Skin Allergies Not Limited To Humans
Part One: Skin Allergies And Pets
Along with the sunny days of summer comes the itching and biting of allergies.
The best thing to do if your pet has an itch that it won't stop scratching or a paw that it won't stop licking is to take them to the vet right away. The sooner your pet is diagnosed and treated, the better for your pet and your pocketbook.
Here are a few of the common reasons dogs lick and chew during the summertime.
Flea Allergy Dermatitis
Your dog doesn't have to be "loaded" with fleas to develop this condition. In fact, a dog that is hypersensitive to the saliva that a flea puts into their skin when it bites will experience immediate itching and redness from only one bite.
As the dog continues to bite and chew, it causes hair loss, skin abrasions and eventually develops a skin infection. This, in turn, makes the dogs itch even more. A common term for this is called a "hot spot."
If you suspect that your dog has a sensitivity to fleas, the best thing you can do is prevent your pet from getting bitten in the first place. Have your veterinarian design a flea plan for your pet and stick to it year-round. This should include eliminating the fleas from the environment as well as your pet.
All animals in the house must be treated. There are good, cost-effective products like Advantage Interceptor, Sentinel and Frontline that are available from your vet. The key to choosing products for dogs with fleabite hypersensitivity is to choose products that will kill fleas on contact before they have a chance to bite. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, your veterinarian may prescribe steroids, antihistamines, antibiotics, fatty acid supplements and medicated shampoos or topical treatment.
Atopy Or Inhalant Allergies
Inhalant allergies or hay fever in dogs is called atopy and is another common reason dogs will itch and lick themselves.
Inhalant allergies, like in people, tend to be seasonal, but unlike humans, dogs itch and lick instead of sneezing and watery eyes.
There are tests available to help determine your pet's allergies. Most general practitioners and all board-certified dermatologists are capable of running the tests.
Once the allergies are determined, you can then have allergy shots created for your pets. These are custom-made vaccinations against the particular antigens that your pet is allergic to. The drawback is that only about 25 percent of all dogs treated get relief from the shots.
An alternative is to treat pets with oatmeal shampoos and antihistamines to alleviate the licking. Long-term steroid use can have side effects and are usually avoided unless the condition is severe and alternative therapies are not effective.
Scabies
Scabies is a highly contagious, zoonotic skin condition of dogs and cats that is caused by the sarcoptic mite. This scabies mite is very small and can be transmitted either directly from the pet or by contact with objects or surfaces that an infected animal has come in contact with. This parasite can live for several days in bedding or on clothing.
The mite burrows under the skin, and causes severe itching, scabs and hair loss. The signs are generally seen on the elbows, hocks, abdomen chest and ears. In extreme cases, the pet may even have a generalized illness.
Diagnosis can sometimes be difficult as skin scrapings are often negative. Therefore, sarcoptic mange is diagnosed primarily upon history of exposure to other animals (generally two to six weeks before the skin problems develop) and by physical exam. Your veterinarian will want to differentiate sarcoptic mange from other conditions with similar signs, such as food or flea allergies.
Since it is difficult to find the mange mites, treatment for sarcoptic mange is based on your vet's suspicion. If the pets signs resolve following treatment, then the diagnosis is made based on response to treatment.
Treatment includes multiple dips to kill the mites, and medication for itching and any secondary bacterial infection. Ivermectin is given as injections, except to collies, and is repeated every 10 to 14 days until the mites are gone. When animals are dipped, the entire pet must be dipped including the pets face and ears and the pet cannot be allowed to get wet between treatments. Your veterinarian will choose the appropriate treatment for each case.
The scabies mite is not a natural parasite of people, and because of this, it will only survive about three weeks on humans. This is because the mite cannot reproduce on the human host. People who come in contact with an affected animal may develop an itchy rash with small raised red bumps on their arms, chest, or abdomen. Most people end up at the doctor's office for treatment because this can be an extremely itchy problem.
Ringworm
Ringworm is not a worm at all, but a fungal infection of the skin. Its name comes from the sometimes ring-like shape of the ringworm lesion. This, too, can be difficult to diagnose in animals, as the lesions do not look the same from case to case.
People can get ringworm from direct contact with an infected pet. They can also develop the disease after contact with surfaces that have been exposed to the infected person or pet.
Immunocompromising diseases or immunosuppressive medications predispose an animal to ringworm and increase the potential for a more clinically severe infection. A high population density, poor nutrition, and poor management practices increase the risks of infection.
Signs may range from an unapparent carrier state to hair loss, which may be patchy or circular. The classic sign of circular hair loss is more common in cats, but often misinterpreted in dogs. Scabs, crusting and mild itchiness are usually seen. Lesions usually develop four to 10 days after contact with the fungus.
Ringworm is diagnosed by a good medical history and an examination of the skin. Some strains will glow or fluoresce under a special black light called a Wood's ultraviolet lamp.
However, the absence of fluorescence does not rule out "ringworm." It is diagnosed, definitively, using a fungal culture. A small number of hairs are plucked from the edge of a hairless area and placed into a container with special fungal growth media. This is then monitored daily for characteristic changes associated with growth of "ringworm" fungi.
Treatment involves the use of systemic or topical anti-fungal medications for several weeks. The affected animals should be quarantined in the household to prevent spread of infection. Other animals that have been exposed may be treated with anti-fungal medications as a precautionary measure.
Rechecks, repeated fungal cultures and exams might be needed to assess the response to treatment.
Since ringworm is a zoonotic disease, it can be spread from animals to humans. The disease in humans is often mild and self-limiting. Skin lesions are usually red and may be circular. Treatment consists of topical medication until all lesions have resolved.
