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Allergy Testing and Treatment
Surprised? Didn’t think pets
suffered from normal allergies? They sure do!
And
the Dallas area is the “allergy capital” of Texas.
Allergies (also known as inhalant
allergies or atopy) vary a great deal in both their severity
and age of onset. Among dogs, allergies can start as early
as 3 months and progress through to old age. Symptoms may
be so mild at first that they are not noticed but are usually
progressive and become clinically apparent before 3 years
of age. Among humans, the nose is the primary target of allergies
- and hay fever symptoms predominate. Among dogs and cats,
the skin is the major target organ, so itching and scratching
are the main symptoms.
Depending on what they are
allergic to, some dogs and cats have seasonal allergies while
others are itchy all year long. The biggest offenders are
tree pollens, grass and weed pollens, mold spores and the
house dust mites. Food allergies are also a common offender.
Allergies in dogs and cats
tend to run in certain breeds and along family lines, somewhat
like they do in people. If an individual’s parents have allergies,
then there’s a good chance that that individual will develop
them eventually as well.
Certain dog breeds, such as
the Cocker Spaniel and Golden Retriever
seem to be especially allergy prone. Fortunately, there are
now many options for diagnosing and treating allergies. Veterinary
Dermatologists and certain general practice veterinarians
can perform intra-dermal allergy testing. This is similar
to the intra-dermal “skin tests" done to detect allergies
in people. Blood tests can also be used to diagnose allergies
in pets. Blood based allergy testing is convenient, doesn’t
require an appointment with a specialist and can be performed
right here at Chastain Veterinary Medical Group. Technically,
we must point out that blood test results may not be quite
as reliable as skin test results when it comes to identifying
specific allergens, but in our experience, treatment protocols
based on blood allergy test results, conducted by CVMG professionals,
have proven to be very effective, giving many pets much needed
relief.
Is it important to
treat allergies?
Mild allergies in a pet can sometimes be safely ignored, especially
in the early stages. However, in time, most animals will need
some form of treatment. This treatment is generally life long.
Allergies are rarely
cured. The goal is control.
Allergy treatment generally takes the form of some combination
of the following:
- Medicated baths,
- Soothing cream rinses,
- Anti-itch sprays,
- Allergy shots (hyposensitization
injection),
- Antihistamines and special
fatty acid formulations
and when necessary corticosteroids in judicious dosages,
with careful monitoring.
In some cases, a change in
lifestyle or lifelong treatment is necessary. As always, prevention
of flea and tick infestations, good grooming and a healthy
diet should strengthen your pet’s resistance to allergies.
Remember!
Pet allergies can be serious,
so
call us today if your pet is itching!
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