• As pet owners, we all know how frustrating it is when our pets itch.  When our pets are uncomfortable, we are uncomfortable!  What, you ask, makes my pet itch?  That dreaded word…ALLERGIES!

• What is my pet allergic to?  In general, when you say your pet has allergies, it means a variety of things.  Your pet could be allergic to the following:  something it is breathing (inhalant allergy), something that it walks on or lies on (contact allergy), something you are using on your pet such as shampoo, medication, insecticide (chemical/drug reaction), something that your pet is eating (food allergy) or those dreaded fleas (flea allergy dermatitis) or other parasites such as mites or ticks.

• Keep in mind that a pet can suffer from more than one allergy.  Also, remember that not all itching comes from allergies.  Other causes of itching include skin diseases and hormonal imbalances, such as thyroid disorder.  These must be diagnosed by your doctor and approached in an entirely different manner than allergies.

• How can my pet be helped?  Ask for a dermatology exam.  This allows the doctor to obtain a thorough history of your pet to get him or her started in the right direction.  The first goal in any allergy treatment is to make your pet comfortable.  Your doctor will discuss with you the appropriate method for meeting your pet’s needs.  The second goal in allergy treatment is to clear your pet of any lesions to reduce the itching.  The third goal in allergy treatment is to keep the lesions from returning, thus keeping your pet comfortable.

• At any time during the treatment process, your doctor may discuss allergy testing.  Following are some important facts to know about allergy testing:

1.  Why must my pet be tested for allergies?  Because treating just the symptoms is not enough.  You must get to the underlying problem to solve it.  Allergy is a simple blood test, which is sent off to a special lab.  The lab analyzes the blood and sends us a report detailing your pet’s allergies.

2.  What tests are available?  Food allergy panels, flea allergy panels or regional panels can be performed to determine your pet’s allergy.  Regional panels test only those allergies present where your pet lives.

3.  What flaws do allergy tests have?  The lab gives your pet a score based on the allergies in your pet’s blood.  Your pet must score high enough on a single allergy to warrant an allergy vaccine (immunotherapy).  The problem arises when your pet scores on many allergies but not high enough to warrant a vaccine.

4.  Should I be worried about not getting useful results?  Not at all.  We now have an inexpensive, in-house screen test available, which we can perform before performing detailed allergy testing.

5.  Does all immunotherapy yield useful results?  Immunotherapy alone is not sufficient to treat your pet.  It is an adjunct therapy.  But using immunotherapy does help your pet quite a bit.

6.  How long does my pet stay on therapy?  You will receive an initial vaccine vial and then a maintenance vial, which, for most pets, is given once a month.  This vaccine is given in the form of an injection and is very easy to give at home.  If you are not comfortable giving the injection, feel free to bring your pet in for us to give the injection.

• NOTE:  As always, your pet must stay on strict flea control and you must follow your doctor’s recommendations to treat any underlying skin disease.

• The majority of allergy patients do very well.  And since each patient is different, ask your doctor for an individualized dermatology package tailored for your pet’s needs.  If you follow the recommendations made by your doctor, you will receive discounts on each visit, making a long-term skin condition more affordable.

• We have already mentioned as allergy screen test as a precursor to detailed testing.  There are also flea allergy serum vaccines for extremely sensitive pets and staph lysate vaccines for some pets who suffer from the bacterial consequences of allergies.  But most  importantly there is a new Bio Nutritional Analysis (BNA) which is a simple blood test that can lead to a food supplementation for supreme healing potential.  BNA tells you exactly what your pet is lacking in his or her diet, therefore helping your pet respond favorably to all aspects of his or her dermatological treatment.