Your pet’s skin and hair coat are often true indicators of general
health. Take a close look. Is your pet scratching, rubbing or licking
excessively? Is there excessive hair loss? Do you smell any skin or body odour? A “yes” answer to any of these questions is a good reason to bring your
pet in for an examination.
DERMATITIS
or problem skin can have many causes including allergies, bacterial and
fungal infections, external parasites such as fleas, ticks, and lice and
hormonal imbalances. The symptoms of dermatitis can include a combination of
red, itchy skin, hair loss, oily or dull, brittle hair coat and a strong odour.
There key to controlling skin disease is to identify the cause and start
treatment promptly.
In the Fraser Valley and
the lower mainland, the most common cause of skin problems is allergies.
The most common sign of allergic skin disease is pruritis or itchy skin. Your
pet may lick, chew, scratch or rub against floor coverings or furniture.
Whatever the cause, the management of
allergic skin disease includes a combination of:
a)
elimination or avoidance of the suspected allergen
b)
medications such as steroids and antihistamines to reduce the
inflammation and ease the pruritis, antibiotics if secondary infections have
developed
c)
hyposensitization to the allergen
The four major allergic
skin diseases we see are flea allergy dermatitis, atopy, food hypersensitivity
and contact hypersensitivity.
By far the most common
and easiest to diagnose is flea allergy dermatitis. Pets are actually
allergic to the flea saliva, so even a few flea bites can start an intense
allergic reaction. The best treatment for this skin problem is prevention.
Using Program on a monthly basis will greatly reduce the number
of fleas in your pet’s environment. If your pet does pick up adult fleas, Advantage
will kill them before they have a chance to bite and start up the allergic
process.
Atopy is a
genetically programmed dermatitis in which a pet becomes sensitized to
environmental allergens such as grass pollen, mold spores and house dust. This
skin problem is more common in certain breeds such as the Miniature schnauzer
and a number of the terrier breeds. This may be a seasonal problem, especially
in the early stages, however most pets progress to a chronic, non-seasonal form
of pruritis. It is often very difficult to determine what the allergen is in
these cases. Skin and blood testing can aid in the diagnosis and an ‘allergy
serum’ can be developed for you pet to hyposensitize it to its allergies and
reduce the pruritis.
Food and contact hypersensitivity
are less commonly seen but
need to be considered whenever your pet is examined for a skin problem.
Aside from fleas, there
are a few other external parasites that can cause skin problems. Mange
is the term used to describe an infestation of skin mites. The most common mite
that we see is Demodex. This is a non-contagious form of mange that usually
involves a problem with the pet’s immune system. The contagious form of mange
can be caused by the mite Sarcoptes. This mite prefers to infest the canine
family but it can cause disease on cats and humans as well.
