The Old Saying
We’ve all heard the old saying, “If you lie down with dogs, you get fleas.” We take it to mean, of course, that if you associate with people who do questionable things, you’ll be guilty by association. Admonishments and platitudes aside, literal fleas can cause great distress to both you and your pet in the form of frantic scratching. Fleas are, however, only one cause of itchiness in pets. Since it’s August, also known as Itchy Pet Awareness Month, let’s look at what might be making your pet itchy and what you can do about it.
When We Know Better
We’ve also heard the adage, “When we know better, we do better.” August as Itchy Pet Awareness Month helps to educate us about doing better when our pets have itching-related discomfort.
What Makes Them Itch?
When our sweet (or salty) pets are itchy, they’re so distressed and clearly uncomfortable. While the odd scratch is normal, repeated, vigorous itching isn’t. Common causes of excessive itching are:
- Fleas
- Food allergies
- Environmental and/or seasonal allergies
Fleas are preventable and it’s in your pet’s best interest to ensure your pet has adequate flea preventive treatment. Getting fleas is incredibly distressing, but trying to get rid of them once they’re on your pet, in your home, and possibly even on you is even more so. Prevention is the key to avoiding flea-related itching.
Food allergies are increasingly common in pets as are environmental allergies. If your pet has atopic dermatitis (one of the primary skin conditions that causes extreme itchiness) related to allergies, the skin condition will continue to worsen without treatment.
Symptoms
Although we think of the most typical symptom of itchiness in pets as…well…scratching, there are other symptoms that are not as obvious. You should check your pet’s coat and skin if you see them:
- Biting or licking a specific area
- Developing red spots
- Exhibiting attention seeking behavior
- Becoming hyper or very excitable
- Eating feces
Your pet may exhibit these symptoms or others when they’re distressed by skin itch and irritation. In addition to the discomfort caused by excessive itching, pets can develop an infection in the irritated area. If that happens, they’ll likely need an antibiotic and/or veterinary treatment.
Treatments
There are a variety of ways to treat your pet’s itchy skin. Your vet might recommend a flea treatment to start with to ensure that there aren’t any active fleas on your pet. You should also tell your vet if you’ve used any new grooming product on your pet. Your vet might also recommend:
- A specific bathing or grooming regimen
- An elimination diet
- Antihistamines
- Topical medications
- Certain supplements
- Steroids
There may be a combination of treatments needed to provide relief for your pet, who will be incredibly relieved to have their itchiness managed.
South Hyland Pet Hospital
For those in the Bloomington, MN area, the medical practitioners at South Hyland Pet Hospital, can help you help your pet. Together we can determine what’s causing your pet’s skin irritation and help you provide them with relief. If we can figure out a way to scratch their itch, your favorite pet will love you more than they already do.
