Like all allergies, atopic dermatitis (also known as a seasonal allergy) occurs when the dogs’ immune system “overacts” to a foreign substance (allergens or antigens) to which it is exposed (absorbed over skin in this case). Affected dogs or cats may also have certain areas of the body where the skin is defective and has an abnormal skin barrier. The most common clinical sign you will see with this allergy is severe generalised itching or pruritis. The dog will chew, lick or scratch at any area of the body, including the feet. Chewing and scratching produce hair loss and inflamed areas of skin. Excessive licking can cause saliva staining of light-coloured hair and this is often seen on the feet. Although most people think that itching is related to fleas (and it can be), one of the most common causes of itching in the dog is the environmental / absorbed allergen.
Inhaled allergens include tree pollens (eucalyptus, casuarina, and melaleuca), grass and weed pollens, moulds, mildew and house dust mites. Many of these allergies occur seasonally (and can cause seasonal allergy), such as grass pollens. However, others are around all the time causing all year-round allergies such moulds, mildew and house dust mites. Many dogs will progress to develop year-round allergies as their immune systems react to more allergens over time. There is no easy way to tell the difference between which allergens are causing the reaction as they all present with the same clinical signs. In other words, an individual animal can be allergic to many different things with the result (itching) being the same. In most cases, intradermal allergy testing can make specific determinations, however it is not possible to test for every known allergen, so testing is usually confined to the most common allergens for that specific geographical area.
Treatment options vary depending on the age of the dog, whether the dog is desexed or not, the length of the dog’s allergy season and how long the dog has had the allergy for. Before we begin any treatment or specific intradermal skin testing it is crucial we rule out any other form of cause for itching i.e. fleas, ticks and other skin parasites such as Scabies or Demodex and bacterial or yeast infections; or hormonal problems such as low thyroid levels which may affect skin barrier. A comprehensive review of the animal’s nutrition, overall physical health and environment should be reviewed.
The main treatment options include:
Supportive care:
Supportive care is always the best place to start with a mildly itchy dog and consists of restoration of skin barrier health as our primary aim but also prevention of secondary infections. The options comprise of bathing, moisturising, utilising essential fatty acids, natural anti-inflammatories and antihistamines (if effective). Reviewing your pet’s diet at this stage is essential to ensure you aren’t feeding an un-balanced, nutrient deficient, inflammatory diet. Many skin issues can be resolved by improving the diet with fresh whole foods.
Supportive care is safe, cost effective and can be used long term with relatively rapid benefits in mild cases. In severe cases supportive care will not be as effective without digging deeper into the problem, including further skin workups with your vet; however, it is the basis for skin management.
Adjunct/supportive Therapies:
Bathing:
Many dogs are helped considerably by frequent bathing with a soothing natural shampoo such as LUCAA Probiotic Pet Shampoo or any natural essential oil infused shampoo (for those with sores or scabs or excess exfoliation in their coat. Bathing is critical as it physically removes the allergen overload, reduces bacterial and yeast populations, repairs skin barrier defects and the cool water can soothe inflamed and hot skin. It has been demonstrated that some allergens may be absorbed through the skin. Bathing is thought to reduce the amount of antigen exposure though this route. Pruritis/scratching leads to an increase in the production of sebum (oily substance with a musty odour) and inflammation of the skin, both provide a haven for the growth of bacteria and yeast; with the resulting infection causing itchiness. In addition to removing surface antigen targeted bathing will provide some temporary relief from itching and can often reduce the need for other interventions. The important take home message however is that every bath needs to be followed with a veterinary recommended skin barrier repair product and moisturiser. This helps to restore skin barrier, reduce skin water loss, and decrease the absorption of allergens across the skin. We recommend our Itch Soothe, Fungal Fighter, Bacteria Be Gone Creams, Colloidal Silver Spray or the LUCAA Derm or Allergen Free Spray to aid in protecting the skin barrier.
Reduce allergen load on the coat:
It is also important to wipe down your pet's coat/skin daily to remove allergen load in between bathing. This is most effective in the evening or after walks/playing outside. Some cases benefit from using t-shirts/socks or boots to provide a physical barrier to the allergens.
Our recommendations for maintenance are weekly baths and daily wiping of the skin to reduce allergen load.
Fatty acid supplements (omega 3 and 6):
These play an important role in repair and regeneration of the skin barrier and also provide a natural anti-inflammatory affect.
EFA's are not effective as a solo treatment and take about 12 weeks to reach an effective plateau but when used as adjunct therapies, most allergic dogs are significantly improved and often don’t require as high or frequent a dose of anti - itch medication.
Examples include our Nordic Naturals Fish Oils or an Algae EPA/DHA oil. This should not be fed to dogs with pancreatic insufficiency or those that are diagnosed with Pancreatitis without consulting your vet professional.
Antihistamines:
These may help some dogs, but we have found them to be largely ineffective and will be used on a case by case basis. We prefer more natural alternatives such as herbal compounds which can be used long-term to help the body manage its histamine levels.
Herbal Support:
When supportive and symptomatic care is not enough herbal support can be utilised. Many herbs have actions that can be supportive of managing your dog or cat’s allergies. The wonderful thing about herbs is there are thousands to choose from to help our pets. Some herbs and nutraceuticals include but are not limited to:
- APN Atopy Relief (Skullcap (Scutellaria), Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica),Burdock (Arctium lappa), Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra),Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)
- Quercetin
- Zinc
- Bromelains
Intradermal skin testing and desensitisation: This involves the veterinarian giving the dog sedation, injecting various allergens under the skin and recording the results. From these results a special vial of antigen vaccine is made up and the owner then gives the injections under the skin of the dog at home. The purpose of this therapy is to reprogram the body’s immune system, so it becomes less reactive to those allergens. If successful, therapy will continue for years or life. The goal is to significantly reduce the itchiness however in some dogs the itchiness completely resolves. This procedure is the gold standard approach to treating Atopic allergies, but it does have some draw backs such as:
● a) Cost: This is the most expensive form of treatment (but comes with the least side affects)
● b) Age of patient: Because many dogs develop additional allergies as they get older, young dogs may need to be retested 1-3 years later
● c) Success Rate: About 50% of dogs will have an excellent response, about 25% get a partial response, and the remaining 25% get little or no response.
● d) Time of Response: The time until apparent response may be 2-5 months, or longer.
● e) Interference of steroids: Dogs must not receive oral steroids for at least 2 weeks prior to testing as these drugs will interfere with the test results
Food intolerances: If your dog has a combination of atopy and food intolerances, the test will not show this. A food elimination trial remains the best diagnostic test for food intolerances.