Tips to Care for Your Allergic Pet

Pets can suffer from seasonal allergy conditions just as much as people. Their symptoms may include intense itching, scratching, licking and biting. Secondary bacterial infections are common because of the intensity of the itch; some pets will have chronic itching in their ears. Few pets are as miserable as those with serious skin problems due to allergies.

Although not usually life threatening, the symptoms of allergies can make your pet miserable. Remember that pets' skin is prone to injury from scratching. Try to minimize reasons to prevent your pet from scratching or chewing.

Contact Dermatitis

Allergic contact dermatitis is a rare disease which occurs when an animal's skin overreacts to certain small molecules in the environment. Substances which can cause allergic contact dermatitis include certain antibiotics applied to the skin; metals such as nickel; materials such as rubber or wool; and chemicals such as dyes and carpet deodorizers. Less common allergies include contact dermatitis and flea allergy dermatitis. These allergies may cause:

Food Allergies

Food allergies are true allergies and show the characteristic symptoms of itching and skin problems associated with feline and canine allergies. Food allergies account for less than 10% of all allergies in dogs and cats. Food allergies may show up concurrently with allergies to pollen, dust, etc. Symptoms include:

Symptoms of allergies

The more common symptoms of allergies are:

1. Use glass or stainless steel pet dishes and keep them clean.
2. Wash your pet's bedding in hypoallergenic detergents.
3. Bathe your pet with shampoos to remove debris and build-up as well as to relieve some of the symptoms associated with allergies. Some appropriate shampoos are:

• Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo for super-sensitive allergy-prone skin.
• Oatmeal Shampoo to exfoliate dry skin.
• Itch Stop Shampoo to soothe irritating itching.
• Soothing Shampoo if your pet has hot spots or other secondary bacterial infections.
• Medicated Shampoo if your pet has secondary oily seborrhea.

1. Use our Itch Stop products in conjunction with Tea Tree Oil & Soothing Aloe.
2. Gently brush hair coat regularly to distribute oils and to make sure your pet has no mats or tangles that can further irritate skin.
3. Although this can be tough, try to minimize the exposure of your pet to the suspected (or confirmed) allergen.
4. Supplement with an Omega-3 fatty acid product (like Derm-Tabs or Derm-Tabs ES ) combined with Biotin to "boost" effectiveness.