Alleviate Your Pet's Allergies
It's allergy season, and not only humans are affected. Pets can also suffer — but, of course, they have no way of helping themselves.
Early Show veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner has some suggestions to help your pet feel better.
Turner said that if cats are overly-grooming or dogs are licking their paws raw, they may well be experiencing allergies. Animals can also have allergic reactions to substances like pollen, dust or an insect bite. Symptoms can include pruritus — or itchy, swollen skin, difficulty breathing, vomiting or diarrhea.
Pet allergies generally fall under one of four main categories: flea allergies, airborne allergies, food allergies and contact allergies.
Flea Allergies
This is an extremely common problem for pets, Turner said. Animals aren't actually allergic to the fleas, but rather to proteins that fleas secrete in their saliva when they bite. One bite can bother an animal for more than five days!
If you think your pet is allergic to fleas, give him or her frequent baths and prescription flea medicine, says HealthyPet.com. Be careful, because the wrong kind of flea repellent could cause irritated skin, seizures, and even death in some cases.
"Your pet does not have to be infested with fleas to be allergic to them," Turner said. "Fleas spend most of the time on the carpet and couch as on your pet."
Turner said the first thing you need to do is get rid of the fleas. Use a flea collar and treat the environment as well as the pet.
Airborne Allergies
Just like humans, pets can be allergic to the pollen and mold. They can also be allergic to the dust mites, mildew, and mold that can lurk within every home. Airborne allergens usually produce itching around the ears, feet, groin, and armpits. But it can spread across the entire body. Dogs in particular may develop bald "hot spots" from incessant chewing and scratching the affected skin.
If your pet's allergies seem to be seasonal, HealthyPet.com says you should limit your pet's outdoor activity during allergy season. If your pet is allergic to something inside the home, try using an air filter to provide limited relief.
"I have a feather duster, but when you take your dog out to play, it's important to brush them down to get the pollen off of them," Turner said.
Food Allergies
Over time, a pet's immune system may develop an allergic reaction to some part of its diet. Symptoms include itching, digestive disorders and respiratory distress.
Pets are often allergic to foods such as beef, corn, soy and wheat. When you take these things out of the pet's diet, you can determine what they have reactions to. But the allergic effects of food can stay in the system for eight weeks. According to HealthyPet.com, you may have to keep your pet on a special hypoallergenic diet for eight to 12 weeks to see how he reacts. You might have to repeat the process several times before you figure it out.
Contact Allergies
Contact allergies, which could be caused by the polish on the floor or wool rugs, are the least common allergy in animals. The chemicals in flea collars can also cause this problem. The skin at the point of contact will be irritated: It could itch, become thickened or discolored, smell or lose hair due to constant biting or scratching, according to HealthyPet.com.
Contact allergies are not a huge problem because they're usually limited to a specific area of an animal's body and the allergen isn't hard to find.
Testing
Scratch tests involve making small abrasions in an animal's skin and inserting small amounts of materials that the veterinarian thinks the pet might be allergic to. According to HealthyPet.com, if the animal is allergic to one of the substances, that scratch will become irritated. There are also several blood tests your veterinarian can use help identify whether the pet's problem is allergies or something else.
Treatments
Symptomatic Treatment
Soothing shampoos, oatmeal baths and Epsom salts can provide your pet some relief. Your veterinarian could also suggest ointments, ear treatments or sprays. HealthyPet.com says to consult with your veterinarian before a treatment. Symptomatic treatments will only provide temporary respite from the allergy. Ask your veterinarian for long-term treatment ideas.
Antihistamines
These drugs, much like the allergy medication people take, block histamines, but they can cause sedation. Turner said you can also use over-the-counter antihistamines.
"You need to talk to your veterinarian, because they are dosed for a human being," she said of the size differential between people and their pets. "But antihistamines work."
Steroids
Steroids suppress the immune system, thus reducing allergic reaction. Steroid treatment can work even if you can't determine what your pet is allergic to or how he's being exposed. But steroids can cause weight gain, increased thirst and urination, and increased aggression, according to HealthyPet.com. Steroids are used if the allergy occurs for a short amount of time, because long-term use makes animals more prone to infection, and susceptible to diabetes and seizures.
Immunotherapy
According to HealthyPet.com, immunotherapy is one of the best ways to treat allergies, but it takes the most time to work. Just like people, animals are given regular vaccinations that contain small amounts of the substance they're allergic to and the immune system gradually becomes desensitized to the allergen, says HealthyPet.com. It takes some time for the immune system to readjust, sometimes six to 12 months.
For more information, visit HealthyPet.com and
The Humane Society of the United States Web sites.