The summer is upon us - boiling hot one week, tipping down the next - and the surgery is overrun with scratching pets! The following information comes from our 'Itchy dogs' factsheet which is available to print in the Articles section.....

There are many causes of scratching in dogs and cats and it is important to reach a diagnosis. Clinical signs can be very characteristic of certain conditions but in many cases further tests are required. For the more obscure conditions, these tests can be involved and sometimes expensive.

The commonest cause of scratching is flea infestation. Many people think fleas only cause a problem in the summer, and it is true that our first cases tend to occur around May, but actually the peak month for fleas in our practice is November. This is because they have been breeding rapidly throughout the summer and reach a peak in the late autumn, before the first frosts come along and kill some of them. (But remember that they will happily survive overwinter in centrally heated houses). Combing the coat may reveal fleas or more commonly the droppings they leave behind. However, fleas can evade all attempts to find them in the consulting room and this is why we make sure that all itchy dogs and cats have a flea eradication programme in place before going any further. All pets in the home must be treated at the recommended intervals. We use Advocate which will also treat and prevent a large number of other parasites; or Frontline which treats  fleas and lice. If fleas are found on the pet, it means there will be a hundred times that number in the house, as breeding takes place in the environment and not on the animal. Therefore the house will also need to be treated with an environmental spray - we currently use Indorex.

Often effective flea treatment of all dogs and cats in the household (not just the itchy ones!) will cure the problem - but you do have to remember to continue flea prevention longterm or they will be back next year.....

Some parasites such as mites, burrow into the skin and can someimes be identified by examining a skin scrape under the microscope; however, they can be hard to find and sometimes the distribution of the skin lesions gives us more of a clue. Sarcoptic mange is quite common in our area and is carried by foxes - but dogs do not have to have direct contact in order to be infected. The mange mites set up an allergic reaction as well as direct irritation, which is why there is sometimes a worsening of the symptoms when the treatment, Advocate, is used - dying mites cause further allergic reactions. Oral medication may be required to treat this and the inevitable secondary bacterial infections that occur. Other infections – bacterial, fungal and yeasts can also cause itching and would need appropriate treatment. Samples may need to be examined to determine if such infections are present.

Allergies are the second commonest cause of itching that we see (after fleas). The commonest allergy in dogs is called atopy and it seems to have a genetic basis in some instances, as it definitely runs in certain breeds and certain lines. Atopy is an allergy to inhaled allergens such as pollens and housedust mites. It is diagnosed by ruling out other causes, and by the distribution of the lesions - armpits, groins, ears and feet are the  most commonly affected areas. It most commonly starts between 6 months and 3 years but any age can be affected. At first the symptoms may be seasonal i.e. just in the summer, but as time goes on the dog can become allergic to more substances and can be itchy all year round. The condition can be managed rather than cured.

Less commonly, some pets can become sensitive to the food they eat. A food trial consists of feeding a diet that contains ingredients that the dog has not previously been fed. A diet called “Hills ZD” would be recommended and fed for 6 – 8 weeks (no other food should be given during this time). If the itch improves then a food allergy is likely.

Management of Atopic Dermatitis (Atopy)

1. A blood test can be taken to identify the allergens and see if exposure to them can be reduced; for instance, avoidance of hay fields if pollens are involved, damp dusting if housedust mites are involved, etc. However, avoidance of exposure is usually impossible so the main reason for blood testing is in order to make up an immunotherapy vaccine. This needs to be injected regularly, at increasing intervals and then going to a maintenance injection, to desensitise the skin to the allergens. These vaccines can be very effective but as with all treatments for atopy, they can control the condition not cure it. The blood testing and vaccine production can cost several hundred pounds, so is generally only available to insured pets.
2. All secondary bacterial or yeast infections need to be treated with a long course of antibiotics (4-6 weeks) and bathing with shampoos such as Malaseb or Coatex medicated.
3. Steroids may be required to relieve the inflammation, but side effects can occur if high doses are required for long periods to control the itch. To reduce the dose of steroid required, other products can be used at the same time. These include:-
   Antihistamines – Tavagil, Atarax or Piriton
   Essential Fatty Acids in the diet – Coatex Oil
   Regular Bathing – helps to soothe the skin and remove allergens from the coat i.e. Episoothe, Malaseb or Coatex medicated shampoo
4. An alternative to steroids is Atopica – This drug, although much more expensive than steroids, has fewer side effects and can be effective on its own without the need to use other treatments at the same time.