This cat was suffering with a food allergy. Intense itching and lead to self trauma leading to hair loss and scabs above the eyes. A similar appearance can also be seen in Feline Atopy, which exemplifies the need to thoroughly investigate these cases.
Same cat as above after treatment with a hypoallergenic diet.
Management of Allergic Skin Disease accounts for a large proprortion of a veterinary dermatologist’s work. The three main allergic diseases we see in our pets are:-
-
Flea Allergy
-
Atopy
-
Food Allergy/Intolerance
Much less commonly seen is contact allergy.
It is sometimes very difficult to persuade owners that their pet has a flea allergy, particularly when no fleas are found on them and owners actually suspect food allergy more commonly that is the case when their pet is trialled on a proper hypoallergenic diet for the correct amount of time.
Atopic dermatitis a a very common disorder and the appearance and history of many cases is such that a large number of differential diagnoses has to be eliminated before a diagnosis can be made. This has to be done rigourosly , as if not, an animal could be given completely inappropriate treatment for the rest of its life, which could in some cases cause new diseases to appear such as drug induced Cushings Syndrome from the chronic use of steroids.
Click on the relevant pages for further information on these different allergies
Urticaria. This is a an immediate hypersensitivity reaction to various immunologic and sometimes non-immunologic stimuli such as vaccines, drugs, insect bites/stings, various foods etc. The wheals are usually very itchy. It can be seen occasionally in many dogs, although I see it in Boxers more than any other breed. Treatment with steroids usually produces very fast resolution of the condition.
