Do you know what the most frustrating stage is for every pet owner? Nothing can be more painful than having a pet that is scratching all the time! Other than that, chronic ear pain, as well as skin infections because of allergies can result in bad odors, uneasiness, and expensive veterinary bills. As a dog owner, you should not only think about treating these conditions that your dog is experiencing but it’s also important to find out the major cause of the issue.
In case of pets, the below given are some most common signs of allergic diseases:
- Chronic ear infections
- Licking body areas
- Skin redness
- Open sores on the skin
- Scratching too frequently
- Shaking head
- Thin feeling hair coat
Any one of the above-given symptoms may give rise to the need of contacting the vet immediately to avoid the situation from becoming worse. Many people these days prefer mobile vet services since pets can get the treatment at the comfort of the home.
How Common are Allergies in Pets?
Allergies, no doubt, are common in pets of all ages and breeds. Most pets suffer from allergies at a small age particularly when the pet is 6 months old.
What Vet Generally Wants to Know from Dog Owners?
The vet can recognize the problem of the pet by asking some questions. Below given are some questions that will help the vet to identify the cause of the issue when you contact them.
- Do the pet symptoms happen seasonally?
- Do the symptoms occur every year?
- Does the pet keep on scratching all night?
- Does the pet chew her/his feet?
- Is there a kind of yellow flaky material on the skin of your pet?
- Does the pet have scans on his skin?
- Have you recently changed the pet’s food?
What are the Common Allergies in Pets?
If your vet has confirmed that the pet is suffering from severe allergic diseases then they will start finding the main cause of it. Pet allergies can be classified into two i.e. food and environmental based.
Food Allergies
There are some pets that are allergic to proteins present in the food. Even, they may cause allergy from protein present in potato too. Cats generally develop food allergies to seafood, dairy items, and beef and so on. While in the case of dogs, it can be because of proteins in beef, eggs, soy, dairy products, etc. Some symptoms of food allergies in pets include bald patches, coughing, diarrhea, face rubbing, head shaking and much more.
Now the question arises here is how to identify whether the pet is allergic to food or not? There are some ways that will help you in identifying the same.
Elimination Diet
An elimination diet is one of the best ways to diagnose food allergies in pets. The main goal of this method is to check the particular food that is causing an issue for your pet. The benefit that comes with this method is that its inexpensive and you will be able to see the results in a short time.
Hydrolyzed Protein Diets
This is the second method for testing food allergies in pets. You can put your pet on this diet for few days.
Novel Protein Diets
This is another method by which one can control food allergies in their pets. The benefit that comes with this method is its low cost. Putting the pet on this diet will help your vet to check the condition of your pet.
Environmental Allergies
How one can control environmental allergies in pets? The solution is pretty simple! By keeping pets completely away from environmental pathogens like dust mites, plant pollens and so on.
There are some medications that can help in treating allergies in pets. Let’s have a look at these!
- Antihistamines: Majority of dog owners observe better results with antihistamines. For some, antihistamines work best in controlling the symptoms of allergies. They have some side effects too; however, they are quite inexpensive that every dog owner can afford. It’s recommended to try antihistamine for 2 weeks in order to check whether it’s effective or not.
- Steroids: They are also the best option that can help with pet allergies. Even, they also have some side effects which go away after some time like the urge to urine and increased thirst. In some cases, it depends on the dose you are giving to your pet.
- Substitutes of steroids: Apoquel has helped many veterinarians in improving the health as well as lives of allergic pets. It’s an effective option that can cure allergies to a great extent and even the best thing is that side effects are rare. But, it’s quite expensive as compared to the above-given medications.
Final Insights
Hope you have enjoyed this blog and it helped you in knowing more about the cat and dog allergies. Pet’s allergies are quite common and is a big issue these days which if not treated can affect your pet’s life quality badly.
