from pollen to dust mites, dogs and cats can have allergies too
6 minute read
ten to 20 per cent of dogs have some kind of seasonal allergy. getty
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sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes, runny nose and rashes — if you suffer seasonal allergies, you’re all too familiar with that particular purgatory. but spring and summertime pollens can also torment your pet with additional symptoms, such as itchiness, head-shaking, hair loss, excessive licking, face-rubbing, and stinky ears.
and research suggests it’s about to get a whole lot worse.
science journal nature says climate change and rising carbon dioxide emissions, which will boost the growth of trees and grasses in some areas, will cause pollen season to get longer and more intense. the misery will start 40 days earlier and last up to 19 days longer, with a nearly 200 per cent increase in total pollen this century if conditions continue at their current rate.
to reduce exposure, many apps and websites, including the weather network’s pollen forecast, post the number of particles in the air. pollen counts tend to be higher in the morning and on hot, dry, windy days, so you might want to time fifi’s pee-pee break accordingly.
animals with allergies often lick … a lot
when doug and colleen adopted an adorable little miniature poodle/sheltie/chinese crested-cross puppy several years ago, they had no idea all three breeds were prone to seasonal allergies. for the first year and a half, the suburban vancouver couple noticed no issues with their new pooch, whom they named layla. then one spring day she started scratching, and didn’t stop.
“we went straight to the ‘scratch test’ to figure out why she was so itchy,” says colleen. “she was positive for 26 out of 90 allergens, which included environmental, indoors and foods.”
whenever layla came into contact with springtime grasses and pollens, her eyes would run and she would scratch her side, stomach and ears. in fact, she scratched her ear so much she broke the cartilage and had to have it removed.
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“it was very hard to see her scratching so much and not being able to make it stop,” says colleen. “it broke my heart when she’d hurt herself and cry out from all the scratching.”
some breeds are more susceptible to allergies
veterinarian dr. jangi bajwa, a board certified veterinary dermatologist at the vetderm clinic in surrey, b.c., says anywhere from 10 to 20 per cent of dogs suffer from seasonal (usually referred to as environmental) allergies. and while they aren’t restricted to certain breeds, there are some that are prone, including colleen and doug’s sheltie/poodle cross (chinese crested’s are more sensitive to wool), german shepherds, labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, pugs, french bulldogs, pit bulls and boston terriers.
cats can be afflicted as well, says bajwa. when a sensitive cat inhales or comes into direct contact with pollen, its immune system overreacts, manifesting in inflammation of the skin and ears, which can lead to itchiness, redness or lesions. like dogs, signs of environmental allergies include scratching the skin and ears, paw chewing, head shaking, excessive licking, hair pulling, watery eyes and runny nose, all of which can lead to secondary infections, compounding the agony.
“allergies have a bigger, negative impact on dogs but the cats that are affected are as equally affected as dogs,” he says. “dogs tend to get more skin and ear infections because they are sometimes more exposed to the outdoors and allergen loads. [although] a low amount of allergen can also be a problem in, for example, completely indoor pets.”
bajwa adds that allergic dogs are also more prone to infection because “of their [low] skin ph level and a defective skin barrier. once infection piggy- backs on inflamed skin or ears, you have two things causing inflammation and discomfort. you can kill the infection but it will come back unless the allergy is taken care of and controlled.”
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the dust mites in your house can also irritate an allergic pet
as if outdoor irritants weren’t bad enough, there are also troublemakers lurking indoors: house dust mites. aptly named because they live in house dust, they also thrive in warm, humid environments and make themselves comfortable in our bedding, carpeting and upholstered furniture. we feed them inadvertently, and in return, they torture our pets.
“these little organisms live in our houses and eat our dead skin cells,” says bajwa. “they don’t bite us, but exposure to house dust mites is a huge culprit for certain pets. allergic dogs overreact to them upon exposure, leading to inflammation and itchiness of their skin, the ideal environment for infection development. this happens with not just house dust mites, but any allergen exposure, be it dander, pollen or environmental molds/ fungus, feathers, etcetera.”
he says we can minimize the allergen load by avoiding the triggers, keeping our homes clean, changing our home’s air filters and ensuring our pets’ bedding is washed frequently. but it’s also important to understand, says bajwa, that dust mites, pollen and other allergens aren’t really the problem. it’s the individual pet’s immune system overreacting to an irritant in normal surroundings that causes the inflammatory response. so in addition to a clean environment, getting the issue properly diagnosed and treated is key.
blood tests are an effective way of identifying allergies
bajwa says some blood tests can be reliable, but saliva swabs are not.
“there’s really no scientific background behind those tests and they’ve been proven in research to be useless,” he says. “the standard test for allergies is the prick test, called intra-dermal allergy testing, to see if the body has a reaction to certain allergens. it’s done under sedation for dogs and cats and you can know what your pet is reactive to right away.”
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it’s important to first rule out other possible causes of the symptoms, he says, such as an infection, parasites, ahormonal condition or food allergy, to ensure that nothing else is causing the itchiness and rashes.
providing your vet with a detailed medical history of your pet, including any changes in the home, diet, bedding, as well as any additional symptoms, and whether they are getting better or worse during the year, particularly when spending time outside versus inside, will help with the diagnosis.
how are pet allergies treated?
although there is no cure for environmental allergies, treatments usually consist of drug therapy, including antihistamines, but they’re not very effective, says bajwa.
“steroids almost always work but they can be a bit strong for long-term use because they can have many side effects,” he says.
colleen and doug’s vet prescribed the steroid prednisone, which layla took once a day for about 10 years. it eased the itchiness, but didn’t prevent the allergic reaction. a new vet switched her to the immune-suppressing drug apoquel, which is a fast-acting anti-allergy drug that reduces itching, but studies found that long-term use can also raise the risk of health problems, including diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and some cancers.
“the meds helped but not 100 per cent,” says doug. “and springtime and summer were worse regardless of the meds she was taking. she preferred being inside, so maybe she knew the grass was a trigger.”
bajwa says allergy desensitization of your pet, which involves slowly introducing increasing amounts of an allergen extract, either by drops in the mouth or injections under the skin, can help control allergies, as can regular baths.
“bathing doesn’t have to be with a medicated shampoo,” he says. “any product made for pets will wash off allergens and also hydrate the skin.”
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the most important thing when dealing with an allergic pet is to start addressing the allergies as soon as possible.
“i always encourage clients to work on these allergies sooner rather than later because they’re a progressive condition; they will worsen with age, as opposed to self-curing or going away,” bajwa says. “finding a plan that is for the long-term will be beneficial for your pet’s quality of life.”
as for layla, she eventually succumbed to kidney and liver disease, but lived to an impressive 14 years despite her issues.
“we hope she had a good life and knew she was loved,” says colleen. “if we ever adopt another dog, we’ll do more research and ask about family history. but layla was so darn cute we would have adopted her anyway.”
robin roberts is a vancouver-based writer.
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