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Clearly one of the most frustrating diseases in pets is the scratching and itching dog or cat.
Allergies in our pets causes intense scratching, chewing, licking feet and the groin, rubbing,
chronic ear disease, chronic and unrelenting skin malodor, changes to the hair cost and greasy
skin. The pet laying at the food of your pet scratching feverishly also results in our lost
hours of sleep.
Because of the insidious nature of allergies, especially atopy (inhaled or absorbed allergens)
and foods, owners are often unable to identify the source or reasons for their pet's
discomfort. Long-term, poorly controlled allergies results in secondary bacterial infections
(pyodermas), yeast infections, seborrhea (oily skin), and hair loss.
Real identification of the sources of the scratching, biting, licking, and chewing can involve
expensive, but necessary allergy testing. Let's take a look at a couple.
- Allergy skin testing: Most veterinary dermatologists agree that the most accurate means of
identifying allergens is the skin test. Skin testing, performed similarly to our skin testing,
tests for the reaction of the injected allergen within the dermis. Because your pet's allergy
begins and ends in the skin, oftentimes, the reaction in the dermis is the most accurate. Most
veterinary allergists use 60-100 different allergens in each skin test. These allergens
compose many of the items found natively in the pet's environment.
- R.A.S.T. testing: RAST testing uses the blood levels of antibodies to allergens found in the
pet's environment. For example, if a pet, cat or dog, is allergic to molds in the environment,
then antibodies to molds will be found in the bloodstream. If the patient is very allergic to
molds, then it is proposed that his or her blood levels of antibodies will also be high.
However where RAST testing fails is that almost all pets have antibodies to everything in
their environment. Their levels of antibodies do not often correlate well with their real
allergens. RAST testing can serve as a screening methodology to reduce the number of skin
test allergens used in the skin tests, but it appears that relying on the RAST test alone is
not that helpful.
For many, many years, cortisones (steroids) were the only group of medications that truly
stopped the intense symptoms of allergies. Corticosteroids, by injection and orally, have
given many owners peace of mind and a good night's sleep.
However, long-term or chronic use of corticosteroids can result in changes within the pet's
body. An endocrine disease, called Cushing's disease, can be a direct result of long term use
of corticosteroids.
A new drug, ATOPICA (Cyclosporine) has been introduced to help the allergic dog. The drug
essentially turns off the allergy cascade without the side effects of corticosteroids.
Atopica is given once daily for thirty days, then an every-other-day protocol is established
for maintenance.
Concurrent treatment of many allergic dogs also requires the use of long-term or intermittent
use of antibiotics. In patients that are scratching and chewing at their skin, these patients
develop secondary pyodermas from the bacteria that normally resides on their skin. This
secondary invasion of bacteria results in an even higher level of pruritus (chewing,
scratching, rubbing, etc.). It is now widely thought by veterinary dermatologists that one
must also control this bacterial infection as well.
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