Pet Allergies: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Options

Published on: Jul 13, 2023

This time of year, quite a few of us are suffering from hay fever. This is an allergy to the pollen in the air. It makes our nose and eyes stream, and out nose itch, making us sneeze. Our pets can also suffer from allergies, particularly in the spring and summer months. They can be allergic to pollen like we are, from grasses and trees, and specific ingredients in foods, for example chicken and duck or flea bites. 

Our dogs, however, do not get sneezes and runny nose. Instead, they become very itchy, particularly on their paws, and the most regular sign of allergies that we find is licking of the paws. It can become obsessive and particularly occurs when you settle down in front of the TV in the evening. They can also scratch in other places, lose fur and suffer from recurrent ear infections. 

Identifying the cause of the allergies is the most important thing in being able to control the problem. If the symptoms are being caused by a food allergy, this can be done relatively easily by a change of diet. When the allergy is being caused by something in the environment it can be almost impossible to identify the cause. We do blood testing to find out the specific pollens that are causing the issues. However, this sometimes shows that there are multiple causes. 

With this information we decide on the best treatment plan for the animal. These can include antihistamines, and other drugs, which slow down the reaction of your pets body to the allergen, reducing the symptoms that they have. If we know the specific allergens that are causing the issues, then we can also produce an allergy vaccine, a monthly injection, which can help the body to deal with the allergy more effectively. 

If the allergy is found to be caused by specific ingredients in the food, then we can try to cut these out, or remove all the possible allergens from the diet by changing to a prescription diet. This can be helpful if there is more than one type of protein causing the issues. 

Allergies can cause a lot of unnecessary suffering for your pet, so if you have noticed any of these symptoms, then take your animal to the vet, we can help to make them more comfortable.