Your pet can have allergies just like us, and we usually see this affecting their skin. In Hawaii, pet allergies are a big deal. They are very prevalent all year round, causing consistent discomfort for many of our furry friends. At Ali’i Animal Hospital we help to treat your pet’s itch so they can get back to enjoying all the things they love best.
While skin conditions can result from any number of things, allergies are typically the primary cause. If your pet exhibits any of these symptoms, it’s likely they have an allergy:
- Excessive scratching
- Red, irritated skin
- Dry, flaky skin
- Licking/chewing the paws
- Hair loss
Pets are allergic to many of the same things we are. These could include:
- Pollens
- Grasses
- Avocado trees
- Mango trees
- Dust and dust mites
- Mold
- Dander
- Certain fibers or materials
- Fleas
Management & Treatment
In order to treat allergies effectively, it’s important to know what causes them. We will do an initial assessment and learn about the living environment of your pet. We may draw blood and send it to an outside lab to evaluate for the potential allergen contributing to the skin disease. We also do skin testing in-house to check for other conditions besides allergies such as microscopic external parasites and bacteria and yeast infections. Once we determine the cause of allergies, we’ll form a personal treatment plan for your pet. This may include:
- Flea preventatives – these are essential for preventing flea bite dermatitis
- Cytopoint (an allergy injection for dogs)
- Apoquel (an anti-itch tablet for dogs)
- Atopica (an anti-itch oral medication for cats)
- Antibiotics (to treat secondary infections)
- Antifungals (to treat secondary fungal infections)
- Medicated shampoos
- Creams or topical therapy
For food allergies, we’ll need to do an elimination diet for approximately 12-16 weeks, then add in possible allergens one by one until your pet has another reaction. This is a long process, but we’re here to help every step of the way.
