Cinder, a female flat-coated retriever, became a patient at our clinic in January 2011 after
she was adopted from the humane society. She was about 8 ½ years old and had
been with 2 previous owners before now. Needless to say there was some change
and resulting stress in her life. She had some itchy skin and watery eyes that
winter.
As we moved into late spring 2011 Cinder's itchiness
continued and she was treated with oral antihistamines and acupuncture.
Acupuncture would give her immediate relief but that would wane after about 5
days. She was on regular flea preventative and had no sign of fleas. At this time Cinder was diagnosed as likely allergy to pollens or “atopy”. The
pollens may be from trees, grasses or shrubs. They gain entry into the body
through inhalation, but also if the pet licks the pollen from the feet. Some
plants can cause skin inflammation from direct contact; this is often seen on
the underbelly.
As the weather got warmer her itching intensified and she
was treated with oral steroids, which were only moderately helpful. Because steroid use can be associated with
side effects, we switched to Chinese herbal formulas for allergies and used
them along with antihistamines and added a fish oil source of omega-3-fatty
acids. Fish oil has been shown to reduce inflammation from skin allergies as
well as benefit overall health in both humans and animals. Cinder also
continued to respond to acupuncture treatments with several days of immediate
itchiness relief.
In addition, topical medications that contain
steroids were used intermittently; these are not absorbed into the blood stream
to any significant degree and can give some extra help controlling itchiness.
Treatment for mild itching continued on into the fall and
through the spring. At this point food
allergy had to be considered as pollen allergies are normally seasonal. A
specially formulated hypoallergenic diet was begun in November 2011.
After she had been on the special diet for about 4 month
Cinder's need for additional medication was greatly reduced. We have been able
to manage the itchy skin with herbals, antihistamines, topical medicated spray,
bathing, and fish oil.
Cinder's case illustrates beautifully the need to “slay the
dragon with a thousand tiny cuts”. The fish oil and the medications work
together, called synergistic, to provide an enhanced effect against allergies. This
combined with acupuncture and herbs allowed the most comfort for Cinder. Cinder is like many dogs in that often a pet
has more than one type of allergy. In her case she is probably allergic to
everything (fleas, pollen and food) but we are able to easily eliminate fleas
with modern preventatives and lessen the effect food may have with the special
diet. Cinder's owner is also instructed to mechanically remove pollens with
wipe downs once she has been outside.
As of this writing Cinder's allergies are almost completely
under control, or resolved.
Here are the thousand tiny cuts, many only used as needed.
-Fish oil
-Antihistamine, we tried 3 different types to find the best
one.
-Chinese herbs, 2 different formulas used
-Acupuncture
-Medicated topical spray
-Hypoallergenic diet
-Monthly, year round flea control
-Medicated baths when needed
-Mechanical removal of allergens (pollen) from the fur.
-Avoidance of allergens
