                                   

                                ‘Tis the season…that time of year when pets and pet owners have restless days and sleepless nights because the itch won’t stop itching. In the veterinary profession, we call it “peak allergy season.”  When hay fever suffers are the most miserable, generally pets are, too.  The difference is that most allergic pets reflect their allergies through itchy skin rather than respiratory and eye symptoms like their human counterparts.

                                When presented with a pet that is scratching, I will first ask a series of questions about the pet’s diet, and the timing, extent and severity of symptoms.   Next, I perform a thorough physical exam of my patient.  If warranted, I will conduct testing that might include skin scrapings for mites, allergy or thyroid blood testing.  Once I have obtained a complete medical history, conducted an exam and reviewed test results, by the process of elimination a diagnosis will be close at hand. 

                                In recent years, I have observed a significant uptick in pets being diagnosed with food allergies.  These patients are commonly diagnosed before two years of age and will begin having symptoms as early as the first few months of life.  The typical food allergic patient may have recurrent yeast ear infections or Staph bacterial infections, especially on the lower abdomen.  Often their sole symptom is mild to moderate generalized itchiness that may be responsive early on to oral antihistamines, such as Benadryl.

                                As time goes on, the food allergic patient will get progressively worse and multiple skin problems will ensue. These include difficult to resolve ear infections, ongoing rashes or Staph bacterial and/or yeast skin infections, anal itching, facial rubbing, or foot licking.  I teach clients the following phrase taught to me: “Ears and rears…think food allergy first” because the correlation rings true more than 90% of the time.  And, ears are skin on the inside of the body and that is why they are often involved, too.

                                Do not be surprised if your veterinarian asks you to alter your pet’s diet to resolve its skin or ear problems. This change can be a simple fix for your pet’s discomfort.  Keep in mind, that there are very specific rules you will need to abide by to guarantee you don’t inadvertently “cheat” on your pet’s diet:  your pet’s treats must contain the same ingredients found in its food.  Pet toothpastes, supplements and medications, including heartworm preventives, that contain food flavorings,will need to be changed to products without food ingredients.  Trash raids and snacking outdoors on animal feces and other items must be avoided as well.

                                For some good news, marshmallows are considered hypoallergenic  ( “faux food” as I like to call them) making them a good choice for hiding oral medications or as occasional treats for food allergic patients. The bad news is cheating on your pet’s special food allergic diet can result in your pet’s skin problems relapsing for as long as 30 days!

                                While food allergies are becoming increasingly more common, I would be remiss if I didn’t address the other reasons why pet’s itch.  And, sadly, as much as 50% of the skin problems veterinarians diagnose at this time of year are STILL flea-related. As always, prevention is the best plan when it comes to flea control! Once you realize you have a flea problem, it has already existed for 4-8 weeks, plenty of time for multiple flea generations to be living with your family in your home! It will take you a minimum of 8 weeks with aggressive flea control measures to eliminate your environmental infestation.

                                Please listen to your veterinarian’s advice regarding flea control: use veterinarian-recommended flea control products on ALL of your pets, consistently, properly, and ALL YEAR ROUND!

                                Once your veterinarian has ruled out fleas and food allergy, she will then be able to determine what the underlying cause for your pet’s skin problem might be.  If your dog is diagnosed with environmental allergies, you should ask your veterinarian if a newer canine allergy medicine called Apoquel is right for your dog. This medication is not a steroid, antihistamine or cyclosporine.  It is a neurotransmitter inhibitor that tells the dog’s brain “You’re not itchy,” no matter what the cause might be.

                              Apoquel has been very helpful for many of my patients, especially those with multiple, previously uncontrolled allergies.  Dog owners love that this medication works as quickly as four hours and has seemingly no side effects, unlike other allergy medications.  Apoquel’s current disadvantages include limited availability and cost. 

                                If you are growing tired of hearing your pet’s thumping or slurping, see your veterinarian.  With a proper diagnosis, we’ll help you put an end to your pet’s allergic misery so everyone can get a good night’s sleep again!

 

By Dr. Bonnie Jones