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Does your pet scratch, lick or chew excessively? Itching, also called pruritus, is one of the most common problems encountered in dogs and cats. Unfortunately, there are many causes of pruritus, some may be easy to treat while others are much harder to control and manage. Determining the cause often involves some detective work by your veterinarian. Clues can be obtained from history of symptoms, age of pet, physical examination, distribution and types of lesions present, response to previous medications, and the diet and environment of the pet.
Various diagnostic tests may be necessary to help detect the cause or rule out some of the possible causes. These tests can include skin scrapings to look for mites, skin cytology to look for bacteria or yeast, skin or hair cultures, biopsies, special food diets, and allergy testing. Of course, doing all these tests in one visit may help you get to the diagnosis quickly, but this is an expensive approach and some tests may not be needed. Generally, a methodological plan of attack is formulated. Simple tests are performed initially and various treatments may be prescribed to aid with the diagnosis. If there is minimal response then more involved tests should be done.
Treatment obviously depends on the cause. It may be possible to completely eliminate some causes e.g. scabies, while others have to be managed long-term e.g. autoimmune disease. Allergies to pollens, dust mites, molds and insects are very common in Florida. Itching in these animals, just like in people with allergies, is generally managed long-term rather than easily cured. Therapeutic options for the allergic pet include either treating the symptoms with drugs or specifically identifying what the pet is reacting to then developing an allergy vaccine. Although drugs, particularly cortisone-like preparations may resolve the symptoms quickly, they often return once the drug wears off. Long-term use of such drugs has to be carefully monitored by your veterinarian to ensure serious side effects do not occur. The best long term approach to these allergic pets is generally with the use of an allergy vaccine, similar to what many allergic people take. This vaccine alters the body's abnormal immune system so that it is less sensitive to things the pet is allergic to. Your veterinarian will be able to discuss with you whether this would be a useful option for your dog or cat.
Dr. Glen Burkett
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology Florida Veterinary Specialists, Tampa, Florida
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