Allergies are a real problem in lots of Dogs. I tell my clients; the more they know, the better off their pets will be. This is very important when dealing with allergies.
I assume that most mammalian species have some allergies, I know that I do. I think I have allergies to Fescue and to a few cats, but not many. When we have airborne allergies, we usually have runny eyes and sneeze. Dogs can do the same, but more often they have red ears or lick & chew their feet.
Some of our patients come in only during certain times of the year, when their allergies are “acting up”. Unfortunately, we also see those that have severe allergies all year long. We use this trait to help us to narrow down what the allergens are. If it is seasonal, then the problem is most often something outdoors. This can be pollen, trees, weeds, grasses, etc. etc. etc. Those dogs that have allergies all year long are usually indoor problems, such as dust mites, molds and mildews. One other good possibility is that they are allergic an ingredient in the food they are eating. Any protein source in food can cause allergies.
Dogs are not born with allergies, they develop. My Grandmother didn’t get Poison Ivy until she was past 90, so it can happen at different ages. The same thing is true for food. Even though your dog has been eating the same food for months, doesn’t mean that an allergy hasn't developed.
Diagnosing which allergens are responsible can be tricky, but we are often lucky enough to find a specific cause. There are different tests available and most Veterinary Dermatologists do skin testing, since they feel it is better. A more common way is by using a Blood Sample. This is easier, plus it doesn’t require an expensive array of allergens used to inject for testing. Most experts feel that Skin or Blood testing for FOOD allergies is not that reliable, although it can be done.
Food allergies have to be diagnosed with a “Food elimination trial”. This is done by feeding a food with ingredients that the pet hasn't been exposed to previously, called a “novel protein source". Two decades ago, we were able to use Lamb & Rice, because they weren’t in our normal pet foods. Since they are more common ingredients now, it doesn’t work anymore. These foods need to be very specific in what they have, and more importantly, what they DON’T have in them. If you look at ingredients on some of these “allergy diets” they may have Fish & Potato, but they also have chicken, beef, pork, etc. Hill's produces a Food allergy diet called Z/D, by manufacturing it in such a way that the protein molecules are too small to create allergic reactions. Just because the patient responds to a food, doesn’t mean that we have to stay on that food forever. We can try adding particular ingredients back to the diet to see if they react. This will give us a more specific diagnosis. There are also diets that can be homemade, to diagnose and treat food allergies. Beef & Dairy are the most common culprits.
What do we do when we find out what airborne things are causing the allergies? It’s going to be tough trying to convince your neighbor he should cut down his Maple Tree, because Fluffy is allergic. There are Allergy Injections that can be given to desensitize the immune system and improve things. There is a variable response rate to these injections. We see dogs that respond beautifully, while others have no improvement at all. Many patients are somewhere in between and show an improvement, but not a cure. Avoidance is great if possible. I have patients that have indoor allergies, and doing things around the house to decrease molds, mildew and mites really improves things.
Many patients, just like many people will just deal with the allergies, if they aren’t too severe. I see patients that come in once a year with allergies that respond beautifully to short term medication and doing extensive testing and allergy injections don’t make sense. The medications that are used are the same as in human medicine. Corticosteroids and Antihistamines are the most common. We don’t want to use Steroids long term if we can avoid it, but there are patients that are miserable without it. There are a few pets that show improvement with antihistamines, but in many patients they just don’t work that well. One of the ways that I try to differentiate between Airborne & Food allergies is to use a low-dose steroid to begin with. Food allergies, as a general rule, don’t respond as well as the Airborne allergies.
There are some newer drugs that are being used. Cyclosporin is an immune modulator that helps in some patients without the steroid side effects. The 2 down sides are expense and poor response in many patients. There is a new drug that just came out from a company called Zoetis. It supposedly has the same response rate as a steroid without the side effects of increased appetite and water consumption. The cost is supposed to be better than the Cyclosporin and they tell me that it will work on Food allergies as well. The problem with this drug is that the manufacturer underestimated the need and they can’t make enough of it. Currently they will only sell the drug to pets that are already on it. Its very early in the life of this drug, so give us some time to evaluate it. The studies look great so far. There are several patients that I want to get started on this new drug called Apoquel. Keep your fingers crossed, I know I am.
