May is Allergy Awareness Month!

When pets are excessively itchy, there can me many causes, most of which are relatively simple and easily treated. When the cause is allergies, however, it can be very frustrating. Though cases of allergies are increasing, so are the treatment options. 

Allergies are a condition where the body reacts negatively towards an outside component. In animals 90% of allergies are atopy or allergies to something in the environment (trees, grass, pollen, even human dander). 10% of allergies are food related. There is no getting rid of allergies, but our goal is managing them throughout the life of the pet. Typically allergies do get worse overtime as the body is bombarded by these allergens so the reaction is increased year by year. We typically start with a food trial to rule out food allergies, if atopy is the underlying issue there are many treatments to keep your pet comfortable from shampoos and topical treatments to antihistamines to allergy injections and other anti-itch medications. Depending on the severity of the allergies we are able to put together a plan to keep your pet happy and itch free!

-Dr. Karen Nann

For more information on environmental allergies, check out Dr. Chris’ article on Atopic Dermatitis: Atopic Dermatitis 

Check out this article for more information about food allergies: Food allergy in dogs