Allergy assault

Hi Dogs Today,


As the owner of an allergic Welsh Springer Spaniel, the last two years have been an ongoing search for the stuff that works and the stuff that is, at least for my dog, merely a clever marketing ploy. Anyone who has spent hours trying to distract or comfort a constantly itching and wriggling dog I'm sure will agree that you become an amateur encyclopaedia on soothing shampoos, skin supplements and the latest veterinary treatments. At the height of our annual battle with pollen following a hot summer, I find myself looking for anything unconventional or new that might help my poor girl where other treatments have so far failed. 

Bee pollen and stem cell enhancers have emerged as something I haven't yet tried. I don't need people to tell me about skin tests, allergy vaccines and the benefits of Omega 3 (alongside Vitamin E) supplements. I would, however, love to hear from others like me and, of course, the experts on the things they have tried and that actually, truly work. 

VonnyBee Pollen for Pets http://vonnybee.com/?cat=3

StemPets http://www.stemtechbiz.co.uk/StemPets.aspx

Christina Savage, by email

Pollen gets in your eyes, and up your nose

Hello to the team at Dogs Today.

I’m hoping you can help. I know this is a forum for doggie advice, but I’m hoping you can help a human! Spring’s been a bit later this year, and I’m just feeling my hayfever beginning to start. It’s at its worst at my favourite time of day – the afternoon dog walk. Anti-histamines do give me headaches, so I was wondering if you know of anything natural I can take or use to keep me from getting concerned looks from other dog walkers as I look like I’ve been crying with my streaming eyes and nose!

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Kind regards,

Mrs Ashton, by email

Scratching the surface

Can you help?

My two-year-old Labrador, Maisie, is scratching an awful lot. It seems to be her whole body is itchy as she scratches her head/ears, and has taken to rolling over and rubbing her back along the floor.

She went into scratching overdrive about three weeks ago, which is around the time I got my yearly itchy eyes and runny nose, courtesy of pollen. I wonder if this is connected, can dogs get hayfever? A friend suggested it could be diet related, but she is fed a mixture of wet food and dry kibble and doesn’t seem to have any tummy problems or anything.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Diane Camping, by email


Alison Logan, vet, advises...

What you describe does sound very much as if Maisie has an allergy to environmental factors, or atopy. We develop the classic signs of hayfever such as sneezing and watery eyes, whereas dogs simply scratch and scratch at themselves in response to an itchy skin, classically affecting tthe head, ears, paws and underside of the belly (note – you describe Maisie as having itchy head and ears, but rather than scratching at her ventral abdomen she rolls around on her back to rub at that area. There may be a concurrent problem, of which more later!).

Maisie is also the classic age for first showing signs of atopy, being a young adult dog. The potential to be atopic is inbuilt. It would therefore be unlikely for an atopic dog to show signs of atopy as a puppy in the spring when he first encounters factors to which he is sensitive; the following spring, however, he may become itchy if exposed to them.

An atopic dog is generally allergic to several factors, again like the situation in us. A useful concept is the itch threshold: a dog can be coping quite well with the presence of factors to which he is allergic until there comes a point where the arrival of another allergen exceeds his itch threshold and then he starts scratching at himself. As you say, you started showing signs of hayfever at about the same time that Maisie started scratching, suggesting that a rise in pollen levels may have taken Maisie above the itch threshold.

As your friend suggested, there may be an element of food allergy which could have been ticking away without becoming apparent until exposure to pollen took Maisie above that magic itch threshold. It is worth remembering that as well as being allergic to ingredients in the food, which are eaten at every meal, a dog may become itchy only as the lower levels of a sack of food are reached, where forage mites may have developed. For my patients who are atopic, I recommend buying smaller quantities of food, rather than going for the economic option of bulk buying, to avoid the potential for forage mites.

That itchy back! Here is where I come to fleas. I could not advise on itchy skin without mentioning fleas! You describe Maisie as having an itchy back which does suggest fleas, atopic dogs usually rubbing at the underside of the belly. Fleas are a year-round problem and do need constant and effective preventive measures. If Maisie has had a break in flea control over the winter, she may well have picked up fleas hatching out in the environment with this warm spell of weather. Any atopic dog is likely to have a flea allergy, so the addition of fleas may, again, tip him or her over the itch threshold.

I would suggest you check for signs of fleas with a flea comb (finding just flea dirts is as significant as finding live fleas) and treat if found, including the environment. If you have allowed flea control to lapse over the winter, then I would resume effective control of fleas on all pets and the environment regardless of finding signs of fleas. If the itching persists then I would take Maisie to your vet for a full examination and further investigation. This incessant scratching can cause damage to the skin and predispose to a bacterial skin infection which itself is itchy, so that an itch-scratch cycle becomes established. Eliminating fleas will not stop the itchy skin if there is still a bacterial skin infection present, let alone other underlying issues as already mentioned.

The treatment of an itchy dog has progressed a very long way and it should be possible to formulate a management plan for Maisie, but you will both have to be patient. Working up an itchy dog takes time, but time worth taking.

Does my dog have hay fever?

My dog, Tony, a crossbreed, has started to itch and seems uncomfortable after returning from walks. He stratches and bites his body, and shakes his head from side to side. At first I thought it may be ticks or even fleas, but regularly check him over and find no evidence of either.
I have a feeling it may be an allergic reaction, almost like hay fever. Do dogs suffer from hay fever?
I'm desperate to find something to ease his itching - he's scratching so hard on occasions he pulls out his coat, and rubs his face on the floor, which doesn't look right. But I'm loathe to give him any chemical treatments - is there a natural remedy out there for Tony?

