Does your dog or cat scratch all the time?  If they have a white coat are their feet stained a rust color?  Does this only occur during certain times of the year?  Or does your pet have reoccurring ear infections that even after treatment keep coming back?  If you answered yes to any of these questions your pet may have Atopy or Inhalant Allergic Dermatitis.

I am sure that you may be asking yourself: pets get allergies? I thought that was a human concern?  To answer your question, yes pets do get allergies and sometimes if undiagnosed, they can lead to a very uncomfortable life for your pet.  Atopy is an inhaled allergy, meaning something that they breathe in through the air causes an allergic reaction in your pet.  When people have allergies, they primarily have runny noses and itchy, watery eyes.  For pets, their symptoms are slightly different.  Pets usually chew at their feet or scratch at their belly incessantly.  Animals, like people, can be allergic to just about anything: ragweed, molds, fungus, dust, spider mites, other spores in the air, certain foods, and even fleas.

Although the diagnosis of dog and cat allergies is usually quite simple, the treatment can be difficult.  Differential diagnosis could be: pyoderma either bacterial or yeast, dry skin, thyroid issues, and could even be mites, mange, or even fleas.  Most allergies start between 2-4 years of age and many breeds are more prone to allergies than others; however, it can affect any breed and contrary to some belief, even mixed breed pets.  Most allergies start out being seasonal and will usually subside after a few months in the first year, but then they can become worse as the pet ages and picks up new allergies.  Treatment of allergies consists of: doing nothing and just letting your pet endure through those seasonal times, antibiotics if prescribed, antihistamines (Benadryl or others), oral or injectable steroids, special hypoallergenic diets, or even allergy testing to find what the pet is actually allergic to and then having injections made up to administer to the pet to hyposensitize them to the allergens.

Atopy is a very frustrating disease in that there is no cure.  Severity depends on what part of the country you are in.  Pets in the south suffer much more because without cold weather they never get a break.  If your pet is showing signs of allergies take them to your veterinarian and discuss possible treatments.  From there, you and your veterinarian can then make a plan that is the best fit for you and your pet.  Cortisone, a steroid, will stop the symptoms in most cases but it does have a lot of side effects if used long term, so be very cautious about giving cortisone orally or giving cortisone injections on a long term basis.  Always check for food allergies, as it is much more common than we may think.  Many times something as simple as switching to a hypoallergenic diet will help the symptoms subside significantly.

Just remember that there is no cure and be prepared for a life long commitment to helping your pet stay comfortable and the fact that your pet may need to be on medication periodically for their entire life.  If let go too long, allergies can lead to very severe skin infections that are very hard to get under control. So keep your pet as happy as possible and do not wait too long before starting treatment.