Atopy, or allergic dermatitis (commonly – “grass allergies”), occurs when an individual develops allergic symptoms as a result of exposure to an airborne allergen.\u00a0 In the case of atopy, the allergen is typically inhaled or absorbed thru the skin.\u00a0 Common allergens involved in atopic dermatitis include pollens, grasses, molds, dust and dander.\u00a0 In humans, symptoms of atopy include sneezing, itchy eyes or asthma (what we think of as hay fever).\u00a0 In pets, symptoms of atopy include redness and itching in the skin around the face, ears, paws, armpit, groin and rectum that leads to chewing, biting and scratching these areas of the body.\u00a0 Similar patterns of itchiness can develop in cases of food allergy.\u00a0 Flea allergy dermatitis typically involves itchiness that develops over the trunk on the back half of the body.<\/p>\n
Based on symptoms alone, it can be difficult to distinguish the cause of your pet\u2019s itchiness.\u00a0 Along with food allergy, there can be other causes of itchy skin, such as parasites or infections caused by bacteria, yeast or another fungus.\u00a0\u00a0It is important for your veterinarian to perform a complete physical exam and obtain a thorough history when treating itchy skin.\u00a0 There are some characteristics of atopy that may help distinguish it from other causes of itchy skin.\u00a0Symptoms of atopy typically develop between the ages of 1 and 3 years.\u00a0 In contrast, food allergy symptoms often develop later, between the ages of 5 or 6 years in dogs. \u00a0Atopy often starts as seasonal itchiness but eventually may persist year-round. \u00a0Food allergy symptoms are non-seasonal.\u00a0 Symptoms of atopy are typically very responsive to corticosteroid (cortisone-type) treatments.\u00a0Itchy skin due to food allergy or infection\u00a0is variably responsive\u00a0to steroid therapy.<\/p>\n
GNOSIS<\/strong><\/p>\n Examination and history alone may not be sufficient to determine if your pet is suffering from atopic dermatitis.\u00a0 Your veterinarian may recommend performing some diagnostics to rule out other causes of itchy skin, such as a skin cytology (to look for bacteria or yeast), skin scraping (for mite identification), or cultures (for fungal or other infectious agents).\u00a0 Once other types of infections are ruled out, testing to diagnose atopy may be recommended.\u00a0 Intradermal skin testing (injecting small volumes of allergen under the skin and monitoring the skin reaction) or blood testing (measuring levels of antibodies to specific allergens) can be performed.<\/p>\n TREATMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n If either\u00a0intradermal skin testing or blood testing for atopy\u00a0has been performed and specific allergens have been identified, immunotherapy may be recommended.\u00a0 This involves administering an “allergy vaccine” either orally or by injection to desensitize your pet to the allergen.\u00a0 Approximately 60-80% of pets will improve within 6 months of starting therapy.\u00a0 Allergy vaccine therapy is typically life-long once started.\u00a0 Avoidance (if possible)\u00a0is another therapeutic option.\u00a0 Exposure to house dust mites and molds can sometimes be minimized with identification and reduction of indoor sources.\u00a0 Exposure to pollens can\u00a0be reduced by wiping down with moist cloths after going outside or frequent bathing.<\/p>\n When the specific allergen(s) has not been identified, management of atopy typically involves administration of oral medications that help reduce the body’s inflammatory response to allergens and topical treatments to prevent secondary skin infections.\u00a0 Oral antihistamines can safely be given long-term with very few side effects.\u00a0 However, antihistamines only work in about 20% of atopic pets.\u00a0 Concurrent use of oral fatty acid supplements may\u00a0help improve response to antihistamines.\u00a0 Fatty acids are anti-inflammatory but also have a synergistic effect when used with antihistamines.\u00a0 As mentioned above, oral steroids are very effective at controlling the symptoms of atopy.\u00a0 However, long-term steroid use has many potential adverse side effects.\u00a0 Therefore, steroid therapy is reserved for short-term seasonal control or in patients where other therapy is not feasible or effective.\u00a0 Cyclosporine (Atopica)\u00a0is an oral immunosuppressive agent that can be used to treat the symptoms of atopy.\u00a0 Atopica helps approximately 60% of patients with atopy.\u00a0 Side effects associated with long-term use are not completely known.<\/p>\n Topical treatment can help to reduce itchiness and prevent or treat secondary skin infections.\u00a0 Bathing with a hypoallergenic, moisturizing shampoo and rinse can help to reduce topical allergen exposure.\u00a0 Topical steroids can be used if the symptoms are localized to a small area of skin, eyes or ears.\u00a0 Overuse of topical steroids can lead to side effects associated with oral or systemic use of steroids.\u00a0 Topical tacrolimus, a topical immunosuppressive, is another option for control of localized itchiness.\u00a0 Medicated shampoos are sometimes prescribed to reduce secondary infections that occur with chronic allergic dermatitis.\u00a0 Reducing bacteria and yeast on the skin further reduces itchiness.<\/p>\n CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n Itchy skin in pets is very common but the cause is not always obvious without a thorough examination, history and possibly some testing.\u00a0 It may be necessary to perform testing and trials of therapy to discover the cause of the skin disease and\u00a0what best controls your pet’s specific skin condition.\u00a0 Treating atopy can require a multi-modal approach of oral medication, topical treatments and possibly desensitization therapy.\u00a0 We at Dupont Veterinary Clinic strive to provide your pet with the best care possible and hope that we can make you and your pet as happy and comfortable as possible!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Atopy, or allergic dermatitis (commonly – “grass allergies”), occurs when an individual develops allergic symptoms as a result of exposure to an airborne allergen.\u00a0 In the case of atopy, the allergen is typically inhaled or absorbed thru the skin.\u00a0 Common allergens involved in atopic dermatitis include pollens, grasses, molds, dust and dander.\u00a0 In humans, symptoms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-events"],"yoast_head":"\n