A healthy coat for a healthy pet

With patience and by consulting the experts, owners can often determine why their animals are scratching

Summer is well and truly here and with the transition from South Africa’s short spring into the beginning of summer, so can come allergic reactions and itchy skin. Also present are the hungry parasites that curse pets and humans alike — ticks and fleas, requiring that owners apply preventative treatments, be they topical or oral.

Both ticks and fleas can be the underlying cause of skin issues, but there can be other causes that can require lifelong treatment.

By applying a step-wise approach to eliminate the possible causes of skin issues, a diagnosis can be made and treatment initiated. Some dogs are allergic to flea saliva, so an effective and consistent flea treatment is essential in eliminating this as a problem.

To pinpoint other parasitic skin diseases such as mange caused by mites and lice, a vet may do a skin scraping, take hair samples and look for the parasites under a microscope. Parasitic skin diseases are usually easily treated once a diagnosis is made.

Skin infections can simply occur on their own or seen in allergic cases, where they contribute to the itchiness. If these infections are present, they are treated with antibiotics and antifungals.

A food allergy can cause itching in dogs from any age. It can be ruled out by doing an exclusion diet trial and then treated by eliminating the offending food allergen. An allergen is usually a protein that causes the body to react. A food allergy causes itchiness around the face, inside the ears, the feet and on the tummy.

Once other possible causes have been ruled out a vet will prescribe a specific prescription food formulated for diet trial purposes. It is critical that no other food or treats are given for up to 10 weeks because the smallest treat or other food will invalidate the trial. The biggest stumbling block with a food allergy is owner compliance, but a diet trial is worth persevering with, as it is the easiest and in the long run, cheapest way of controlling a food allergy.

Up to 50% of skin cases fall into the skin disease category of allergies to pollens, house dust mite and other environmental allergens. These allergens enter through an unhealthy skin barrier and cause inflammation in the body. This in turn causes itching and when scratched, causes further skin damage, and so the issue worsens. Secondary bacterial and yeast infections often complicate the allergic reactions.

Environmental allergies are usually recurring, seasonal and can be managed, although there is no outright cure and usually lifelong management is required, either ongoing or at times of the year when the problem surfaces. Environmental allergies are more difficult to treat as usually it is impossible to remove the cause.

Allergies can be frustrating for owners, but by working closely with your vet, the treatment results can be very rewarding.