Why is my dog itchy and scratching?!

Now that we are on Autumn’s doorstep, I thought it would be a good time to talk about seasonal allergies and food allergies.  As many of you know all too well, your pets have seasonal allergies to pollen, grass, weeds, etc. which makes them itchy throughout the spring, summer, and sometimes even the fall months.  Unfortunately, we cannot cure environmental allergies (AKA Atopy or Atopic Dermatitis). We can only control the itch and treat infections and inflammation when we have breakouts due to Atopy.  We have a wide array of treatments including Cytopoint, a mono-clonal antibody therapy that targets proteins that make dogs itch, as well as Apoquel which targets other proteins that cause dogs to itch as well.  Furthermore, we are full of tips and tricks and “at-home treatments” to help your ease your pet’s itchy skin when seasonal allergies flair up. 


The good thing about seasonal allergies, is that, well, they’re seasonal and not year round!  However, there are a fair number of dogs that are still itchy in the dead of winter when pollen is non-existent and grasses and weeds are dormant.  So, why are some pets still itchy?!  The most common cause that I see (besides fleas) is food allergies.  The most common ingredient that I find dogs are allergic to (and some cats) is chicken.  In my experience, chicken tends to be the most common protein source I see in commercial dog foods, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!  Chicken is a good protein source and it is cheap which keeps dog food cost down, which is great unless your dog is allergic to chicken!!! Also, to quell and tamp down bad rumors, only 1% of food allergies are related to the grain source in commercial dog foods…which means 99% of food allergies in pets are directly related to the PROTEIN SOURCE (chicken, beef, pork, etc. ) not the GRAIN SOURCE (corn, wheat, barely, rice, or oats).  The FDA also released a report that grain free diets are potentially dangerous for dogs indicating that dogs on grain free diets developed dilated cardiomyopathy (heart enlargement and heart failure)!!! See the article in this link for more information:


https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy


If we think your pet has a food allergy, we can start an elimination diet which will help your pet’s skin tremendously.  It can take several weeks to perform an elimination diet, but once you see the results, you will be amazed at how much better your pet feels!


Treating all the skin problems caused by allergies is not very complicated BUT diagnosing the specific allergens IS complicated.   However, once we identify the allergen, which may take some time and effort, we have great success controlling them and keeping them in check for the vast majority of our patients.  If you think your pet may have allergies, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with me, Dr. Karla, or Dr. Alex and we will begin help you identify the allergy and start appropriate treatment so we can get your pet back to being happy and itch free!



Dr. Jones

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