Philip Dunlop, by email

Dr John Howie, co-founder of Lintbells, says:

Dogs can indeed suffer from an allergic reaction to pollen and like humans they can be susceptible to hayfever. However, while hay fever in humans brings symptoms of sneezing and runny eyes, a dog is more likely to suffer the reaction to the pollen in its skin.

The signs of discomfort you describe in Tony – itching, shaking his head or rubbing it on the floor as well as pulling at his fur are all consistent with a pollen allergy. Many dogs with such an allergic reaction will show signs much earlier in the year than we see in human hay fever. This is because they are much more sensitive to tree pollen which is about from March, whereas human hay fever often starts in June with grass pollen.

If you are keen to try natural treatments for your dog it is first worth ensuring that his own natural skin defences are working as well as they possibly can. Skin health can be improved by adding Omega 6 and 3 oils to his diet to increase the essential fatty acids which they provide. Yumega Plus will provide the correct balance of these oils and will help calm the irritation and sensitivity in his skin. It will also make it more difficult for the pollen to penetrate the skin, so he would want to scratch less often. One of the natural ingredients in Yumega Plus is fresh salmon oil, which most dogs like and there is also more vitamin E than standard Yumega, to help dogs with sensitive skin.

Do make sure you brush his coat to remove any dirt, debris or trapped pollen and, at peak hay fever times, try wiping his coat with a damp towel after a walk to remove any pollen. Washing his bedding and brushes regularly will also help and, of course, do keep his flea control up to date.

Do dogs suffer from hayfever?

During the glorious weather we were lucky enough to enjoy last week, my one-year-old Samoyed was sneezing constantly on walks and her skin seemed to be irritated causing her to scratch. When indoors she was fine, but I noticed on the weather report that the pollen count was high. Could Angel be suffering from hayfever? If so, how can I ease her symptoms?
Kate Jeffries, by email


Dogs are just as susceptible to hay fever as humans. Dogs can inhale pollen granules in exactly the same way as people, but the resulting responses are different. While we tend to react with a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing, a dog will show his reaction on his skin. This is because the histamines released by the body in response to pollen in animals are mostly released in the skin rather than in the nose and eyes. It’s not just by inhaling pollen that a dog can suffer hay fever either. Direct contact with the skin can also trigger these responses.
If your dog’s suffering from hayfever, he’s likely to start to scratch and bite his body, lick his paws, shake his head, and rub his face along the carpet for relief from the itch when pollen grains are swirling in the air. Skin irritability and the prolonged scratching caused by hay fever can also cause hair loss and coat damage, as well as making a dog feel very uncomfortable and miserable.

Top tips for reducing dog hayfever
1. One simple way to guard against the irritating symptoms of hay fever is to make sure your pet’s natural skin defences are in tip-top condition. By adding Yumega to your pet’s diet, pollen and other allergens will find it more difficult to get into the skin, so it no longer requires scratching. The omega 6 and 3 oils contained in Yumega improve animals’ skin health by increasing essential fatty acids that are lacking in their diet.
2. Consider bathing your dog with a shampoo designed to sooth irritated skin, but not too frequently as you don’t want to dry out their skin. If bathing more regularly becomes necessary, include an omega 3 and 6 supplementation in the diet to make up for lost oils from the skin and coat.
3. Keep up to date on flea control. Flea allergies can cause skin eruptions and should be treated immediately.
4. Brush the coat daily and carefully comb or cut out matted hair which can hold dirt and debris and from which bacteria can enter the skin causing bacterial dermatitis.
Dr John Howie, Co-founder Lintbells Ltd


I quite agree with Dr John Howie’s comments, that dogs do suffer from inhaled pollen allergy or hayfever just like us. In addition to his suggestions, it would be worth asking your vet about giving antihistamines. Again, just like the situation in humans, one antihistamine may provide one particular individual with relief from the annoying clinical signs but be ineffective in another person or dog. There are, however, at present no antihistamines specifically licensed for use in dogs.
Do bear in mind that a dog showing signs of atopy or an inhalant allergy is likely to be allergic to other substances. It is therefore worthwhile trying to minimise exposure to them as well, so that your dog stays below the so-called ‘itch threshold’. This is why Dr Howie has emphasised the need to keep on top of flea control – an allergy to flea saliva is very common, and easily avoided with strict attention to flea control on all pets and the environment.
Dietary hypersensitivity is also worth addressing. You may well find that your dog is less itchy on foods which do not contain certain proteins. An actual food trial is best undertaken under veterinary supervision, in order to avoid creating dietary imbalances.
An allergy to forage mites is another common allergy. Although there is the economy of bulk-buying food in large sacks, there is an increasing risk of forage mites the longer the food is exposed to the environment after opening the bag. I have had patients who have shown increasing itchiness as the bottom of a food sack is approached. Switching to smaller bags of food has been a simple answer.
Itching in response to inhaled pollens will show a seasonal pattern, depending on the allergen to which your dog is allergic. Over the years, I have noticed that my daughter’s hayfever starts in early March, a month before my son’s. It is worth remembering that there can also be a later peak in September or October.
Alison Logan, vet