31/08/2025
Tomorrow is the first day of Spring and this means that many allergic dogs will start to flare.
Late last year, I was invited to lecture by on management of environmental allergies in dogs.
I included a slide on how I explain to pet owners that are referred to me. I was asked recently to share this slide so I thought I put it here for vets and owners!
Some golden tips I share with referring vets and pet owners
1.Like in humans, environmental allergies in dogs can cause itchy skin/ears (atopic dermatitis and otitis), running nose (allergic rhinitis) and eyes (allergic conjunctivitis).
2.Like in humans, environmental allergy is incurable and management is key to control itch and provide comfort to pets. Many owners want a “cure” but the reality is this is almost impossible.
3.Successful management of environmental allergies involve medications to stop the itch as well as allergy vaccine to modify the allergic disease.
4.Poorly managed environmental allergies will result in recurring bacterial skin and ear infections.
5.Allergic dogs need an individualised multimodal plan, there is no “one size fits all”.
6.Different anti itch medications available have different mechanisms of actions and selection depends on several factors including severity of itch and chronicity of allergic disease.
7. Multidrug resistant skin and ear infections arise from repeated use of antibiotics. In dogs we usually see methicillin resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) but we are also seeing a lot of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is a human superbug!
If you have a dog who has itchy skin, it is important you consult your veterinarian on the best way to manage them both short and also long term.
