Has my Westie got hay fever?
Do dogs get hay fever in your experience? My three-year-old West Highland white female neuter was itchy during the summer, rubbing her eyes and nibbling at her feet. She seems a bit better now so I have not bothered the vet with the problem.
Dogs commonly suffer from a condition called atopic dermatitis, also known as atopy. It was first described in the US in 1940 and since then has been the subject of a huge amount of research, which continues. Atopic dermatitis has similarities to hay fever in people.
It is an allergic condition with the same allergens often responsible. Tree, grass and weed pollens are triggers, and tend to occur during spring, summer or autumn.
Others, such as house dust mites, cause clinical signs all year round.
Affected dogs tend to be itchy around the eyes and ears, the feet and the ventral abdomen. Just as hay fever in people tends to run in families, atopy in dogs is common in some breeds, including Westies.
The condition usually starts between six months and three years of age.
If pollen is responsible the signs will be seasonal. If grass pollens are the trigger, I would have expected the itchiness to begin in June and improve by September. It is worth mentioning to the vet, as these signs would be relatively easy to control if they recur next summer.
Also, your vet may need to develop a treatment strategy if the season extends into autumn and winter.
My four-year-old female neutered cat is eating a special non-allergic diet prescribed by my vet. She likes the food but some of my friends have said these diets can cause blood disorders. Is this true?
These are hypoallergenic diets and there are two types. Some contain a solitary protein, which has been broken down (hydrolysed) into small fragments that cannot cause an allergic response. The other type contains a protein source not present in normal cat diets, and so is unlikely to cause an allergic response.
The diets are commonly used for a trial period (up to eight weeks in most cases) in the investigation of alimentary disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, or for allergic skin diseases.
In the last few months there has been a sudden increase in an apparently new condition. Around 500 cats have been diagnosed with a rare bone marrow condition that causes a rapid drop in red and white blood cells and platelets.
This is known as pancytopenia, a condition with a high mortality rate. One known cause is a virus that is a part of the routine vaccine schedule for cats.
However, a virus does not cause this latest syndrome. A Royal Veterinary College research team is currently investigating the outbreak.
Certain brands of over-the-counter hypoallergenic diets came under initial suspicion and these were withdrawn from the market as a precaution, although subsequently no definitive link has been established.
Your vet prescribed a widely used hydrolysed diet, which you can continue without any concerns for as long as advised.