Allergic Dermatitis

If you have a dog or cat, more than likely you’ve seen allergic dermatitis.  Allergic dermatitis is a general term for various allergies that ultimately result in skin rashes, itching, scratching and inflammation.

What to Watch for

Scratching, licking, chewing or biting the skin, feet and ears.
Red, raised, scaly areas on the skin
Bumps, crusts or pus filled vesicles on the skin
Increased skin pigmentation
Thickened skin
Loss of hair
Salivary staining (brown color)
Head shaking

Your pet may be allergic to foods, tobacco, dust, mites and fleas, etc.  If you see your pet chewing, you are seeing the beginnings of allergic dermatitis.  And this can lead to a secondary infection and your pet finds itself in the Itch Scratch Cycle, which must be stopped as soon as possible.

Avoidance is a good place to start.  Flea protection and foods are easy enough to avoid & you’ve determined which food is the culprit. But Atopy or inhalation of pollen or other airborne allergens, is a bit more difficult to stay away from, if not impossible. You can control the reactions to pollen with hypo-sensitivity injections (allergy shots) but that is usually fairly expensive and time consuming and must be done for a period of 3-4 years. 

You can control itching and inflammation with antihistamines which can be used with lower side effects for year round allergies.  Medicinal baths, skin coat supplement with Omega 3 fatty acids, oral cortisone type drugs under constant monitoring, are also helpful to control the discomfort of itching and avoid the possibility of secondary infections which require antibiotics and make you and your pet simply miserable.

Treatments

Avoidance of offending allergens when possible
Anti-itch and/or antibacterial shampoos
Topical anti-inflammatory or antibacterial drugs
Antihistamines
Corticosteroid therapy
Allergy vaccines
Fatty acid supplementation
Dietary management
Antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial skin infections

Prevention is possible. Environmental reduction of any known allergens is advised. This may require keeping pets inside when pollen counts are high, avoiding long grass or freshly cut grass, and limiting dust and mold in the household. Eliminating exposure to certain foods is crucial to effective treatment of dermatitis.

It is highly recommended to see a qualified veterinarian.  But these few facts will assist you in knowing what you are dealing with, assist you in following out the doctors orders and how to treat the environment to help keep your pet comfortable and healthy.  That makes your pet happy and when they are happy you are happy.

Sources:

My Pet Care TV
Petplace.com