Allergy Treatment for Dogs and Cats in Plymouth Meeting, PA
Despite their thick coat of fur, your pet’s skin is still vulnerable to environmental elements. Pollen, dirt, dust, mold spores and more can all lead to itchy, irritated skin in sensitive pets! Being allergic to any of these substances makes matters even worse. At The Village Vets in Plymouth Meeting, PA, we rely on dermatology to help relieve your pet’s itchy skin and manage the allergy at its source.
How Do You Know if Your Pet Has Allergies?
There are many different types of skin conditions pets can be vulnerable to, yet allergies are by far the most common. Yet, to rule out any other possible conditions, we’ll run diagnostic tests including blood work and skin tests. Once we’re sure it’s allergies, we can take a blood sample to send to an outside lab which can tell us the exact allergen to which your pet is sensitive.
But how do you know when to bring your pet in for allergies? Here are some common signs of possible pet allergies:
- Dry, flaky skin
- Red, irritated skin
- Hair loss
- Excessive licking
- Frequent ear infections
- Chewing paws
- Foul odor coming from skin
Common Allergens for Cats & Dogs in Plymouth Meeting
Common allergens for pets are the same as those that affect us, including:
- Pollens
- Mold spores
- Dust and dust mites
- Grasses
- Certain materials (such as rubber or plastic)
- Food ingredients (such as pork, beef, egg, etc.)
While pets can be sensitive to certain food ingredients, a true food allergy is actually rare. Still, since food sensitivities can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and skin conditions, we treat them with the same seriousness as an allergy. Also, keep in mind that while allergy tests can tell us what environmental allergen your pet is allergic, they cannot do the same for food sensitivities. If we suspect your pet has a food sensitivity, we’ll put them on a hypoallergenic diet for several weeks until their symptoms clear up. Then, we’ll reintroduce ingredients one at a time to see which one causes their reactions to reoccur.
How We Manage Cat & Dog Allergies
Our treatments aim to both soothe your pet’s symptoms and prevent future reactions. Since every pet is unique, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for allergies. Instead, we’ll need to try a few different options to see which treatment, or combination of treatments, works best for your pet.
Some of our allergy treatments include:
- Apoquel (anti-itch oral tablet)
- Cytopoint (immune therapy injection)
- Antihistamines
- Antibiotics and antifungals (to treat secondary infections)
- Medicated topical creams and shampoos
- Elimination diet for food sensitivities
- And more