The Itchy Pet

Does your dog have an ear infection, lick its paws, belly or armpit? If so, your dog may have an allergic condition called Atopic Dermatitis, or Atopy.



This is a very common condition of dogs, and represents around 90% of the skin problems we see in our clinic. It is an impoprtant problem to recognise early, as prompt treamtent can help prevent inflamed skin and ears becoming infected.

Atopic Dermatitis is essentially the dog equivalent to hay fever. Pretty much anything that causes hayfever or asthma attacks in people can be a trigger for Atopic Dermatitis. This includes pollens, dust mites, carpets, grasses, etc.  Just like hayfever, it can sometimes be difficult to determine exactly which pollen or mite is causing the infection, and in most cases there multiple allergens. We can use a blood test or intradermal skin testing to find out the exact causes in some cases.

Treatment for this condition depends on the severity and the presence of secondary infection. I certainly encourage early treatment as we can often avoid the need for steroids and antibiotics with prompt presentation. Secondary bacterial and fungal infections are common if this condition is left untreated, which adds considerably to the cost and difficulty of treatment.

For mild cases or those presented early, my first line of treatment involves using a fatty acid and zinc supplement to help improve the skins natural protective oils. I may also use various antihistamines if needed. My own dog has Atopic Dermatitis, and I find that the zinc/fatty acid supplement I use for him called Nutricoat controls his itchyness almost completely, so I don't need any other medications for him.

For the more severe cases, or where there are infections present, we use a combination of antibiotics, creams, ointments and sometimes steroids or other immune modulating drugs such as cyclosporin. If we can determine the cause of the allergy, we may also consider a course of hyposensitisation injections.

Allergies in cats look a bit different. We tend to see something called Milliary Dermatitis in cats, which looks like scabs either in one location or all over their body. Once again, prompt treatment can prevent secondary infections from setting in, and makes the condition much easier to control. With cats, these allergies are often considered multifactorial, meaning there are several things that combine to create the disease. Often there is the underlying allergy, but we don't see signs until the cat is stressed by something such as a new cat in the area.

Because of the multifactorial nature of this condition, we often look at managing the stress a cat may be experiencing with products such as Feliway (a feline facial pheromone) or hormonal injections. We will sometimes also use steroids to help control the allergy, which are generally very well tollerated in cats.

Allergic skin disease can be a major problem for cats and dogs, but early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve the pets quality of life.