Pets Get Allergies Too

The weather’s warm, the flowers are blooming, the world seems a brighter happier place, right ? You know the signs, the sneezing, runny eyes and sore throats. Worse still, maybe your eczema flares so your skin is cracked and painful. These are signs of allergies.

Pets get severe allergies too. Pets typically show intense, itching. Imagine the torment of being constantly itchy and not being able to do something about it. The itching breaks the skin, infection sets in, they itch some more and the vicious cycle continues. The infection can be so severe that our pets have a fever, go off their food and become lethargic. Our cats’ sand papery tongues literally strip the fur from their bodies in response to the itchiness. 

Itching can be all over the body or just in local areas such as the tail, ears, cheeks feet, back or belly. Did you know that approximately 50% of recurrent ear infections are due to allergies. Everyone has seen the white dog with rusty colored feet These are all signs of allergies at work. 

What Causes allergies?
90% of allergies are flea related.

Fleas: A regular flea bite causes much discomfort, but for allergic pet even one bite injects a tiny amount of flea saliva into the body and can send your pet into an itching frenzy. 

Don’t be fooled 95% flea life cycle is spent off your pet. You have to be lucky to see those blood suckers.

Genuine Hayfever, 2nd most common cause of allergies. Our pets absorb an allergen (a material that causes allergies) through the skin and the immune system overreacts. Putting it simply, anything airborne could be a potential threat. The skin becomes inflamed & infected, worse still, the skin’s nerves are triggered making the itchiness even worse. 

Finally, pets also can have adverse responses to food, causing an intense skin reaction. Frustratingly your pet may have been OK with a particular diet for years and suddenly develop a reaction. 

Early intervention is best.