The best thing to do if your pet has an itch that it won't stop scratching or a paw that it won't stop licking is to take them to the vet right away. The sooner your pet is diagnosed and treated, the better for your pet and your pocketbook.
Here are a few of the common reasons dogs lick and chew during the summertime.
Flea Allergy Dermatitis
Your dog doesn't have to be "loaded" with fleas to develop this condition. In fact, a dog that is hypersensitive to the saliva that a flea puts into their skin when it bites will experience immediate itching and redness from only one bite.
As the dog continues to bite and chew, it causes hair loss, skin abrasions and eventually develops a skin infection. This, in turn, makes the dogs itch even more. A common term for this is called a "hot spot."
If you suspect that your dog has a sensitivity to fleas, the best thing you can do is prevent your pet from getting bitten in the first place. Have your veterinarian design a flea plan for your pet and stick to it year-round. This should include eliminating the fleas from the environment as well as your pet.
All animals in the house must be treated. There are good, cost-effective products like Advantage Interceptor, Sentinel and Frontline that are available from your vet. The key to choosing products for dogs with fleabite hypersensitivity is to choose products that will kill fleas on contact before they have a chance to bite. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, your veterinarian may prescribe steroids, antihistamines, antibiotics, fatty acid supplements and medicated shampoos or topical treatment.
Atopy Or Inhalant Allergies
Inhalant allergies or hay fever in dogs is called atopy and is another common reason dogs will itch and lick themselves.
Inhalant allergies, like in people, tend to be seasonal, but unlike humans, dogs itch and lick instead of sneezing and watery eyes.
There are tests available to help determine your pet's allergies. Most general practitioners and all board-certified dermatologists are capable of running the tests.
Once the allergies are determined, you can then have allergy shots created for your pets. These are custom-made vaccinations against the particular antigens that your pet is allergic to. The drawback is that only about 25 percent of all dogs treated get relief from the shots.
An alternative is to treat pets with oatmeal shampoos and antihistamines to alleviate the licking. Long-term steroid use can have side effects and are usually avoided unless the condition is severe and alternative therapies are not effective.
Scabies
Scabies is a highly contagious, zoonotic skin condition of dogs and cats that is caused by the sarcoptic mite. This scabies mite is very small and can be transmitted either directly from the pet or by contact with objects or surfaces that an infected animal has come in contact with. This parasite can live for several days in bedding or on clothing.
The mite burrows under the skin, and causes severe itching, scabs and hair loss. The signs are generally seen on the elbows, hocks, abdomen chest and ears. In extreme cases, the pet may even have a generalized illness.
Diagnosis can sometimes be difficult as skin scrapings are often negative. Therefore, sarcoptic mange is diagnosed primarily upon history of exposure to other animals (generally two to six weeks before the skin problems develop) and by physical exam. Your veterinarian will want to differentiate sarcoptic mange from other conditions with similar signs, such as food or flea allergies.
Since it is difficult to find the mange mites, treatment for sarcoptic mange is based on your vet's suspicion. If the pets signs resolve following treatment, then the diagnosis is made based on response to treatment.
Treatment includes multiple dips to kill the mites, and medication for itching and any secondary bacterial infection. Ivermectin is given as injections, except to collies, and is repeated every 10 to 14 days until the mites are gone. When animals are dipped, the entire pet must be dipped including the pets face and ears and the pet cannot be allowed to get wet between treatments. Your veterinarian will choose the appropriate treatment for each case.
The scabies mite is not a natural parasite of people, and because of this, it will only survive about three weeks on humans. This is because the mite cannot reproduce on the human host. People who come in contact with an affected animal may develop an itchy rash with small raised red bumps on their arms, chest, or abdomen. Most people end up at the doctor's office for treatment because this can be an extremely itchy problem.
Ringworm
Ringworm is not a worm at all, but a fungal infection of the skin. Its name comes from the sometimes ring-like shape of the ringworm lesion. This, too, can be difficult to diagnose in animals, as the lesions do not look the same from case to case.
People can get ringworm from direct contact with an infected pet. They can also develop the disease after contact with surfaces that have been exposed to the infected person or pet.
Immunocompromising diseases or immunosuppressive medications predispose an animal to ringworm and increase the potential for a more clinically severe infection. A high population density, poor nutrition, and poor management practices increase the risks of infection.
Signs may range from an unapparent carrier state to hair loss, which may be patchy or circular. The classic sign of circular hair loss is more common in cats, but often misinterpreted in dogs. Scabs, crusting and mild itchiness are usually seen. Lesions usually develop four to 10 days after contact with the fungus.
Ringworm is diagnosed by a good medical history and an examination of the skin. Some strains will glow or fluoresce under a special black light called a Wood's ultraviolet lamp.
However, the absence of fluorescence does not rule out "ringworm." It is diagnosed, definitively, using a fungal culture. A small number of hairs are plucked from the edge of a hairless area and placed into a container with special fungal growth media. This is then monitored daily for characteristic changes associated with growth of "ringworm" fungi.
Treatment involves the use of systemic or topical anti-fungal medications for several weeks. The affected animals should be quarantined in the household to prevent spread of infection. Other animals that have been exposed may be treated with anti-fungal medications as a precautionary measure.
Rechecks, repeated fungal cultures and exams might be needed to assess the response to treatment.
Since ringworm is a zoonotic disease, it can be spread from animals to humans. The disease in humans is often mild and self-limiting. Skin lesions are usually red and may be circular. Treatment consists of topical medication until all lesions have resolved.Content provided by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. For more information, visit spcaLA.com.
