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K-STATE
VETERINARIAN OFFERS OWNERS HELP WITH PET ALLERGIES
MANHATTAN
-- If your pet is scratching, it's probably bugged by more than
a bad case of fleas. William Fortney, assistant professor of diagnostic
medicine pathobiology, explained that prolonged scratching may indicate
allergies.
Fortney
said that the signs of allergies in pets are different from those
in humans.
"People
have respiratory symptoms, like sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes,"
Fortney said. "But animals show allergies with itchy skin."
There
are three common categories of pet allergies -- flea saliva, food
and pollen and other airborne irritants. First, a pet may have an
allergic reaction to flea saliva.
"This
reaction is not a simple flea bite," Fortney said. "By
comparison, people who are not allergic to bee stings merely have
swelling around the sting, whereas people who are allergic to bee
stings often have massive swelling over large parts of the body.
Instead of swelling due to the offending flea saliva, the pet's
skin will become extremely itchy."
The
second category of pet allergies is food allergies, where the pet
is allergic to some food ingredient like beef, chicken, etc.
Finally,
like humans, pets may become allergic to pollen and other airborne
irritants.
"It's
called atopy. Conceptually, it's like hay fever in humans,"
Fortney said. "The exception, again, is in how the allergy
affects the individual. Atopy does not usually cause the pet to
have respiratory symptoms as it does humans. It mainly causes the
pet's skin to itch."
Fortney
explained that the degree of allergies is indicated by the degree
of itching and subsequent damage the animal does to its skin.
"A
mild case will produce a mild reaction, like people with mosquito
bites," he said. "But a more intense allergic reaction
will cause more scratching. A person who is allergic to mosquitoes
could scratch a bite until it bleeds."
Though
there are certain acute allergic reactions pets can have to insect
stings or vaccines, Fortney explained that most pets take time to
develop a sensitivity to allergies. Some breeds inherit atopic allergies,
making certain families or breeds more susceptible than others.
Though
allergies may be inherited by any breed, Fortney explained that
allergies are commonly found in poodles, West Highland terriers,
Labradors and cocker spaniels. Since there is no blood test to predict
those pets likely to have inherited allergies, Fortney advises going
to a reputable breeder and making first-hand observation when purchasing
a purebred puppy.
"Look
at the puppy's mother and father," Fortney said. "If they're
scratching, the puppy could develop allergies later on."
Cats
have not been researched as extensively as dogs. Though veterinarians
know that cats have allergies, they do not yet know if they are
inherited.
There
are three strategies to managing allergic pets. One involves finding
the cause of the allergy through a series of skin or blood tests.
Once the veterinarian finds the cause, treatment may be selected.
"If
the problem is fleas, we get rid of the fleas. If it's food, we
can prescribe a special diet," Fortney said.
The
second and more common method is to treat the symptoms with histamine
blockers and occasionally steroids.
"Quite
often, we are required to use medications to provide some relief
to the patient," Fortney said.
For
chronic cases or difficult-to-manage cases where the offending allergic
agent has been identified, injections may be given to desensitize
the pet to its allergy.
For
more information contact Fortney at 785-532-4605
November
1997
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