Spring is in the Air

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Spring cleaning, spring planting, spring pruning, spring allergies;

Bees, butterflies, campfires, marshmallows, smores, spring allergies;

Fragrant flowers, soft spring rain, fresh mowed grass, spring allergies!

Spring is here and with it comes planting seeds, blooming flowers, buzzing insects…and seasonal allergies. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergy and asthma, conditions caused by an inappropriate over-response of the immune system to a substance called an allergen that triggers a cascade of harmful cellular and chemical events. Pets as well as humans suffer from seasonal allergies, and allergic reactions in dogs can be immediate or delayed, local to specific tissues, such as the paws or eyelids, or systematic where the entire body is affected. Most allergic substances, or allergens, are inhaled, but some are ingested, and animals tend to experience skin disorders rather than sneezing and watery eyes, and once exposed, they usually become extremely itchy. Typical signs of an allergy are licking the feet, rubbing the face, and frequent scratching. Skin or ear infections caused by allergies can be quite painful.

If your dog starts to lick or scratch excessively, he probably has allergies. Fleabites are the number one cause of allergy in dogs, so a consistent, safe, pest management program is important. When skin allergies are caused by environmental allergens, dogs typically scratch, bite, chew, or rub their face, neck, armpits, groin, rectal area, bottom of the tail, the bend of the joints, and between the toes. Inhaling dust or pollens produces the canine version of hay fever. Continuous scratching can lead to hair loss, dandruff, darkened or thickened skin, and greasiness. Hot spots may develop due to irritation from constant chewing or scratching, which can result in infection, and in severe cases, additional eye and nose allergies, or secondary bacterial or yeast infections develop

It is important to determine the source of an allergic reaction in your dog before any realistic treatment can be established, and since individual dogs respond differently, it may take some time for your veterinarian to find the solution that is most effective for your pet. Once the allergen is identified, the best solution is to remove it from his environment, but this is sometimes not practical. Airborne antigens, including pollen and dust, cannot be entirely avoided, so minimizing exposure is the goal. Avoid running through weeds and wooded areas. Wash your dog’s bedding regularly. Professional cleaning of the air ducts and filters in your home can make a big difference for both dogs and people.

Good nutrition is the cornerstone to treating any chronic illness, so improving the quality of your dog’s diet can help because, even if your dog doesn’t have a food allergy, a lot of the immune system is in the digestive tract. Cut out all the commercial treats and add an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, which can bolster the immune system and manage issues from the inside out.

Many topical treatments, including shampoos, rinses, gels, and lotions are available to soothe irritated skin, calm itchiness, and reduce inflammation, and antihistamines are sometimes recommended. However, because the symptoms of inflammation are produced from the inside out, shampoos, sprays and ointments can provide only temporary relief, and although they are beneficial to use during a flare up, long-term treatment should focus on balancing your pet’s immune system. A simple method of identifying a dog’s immune response to literally hundreds of environmental substances is to have your veterinarian submit a blood sample to a veterinary laboratory that specializes in measuring the amount of immune proteins already present in the dog’s bloodstream, which will determine appropriate treatment.

Steroids such as prednisone, cortisone, or other “allergy shot”, work remarkably fast, but they actually turn the immune system off, and do not address the root issue of why your pet’s immune system is over-reacting in the first place. Steroids can have a negative effect on your pet’s liver, adrenal glands, and kidneys, and suppressing the natural immune system with steroids also allows for opportunistic yeast and bacteria to grow on your pet’s skin, thus increasing the chances that antibiotics will be prescribed. Steroids are recommended only as a last resort.

Unfortunately, allergies cannot be cured, they don’t disappear, and usually become worse as your dog ages, but don’t despair! Work with your veterinarian to develop an individualized, appropriate treatment protocol to manage your dog’s allergies. It’s worth a little extra effort to keep him healthy and comfortable.

 

Spring is Mud-Luscious and Puddle-Wonderful

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Spring this year certainly has verified E.E. Cummings’s assertion that the world is mud –luscious and puddle-wonderful, but with warmer weather, also come problems like allergies, skin infections and flea and tick invasions.

Pets sometimes cause allergies, but they can also suffer allergies. Although some allergic substances are ingested, most are inhaled, and pets suffer from the same miseries as human allergy sufferers, although they don’t sneeze or blow their noses.

The two common seasonal allergies that may affect your dog are flea allergies and atopy. Flea bite allergies caused by an immune reaction to flea saliva are extremely common in dogs, but are easily diagnosed, and a caregiver has many options available to eradicate that parasite from the dog’s environment. Prevention is always better than a cure.

Atopy or allergic inhaled dermatitis is caused by something in the air or environment like ragweed, pollen, mites, mold, feathers, grasses, trees, and shrubs, or something being harvested in the area. Since these compounds are in abundance everywhere it is obvious that totally preventing exposure is impossible.

Dogs tend to experience skin disorders rather than sneezing and watery eyes, and once exposed, they usually become extremely itchy. The telltale signs that your dog has an allergy are the scratching, licking, and chewing. If your dog really starts to lick excessively, he probably has allergies from inhaling dust or pollens—the canine version of hay fever. When skin allergies are caused by environmental allergens, allergen dogs get very itchy. Typically they will scratch, bite, chew, or rub their face, necks, armpits, groin, rectal area, bottom of the tail, the bend of the joints and between the toes. Continuous scratching can lead to scratch marks, hair loss, darkened or thickened skin, dandruff and greasiness. In some dogs, additional eye and nose allergies, or secondary bacterial or yeast infections develop.

Many topical treatments, including shampoos, gels, lotions, rinses and other treatments, are available to soothe irritated skin, calm itchiness, and reduce inflammation, and antihistamines can be used to reduce the effects of seasonal allergies.

Obviously, it is important to determine the source of any allergic reaction in your dog before a realistic treatment can be established, and since different dogs respond to different treatments, it may take a little time for your vet to find the solution that works best for your dog, but it is important to identify the allergen and, if possible, remove it from your dog’s environment, and to improve his immune responses. There may be no cure for allergy, but with understanding and patience, you and your vet can treat the issue and perhaps correct the imbalance in the dog’s immune system, which will result in a much happier dog.

And a treat –scrumptious would be:

Peanut Butter-Yogurt Cubes (healthy for both two-legs and four legs)

Ingredients:

  • Blend 1- 5oz. can chicken,
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 2 cups yogurt

Instructions:

  1. When well-blended, spoon mixture into lightly greased ice cube trays.
  2. When frozen solid, pop out cubes and place in freezer bag.
  3. Serve on easy-to clean surface…

Enjoy a mud-luscious, puddle-wonderful, treat -scrumptious Spring!