From Southwood Valley Animal Hospital
Howdy! With spring in full bloom, we at Southwood Valley Animal Hospital want to talk to you about seasonal skin allergies! Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common conditions we as veterinarians diagnose in canine patients.
According to Cornell University, approximately 15% of all dogs are affected by atopic dermatitis and approximately 40-75% of cases have a seasonal component to it https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/atopic-dermatitis-atopy
Almost any breed of dog can be affected by environmental allergies but some of the most common breeds that we see affected are labradors, Golden Retrievers, Terrier breeds, pit bulls, boxers, bulldogs, and French Bulldogs. Typically dogs start showing signs of atopic dermatitis between the ages of 6 months to 3 years of age. Oftentimes what starts as seasonal skin allergies can progress to year long allergies over time.
So what are the symptoms of environmental allergies? The most obvious signs are scratching the skin on the belly, behind the armpit regions, ears and sides. Other signs include paw licking/chewing, rubbing their face on surfaces, butt scooting and redness of the belly and groin area. Often environmental allergies when left untreated can lead to secondary ear and/or skin infections, hot spots and even thickening of the skin as well as pigment changes.
So what are my treatment options? The good thing is that since this condition is so common in dogs, we have several treatment options available. Sometimes a combination of multiple therapies are needed to control the symptoms of skin allergies. It is important to know oftentimes in severe allergy cases, that complete resolution of symptoms is not always possible and sometimes even a 50-80% improvement in symptoms is often a win! This is a disease process that is not curable, but something we manage.
Some of the most common treatment options include topical therapy (medicated mousses, sprays, shampoos, and wipes), oral medications such as corticosteroids, oclacitinib, cyclosporine, omega fatty acid supplements, and/or antihistamines, and injectable monoclonal antibody therapies. Depending on the severity of your pets symptoms would determine which treatment option or combination of treatments may be necessary.
It is also important to know that when treating skin allergies we are not typically treating a specific allergen such as grasses or trees. The treatments described above are treating generalized allergies. In most cases the true cause of the allergies is never identified. However, when patients fail to respond to the treatment options available, and other potential causes for the skin changes (such as fleas, mites, infections, auto-immune diseases, hypothyroidism, etc.) have been ruled out, allergy testing can be performed to identify specific allergens and develop targeted immunotherapies for your pet.
We at Southwood Valley Animal Hospital hope that this information has been helpful to you and your canine companions. If you have concerns about your pets' skin allergies and are local here in College Station, we would love for you to call and schedule a consultation so we can discuss what options would be best for your pet!
Thanks and Gig'em!
Justin 'Casares, DVM '15 and Lauren Casares '14
https://southwoodvalleyvet.com/
(979) 693-9898
Howdy! With spring in full bloom, we at Southwood Valley Animal Hospital want to talk to you about seasonal skin allergies! Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common conditions we as veterinarians diagnose in canine patients.
According to Cornell University, approximately 15% of all dogs are affected by atopic dermatitis and approximately 40-75% of cases have a seasonal component to it https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/atopic-dermatitis-atopy
Almost any breed of dog can be affected by environmental allergies but some of the most common breeds that we see affected are labradors, Golden Retrievers, Terrier breeds, pit bulls, boxers, bulldogs, and French Bulldogs. Typically dogs start showing signs of atopic dermatitis between the ages of 6 months to 3 years of age. Oftentimes what starts as seasonal skin allergies can progress to year long allergies over time.
So what are the symptoms of environmental allergies? The most obvious signs are scratching the skin on the belly, behind the armpit regions, ears and sides. Other signs include paw licking/chewing, rubbing their face on surfaces, butt scooting and redness of the belly and groin area. Often environmental allergies when left untreated can lead to secondary ear and/or skin infections, hot spots and even thickening of the skin as well as pigment changes.
So what are my treatment options? The good thing is that since this condition is so common in dogs, we have several treatment options available. Sometimes a combination of multiple therapies are needed to control the symptoms of skin allergies. It is important to know oftentimes in severe allergy cases, that complete resolution of symptoms is not always possible and sometimes even a 50-80% improvement in symptoms is often a win! This is a disease process that is not curable, but something we manage.
Some of the most common treatment options include topical therapy (medicated mousses, sprays, shampoos, and wipes), oral medications such as corticosteroids, oclacitinib, cyclosporine, omega fatty acid supplements, and/or antihistamines, and injectable monoclonal antibody therapies. Depending on the severity of your pets symptoms would determine which treatment option or combination of treatments may be necessary.
It is also important to know that when treating skin allergies we are not typically treating a specific allergen such as grasses or trees. The treatments described above are treating generalized allergies. In most cases the true cause of the allergies is never identified. However, when patients fail to respond to the treatment options available, and other potential causes for the skin changes (such as fleas, mites, infections, auto-immune diseases, hypothyroidism, etc.) have been ruled out, allergy testing can be performed to identify specific allergens and develop targeted immunotherapies for your pet.
We at Southwood Valley Animal Hospital hope that this information has been helpful to you and your canine companions. If you have concerns about your pets' skin allergies and are local here in College Station, we would love for you to call and schedule a consultation so we can discuss what options would be best for your pet!
Thanks and Gig'em!
Justin 'Casares, DVM '15 and Lauren Casares '14
https://southwoodvalleyvet.com/
(979) 693-9898