Diagnosis and allergy testing

It may be difficult to find out exactly what your dog is allergic to, especially as it’s likely to be more than one thing. To begin with, we will try to rule out certain allergies, and it is usually the ones that are a little easier to control, such as food or fleabites. In this case, we would likely trial foods or advise which foods to try. For parasites, it would be recommended to use a parasite control, of which we stock plenty, and this should hopefully show signs of improvement within a matter of weeks. For more complicated allergies we may have to take blood samples or skin tests, but this is not always 100% reliable because it doesn’t always reveal the triggers of the allergy. Atopy can be frustrating because it really can be trial and error, but we are here to help and have vast experience in helping dogs with skin allergies.

Treatment

The difficult part! Every skin allergy needs slightly different treatment. We need to not only identify what is causing the allergy, but then the course of action to treat it. It is likely that we would suggest the following:

Avoid triggers

Once the trigger is identified, it is really important to avoid the factors as much as possible. We know this is sometimes out of your control as you can’t watch your dog 24/7, so there are still some things you can do to reduce the chance of them flaring up:

• Regularly de-flea them (as well as other pets and your home).
• Avoid sprays, aerosols, perfumes and air fresheners in the household
• Vacuum and dust regularly
• Avoid walking them when the pollen count is high.
• Avoid walking them in long grass (or rinse them off well afterwards).
• Feed them a diet specially designed for sensitive skin (recommended by your vet).

Medication

If environmental factors are difficult to change, or your dog keeps flaring up no matter what you try then there are certain medications that can be used to reduce itchiness, such as:

• Steroid tablets and spray
• Lokivetmab injection
• Oclacitinib tablets

The treatment route does depend on your dog’s symptoms and how long they need to be treated for.

Supplements

Most dogs with skin allergies benefit from the following:

• A skin supplement containing essential fatty acids
• A topical emollient shampoo (skin calming)
• Daily antihistamines

It is important to know that these treatments alone will unlikely be enough to solve the problem, but they will help ease symptoms when paired with any medications or other treatments that are needed.

Other treatments

• Antibiotics may be needed if your dog has developed a skin or ear infection.
• Regular ear cleaning may be necessary if your dog is prone to ear problems.
• If your dog has been allergy tested, it may be possible to desensitise them to their triggers with immunotherapy. Immunotherapy involves injecting your dog with a tiny amount of what they are allergic to, to get their body used to it. The injections work slowly over time, and usually need to be given for a few years (sometimes for life). Unfortunately, immunotherapy doesn’t work for every dog, and in many cases, medication is still needed to reduce symptoms. It’s also not possible to use immunotherapy for all types of allergy

Overview

• A skin allergy is an oversensitivity to items such as pollen, grass, house dust mites and/or certain foods.
• Symptoms tend to include itchiness, redness, hair loss, and repeat skin/ear infections.
• Skin allergies are one of the most common causes of itchy skin in dogs.
• Skin allergy treatment is different for each dog, but often involves avoiding triggers, strict flea control, a special diet, and medication to stop the itch. Immunotherapy (desensitisation) can be used in some cases, but isn’t always successful.