Pet Allergies: Not To Be Sneezed At

When spring has sprung and the grass has riz, a lot of us will notice the pooches and kitties have got the sniz. While the rhyme might be cute, pet allergies are anything but.

Not only do they cause significant discomfort for many cats and (more often) dogs – often in the warmer months – but allergies can also occasionally rack up quite serious veterinary bills. That’s not all: apart from being expensive, there is ‘no effect without side effect’, so finding and eliminating the allergen can be a valuable component of a treatment management plan. In fact, many routine drug treatments even specify this in their instruction leaflet.

As Michelle Le Long, COO of pet insurance specialist PD Insurance shares, “Long-term medication is sometimes necessary, but some side effects can potentially also impact your pet’s health and well-being,” she says. “Which is why, besides monthly injections or visits to the vet potentially racking up costs, eliminating the root cause can help.”

The vet’s view and the itch diary

Offering allergy insights, Healthy Pets NZ Chair Dr. Cath Watson notes that dogs are more prone to seasonal allergies than cats. “These are generally caused by an environmental trigger much like hay fever in humans and are often lifelong. Some require time, effort and are expensive to manage, others less so.”

She advises identifying the allergen where possible by examining your pet and keeping an ‘itch diary’. “Record where you’re going, what your dog is doing, when the allergy season starts and ends.

If there are periods where it’s worse, and if treatments are being used, record the effects – some might work better than others. And take pictures of the problems; as we all know, pups tend to miraculously improve just before the vet’s visit!”

Also check for parasites which can worsen your pet’s condition. “Fleas are really common in New Zealand and play a massive role in itchiness.” Shampoos, and even types of food, can also have an effect, as well as bedding. “If the dog is sleeping in dust, mould, or somewhere prone to collecting pollen, it could be behind the irritation.”

The purpose of this legwork is quite simple, she continues. “You’re looking for evidence narrowing down the cause of the problem. If you know what’s behind the itchy skin, you’re in a better position to manage the issue, and improve your pet’s comfort.”

Apparent allergies could be grass seeds

Grass seeds are a common source of irritation that can masquerade as an allergy while causing physical injury. Le Long notes the insurance specialist often sees claims related to grass seeds treatments. “Grass seeds can be really painful and can even cause permanent damage if around the ears or eyes,” says Le Long. “While dogs are more susceptible given their habits, cats can also suffer from seeds, particularly in eyes and ears. “If a seed gets stuck, there’s a further risk of infection and long-term discomfort as they irritate the skin, eyes or ears. This can look like an allergy, particularly as the pet will work away at the spot with mouth and paws. This can drive the seed deeper, exacerbating the situation.”

She therefore advises avoiding long grass, particularly types with arrow-shaped hard seeds. “Look out for physical evidence of seeds in your pet’s coat; brush after a walk in long grass or grass that’s in seed; and watch for behavioural cues that might indicate the presence of seeds,” Le Long adds.

Prevention (if possible) better than cure

As PD Insurance’s COO, Le Long is directly involved in claims and says some are quite heartbreaking. “Allergies have been the no.1 top claim type for dogs in the past two years. Certain breeds such as the American and English Bulldog to name a few, are especially known to be allergy prone,” she relates. In some cases, the poor pup must have monthly injections, inconvenient for the pet parent and potentially painful for the pooch.

Herself a pet parent to a Bulldog, Le Long says personal experience has shown that these pups are susceptible to grass allergens. “Specifically, kikuyu sets mine off, so I avoid that like the plague,” Le Long notes. “And diet can make a big difference too.”

However, identifying specific allergens can be exceedingly difficult, says Dr. Cath. “Often we can’t identify or avoid all the allergens causing symptoms in humans, dogs or cats. That’s why human sufferers are on antihistamines throughout the season, or year-round in bad cases,” she explains.

Dogs, and to a much lesser degree cats, are in the same boat. “While it’s great to identify a specific allergen, it doesn’t happen very often. There can be multiple allergens, and they change with time and exposure. So, avoiding or minimising exposure to known allergens is worthwhile but learning to reduce the ‘itch-threshold’ with targeted treatments which can include from washes, topical treatments, pills to injections, is just as important.

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