Years ago when I was a kid my parents send me to an allergist to get allergy shots. This was an effort to cure mold, mildew and ragweed allergies.

Now as a ‘parent’ of Annie I am tempted to try allergy shots to cure her dog allergies. So just as people have this treatment, so can pets. The process, however, is not without difficulty and one should not expect hypo-sensitization to end all itchy skin concerns.

• Allergy shots take time to work. It is not uncommon for results to take 6 to 12 months
• Not all dogs will respond. In fact 25% of atopic dogs will not – they are frequently the gogs that are allergic to multiple allergens
• Up to 25% of dogs will require the steroid prednisone at some point during the course of treatment
• You will have to be prepared to administer the allergy shot yourself

Is Your Pet A Viable Candidate?

Testing is best done during your dogs non-itchy season. This is so that the skin responses of the test will not be influenced by any active inflammation.

In order to test, a small amount of allergen extracts are injected into the skin. Reactions from these injections are then are compared to reactions produced by two control groups (injections that are sure to produce results): pure histamine which is extremely inflammatory and pure saline which is not very non-inflammatory).

The proper outcome for these tests will be incumbent upon following a medication withholding schedule. Your dog may not have:

• had any Depomedrol injections over the last 8 week period
• received Vetalog injections over the last 6 weeks
• been administered Antihistamines over the last 1 week
• received a Topical steroid for 1 week
• ingested Oral steroids for 4 weeks

Note that these are requirements from one board certified dermatologist – other dermatologists may have other requirements. Further, it is useful to have ruled out dog food allergies with an elimination diet trial prior to the skin test as food allergies/intolerance responds much more rapidly to diet correction than atopy does to hypo-sensitization.

Interestingly both food allergy and atopic dermatitis present a similar pattern of itchiness and can be difficult to distinguish from one another.

For complete options about treating your dogs allergies call your local trusted veterinarian.

Did you know that almost 25% of the more than 54 million dogs in the U.S. that have received professional vet care are found to have some form of an allergy or other immunological disorder? One of the most common types of dog allergies is the inhalant type. This known as atopy. Included in the list of these allergens are:

• pollens
• molds
• mildew
• the common dust mite

Dust mites are tiny, microscopic creatures that belong to the family of eight-legged creatures called arachnids. Also included in this family are other familiar household pests:

• spiders
• chiggers
• ticks

Dust mites enjoy warm, moist environments such as the inside of your mattress, your pillow or seat cushion on your couch. They make meals of dander (which is human and animal skin flakes), so they thrive in places where there are both people and animals. Fortunately dust mites don’t bite,  they do not spread disease and usually don’t make their home on people or pets. They are harmful only to people and pets that become allergic to them.

When dogs are allergic to dust mites they generally react to the proteins in the bodies and feces of the dust mite. These fecal particles are found in the highest concentrations in:

• pillows
• mattresses
• carpeting
• upholstered furniture

There may be as many as 19,000 dust mites in one gram of dust, but usually 100-500 mites live in each gram – which is about the weight of a paper clip.

Even though you may be a clean freak, most home environments support a population of the common house dust mite. Small population are not cause for concern as they do not contribute to allergic reaction in dogs. Large populations, however, will contribute to the allergic disease process. Unfortunately almost 44% of U.S. households have dust mite levels in specific locations to contribute to allergic sensations and ultimately the presence of symptoms in our pets.

There are many options to diagnose and treat dust mites and other allergens known to effect dogs.

The single best step is consult your vet for testing and treatment options.