What a beautiful weekend we have just had. It was wonderful to feel the sun on my skin and the warmth in the air as I took Roxy for a walk. The kids were ahead on their bikes and all was right with the world! The Jasmine is flowering, filling the garden with a beautiful scent. Spring is definitely in the air!
Unfortunately, for many people this statement is met with dread as it signals the start of hay fever season. Did you know that many of our pets are similarly affected? However, instead of sneezing, and having a runny nose and eyes (although occasionally we see these symptoms), dogs usually develop itchy skin. In animals these inhaled or contact allergies are called atopy and we are seeing a tonne of them at the moment.
For many it will start with itchy feet. You may find that your evenings are being disturbed with the constant licking and slurping noises made as they try to relieve the irritation. The symptoms can rapidly progress to generalised redness and even ear infections.
It is really important to stop this irritation in its tracks before it causes secondary skin infections, so if yours is an itchy dog, prone to grass allergies, now is the time to make sure that they restart low doses of their anti – allergy medication to prevent a flare up.
Itchy dogs and cats can be very frustrating to treat and live with, as it can often be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause without undergoing dermatological testing. I recommend keeping a diary of your pets itch score and their diet, exercise patterns, time of lawn mowing and bathing as well as any other variables that may play a role in the allergies. Often you can start to see a pattern develop and then avoid the most troublesome allergens or at least plan in advance for next year.
So, to summarise, if your pet is a chronic “foot licker”, he or she is likely suffering from allergies. The good news is that we can certainly help to control these and there are lots of different options available now days. Hopefully, with the correct treatment, we can ensure that you both return to getting a peaceful night’s sleep!