Animals – Itching in pets

Spring and the warmer weather marks the reawakening of life, resulting in pollens, allergens and bugs. Sensitive pets may soon start scratching more. While occasional scratching is normal, persistent or excessive itching often indicates an underlying health concern.

The most common causes of itching are parasites like fleas, mites and lice. These are easily treated on the animal, but in severe infestations, the environment also needs treating. If the animal has a flea allergy, the bite of one flea can set off a cycle of inflammation and cause persistent scratching and additional medications become necessary.

Other allergens include environmental allergies (like pollen, dust mites or mould), contact allergies (certain plants like wandering Jew or ivy, cleaning agents, shampoos) or food allergies. The allergic reaction in the intestines allows whole proteins into the blood and then the liver and kidney need to get them out of the body. If those organs are stressed or overloaded, the skin is the next place of elimination.

The skin usually has a resident population of bacteria, but with the increase of moisture and fats on the inflamed skin, the balance is disturbed, yeasts dominate, causing more inflammation, a characteristic sour “doggy” odour and more itching. It is helpful to treat the yeasts, but without addressing the underlying food allergy issue as well, the itching will just return once the medication is finished.

This is the reason vets often suggest blood tests to check for underlying liver or kidney disease. Having said that, a large proportion of these organs need to be non-functional for the damage to show up.

Blood tests can also give an indication of other metabolic problems or diseases like Cushing’s and hypothyroidism, which can also result in skin problems and need specific treatments.
Less common causes of itching include too-frequent bathing with harsh shampoos (resulting in dry skin), boredom and insufficient exercise.

Treatment involves identifying and correcting the underlying condition. Once parasites are ruled out, allergies are addressed. DNA testing or intradermal testing at veterinary skin specialists helps identify some allergens and specialists can develop antisera as treatment. Commercial an-allergenic diets are made from proteins our pets usually do not eat. If, after six weeks of feeding these exclusively (no other treats) there is no itching, other food ingredients can be added one at a time to find the offending allergen.

Omega 3, 6 and 9 supplements formulated for animals and given at the correct dosage, help dampen an allergic response. Soothing creams and soaps can help, too.

Sometimes the cause cannot be found and regular medication in form of injections or tablets is required. Prevention of itching is best achieved by a healthy diet, regular exercise and brushing or combing of the fur.