Allergies are not only a problem people face, but also an issue that animals deal with too. Pets are prone to flea allergies, environmental allergies, and food allergies. All of these can cause all kinds of irritating symptoms. Contact Bay Road Animal Hospital in Sarasota, FL, if you believe your pet has allergies. We can give your pet an allergy test to diagnose its condition and review treatment options with you.
About Pet Allergies
Flea allergies are very common in dogs and cats. The saliva from fleas can cause allergic reactions on your pet’s skin.
Food allergies can occur at any time during a pet’s life. Your pet may suddenly become sensitive to specific ingredients in its food that can cause digestive or skin issues. Common food allergy triggers are gluten, fish, chicken.
Atopic dermatitis is a skin condition caused by substances in your pet’s environment, such as pollen, dust mites, or chemicals in household products. Constant contact with these substances can trigger extreme itchiness and other reactions on your pet’s skin. Contact your pet dermatologist if you notice your pet licking, scratching, or biting its skin more than normal.
Diagnosing Allergies
Pet allergies can be diagnosed through pet allergy testing. These tests can identify the allergen triggering your pet’s symptoms.
Ridding your pet of fleas is the best way to determine if the flea saliva is the cause of your pet’s allergy symptoms. This can be done using medicated shampoos or other pet care flea treatments.
Our veterinarian can conduct skin and blood tests to diagnose atopic dermatitis. Blood testing requires extracting blood samples from your pet before sending them to a lab to be tested against different allergens to see what triggers its symptoms. Skin testing involves sedating your pet and injecting minute quantities of allergens into its skin to evaluate the reaction. This procedure is done at our animal clinic.
We place your pet on a special diet for 4-6 weeks and gradually introduce foods to its meal plan to see what triggers allergy symptoms. This is to help pinpoint the cause of food allergies. These foods can then be eliminated from your pet’s diet to manage its symptoms.
Pet Allergy Treatment
Eliminating allergens from your pet’s food or environment can help eliminate or minimize pet allergy symptoms. Your pet dermatologist may also recommend oral or topical medication or immunotherapy for treatment.
Visit Our Animal Clinic for Pet Allergy Treatment
Allergies can be just as frustrating for animals to deal with as they are for us, so schedule an appointment with Bay Road Animal Hospital in Sarasota, FL, to find out what is causing your pet’s allergies. Call us at (941) 677-5845 or (941) 677-5690 to get your pet feeling healthy again today.