I assume that most mammalian species have some allergies, I know that I do. I think I have allergies to Fescue and to a few cats, but not many. When we have airborne allergies, we usually have runny eyes and sneeze. Dogs can do the same, but more often they have red ears or lick & chew their feet.
Some of our patients come in only during certain times of the year, when their allergies are “acting up”. Unfortunately, we also see those that have severe allergies all year long. We use this trait to help us to narrow down what the allergens are. If it is seasonal, then the problem is most often something outdoors. This can be pollen, trees, weeds, grasses, etc. etc. etc. Those dogs that have allergies all year long are usually indoor problems, such as dust mites, molds and mildews. One other good possibility is that they are allergic an ingredient in the food they are eating. Any protein source in food can cause allergies.
Dogs are not born with allergies, they develop. My Grandmother didn’t get Poison Ivy until she was past 90, so it can happen at different ages. The same thing is true for food. Even though your dog has been eating the same food for months, doesn’t mean that an allergy hasn't developed.
Diagnosing which allergens are responsible can be tricky, but we are often lucky enough to find a specific cause. There are different tests available and most Veterinary Dermatologists do skin testing, since they feel it is better. A more common way is by using a Blood Sample. This is easier, plus it doesn’t require an expensive array of allergens used to inject for testing. Most experts feel that Skin or Blood testing for FOOD allergies is not that reliable, although it can be done.
Food allergies have to be diagnosed with a “Food elimination trial”. This is done by feeding a food with ingredients that the pet hasn't been exposed to previously, called a “novel protein source". Two decades ago, we were able to use Lamb & Rice, because they weren’t in our normal pet foods. Since they are more common ingredients now, it doesn’t work anymore. These foods need to be very specific in what they have, and more importantly, what they DON’T have in them. If you look at ingredients on some of these “allergy diets” they may have Fish & Potato, but they also have chicken, beef, pork, etc. Hill's produces a Food allergy diet called Z/D, by manufacturing it in such a way that the protein molecules are too small to create allergic reactions. Just because the patient responds to a food, doesn’t mean that we have to stay on that food forever. We can try adding particular ingredients back to the diet to see if they react. This will give us a more specific diagnosis. There are also diets that can be homemade, to diagnose and treat food allergies. Beef & Dairy are the most common culprits.
What do we do when we find out what airborne things are causing the allergies? It’s going to be tough trying to convince your neighbor he should cut down his Maple Tree, because Fluffy is allergic. There are Allergy Injections that can be given to desensitize the immune system and improve things. There is a variable response rate to these injections. We see dogs that respond beautifully, while others have no improvement at all. Many patients are somewhere in between and show an improvement, but not a cure. Avoidance is great if possible. I have patients that have indoor allergies, and doing things around the house to decrease molds, mildew and mites really improves things.
Many patients, just like many people will just deal with the allergies, if they aren’t too severe. I see patients that come in once a year with allergies that respond beautifully to short term medication and doing extensive testing and allergy injections don’t make sense. The medications that are used are the same as in human medicine. Corticosteroids and Antihistamines are the most common. We don’t want to use Steroids long term if we can avoid it, but there are patients that are miserable without it. There are a few pets that show improvement with antihistamines, but in many patients they just don’t work that well. One of the ways that I try to differentiate between Airborne & Food allergies is to use a low-dose steroid to begin with. Food allergies, as a general rule, don’t respond as well as the Airborne allergies.
There are some newer drugs that are being used. Cyclosporin is an immune modulator that helps in some patients without the steroid side effects. The 2 down sides are expense and poor response in many patients. There is a new drug that just came out from a company called Zoetis. It supposedly has the same response rate as a steroid without the side effects of increased appetite and water consumption. The cost is supposed to be better than the Cyclosporin and they tell me that it will work on Food allergies as well. The problem with this drug is that the manufacturer underestimated the need and they can’t make enough of it. Currently they will only sell the drug to pets that are already on it. Its very early in the life of this drug, so give us some time to evaluate it. The studies look great so far. There are several patients that I want to get started on this new drug called Apoquel. Keep your fingers crossed, I know I am.
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