For more information, call or visit us at Ashby Animal Clinic!

Updated:  4:37 p.m. ET March 2, 2010

Is your dog or cat scratching uncontrollably? If so, your pet might have allergies. It’s unclear how many pets are affected by allergies, but veterinary dermatologists agree that itchy skin is a common symptom. 

There are three main types of triggers for allergic reactions: flea bites; pollens, molds, grasses, trees, weeds, dust and dust mites; or certain food ingredients. Unless it’s clear from an examination or history what’s causing the itchiness — the presence of flea dirt, for instance — diagnosing allergies is a process of elimination. Veterinarians may tighten up flea control, do skin scrapings to check for infections caused by bacteria or yeast (common in allergic cats and dogs) or start the pet on an elimination diet to rule out food allergies. 

“If everything goes away, we’ll slowly stop doing one thing at a time and learn which of our allergies was the biggest player. If all the itching doesn’t go away, we’ve by default made the diagnosis of a pollen or mold allergy because that’s the allergy we really can’t control or avoid,” says Catherine Outerbridge, assistant professor of clinical dermatology at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine in Davis. 

© 2010 The Associated Press.  Source:  MSNBC

     Experience.  Knowledge.  Commitment.  Ashby Animal Clinic.

    Meet our Vets & Staff   |   Directions   |   Pet Health  |   News & Specials   |  Pet Photos   |  About AAC   Site Map  |  Contact Us