Atopic dermatitis is a hereditary allergy to substances from the environment such as pollen from plants (grasses, trees and weeds), dust and storage mites, moulds and dander. The first symptoms generally occur before 3 years of age, but it can also occur in older dogs. Dogs showing symptoms through the whole year will be mainly allergic to indoor allergens (e.g.: house dust mites, storage mites, dander and moulds). Seasonal symptoms are mainly a result of an allergy to pollen (outdoor allergens). It often occurs that a pet is allergic to more than one of these allergens.

Your pet is diagnosed with atopic dermatitis when all other skin diseases with similar symptoms (including food allergy) have been ruled out and if the allergic symptoms are still present. The main symptom of allergy is itch and inflammation of certain areas of the skin or ears. Every allergic patient will present differently. 

The most common allergies diagnosed in Irish pets are to fleas, pollens, environmental mites and food.

Our veterinary dermatologists will guide you on allergy testing. It costs approximately €500, so you want to make sure you’re doing this test for the right reasons. Allergy testing is performed by taking a blood sample from your pet, and sending it to an allergy testing laboratory. We send our samples to Nextmune.

Allergy testing is performed:
– To formulate allergen immunotherapy treatment
– To better predict when your pet is more likely to show symptoms
– To take measures to reduce allergen exposure, where possible

No. These test kits are not suitable to correctly diagnose your pet’s allergy. They are completely unreliable and are a waste of your hard-earned money.

No. Blood tests can not diagnose food allergy in pets (or in humans). A pet must have a food elimination diet trial, under the guidance of Skinvet or a qualified veterinary surgeon, to diagnose a food allergy. Environmental allergies, on the other hand, can be identified by a blood test (see above).

Up to 25% of pets with allergic skin disease have food allergies. Itch is the main symptom, but is often complicated by secondary skin and ear infections. Some of these pets also have gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhoea, loose stools, frequent stools, flatulence, abdominal discomfort). The most common food allergens in dogs are beef, chicken, dairy and fish. There is no reliable laboratory test to confirm a food allergy. The only way to establish the diagnosis is to perform a strict elimination diet trial with 100% adherence.
 
The selection of an appropriate food for the elimination diet trial is crucial. The pet food business is very lucrative, and many pet foods are marketed for this purpose. However, the vast majority of them are not suitable. Increasing numbers of studies show that most pet foods contain ingredients that are not declared on the label.

The trial lasts for 4-6 weeks, and food challenges must be performed at the end of the trial to correctly interpret the pet’s response.

We understand that an elimination diet trial can be a difficult process. The objective is to definitively identify if your pet has a food allergy or not. If they do not have a food allergy, then you will be free to feed them any food of your choosing. If they do have a food allergy, we will help you to find a suitable food for them, and potentially avoid a lifetime of unnecessary medication.

AIT is given as a monthly injection. The goal of this treatment is to change the immune system’s response so that it becomes less sensitive, or not sensitive at all, to environmental allergens. As a result, the allergic reaction and symptoms will decrease or disappear, as well as the need for allergy medicine. AIT is successful in 75% of patients. The AIT should start to take effect after 3-6 months of treatment, but 12 months of treatment are required to see the full effect. If successful, the symptoms should improve by at least 50%, which typically reduces allergy medicine requirements by at least 50%. If successful, AIT is continued for life. 

Medicines that are used to treat allergies include steroids, Apoquel, Cytopoint and ciclosporin. These do not treat the cause of the allergy, and the pet will continue to be allergic and their immune systemic will continue to react to the allergens. These medicines target the itch and inflammation associated with the allergy. Allergen immunotherapy is the only treatment that address the cause of atopic dermatitis. 

These medicines work very differently to each other, and the choice of medicine will depend on your pet’s symptoms. Importantly, long-term safety studies on Apoquel, Cytopoint and ciclosporin have shown them to be very safe.

Apoquel, Cytopoint and ciclosporin can be expensive, particularly in large dogs. Most pet owners who come to us have spent significant sums of money on treatment that has not worked. Our advice is:
– Ensure you have the correct diagnosis
– Do not give your pet a medicine that isn’t working
– Implement an effective skincare routine
– Consider allergen immunotherapy, which is significantly less expensive in the long-term than the medicines above
– Do not be afraid to use steroids (see below)

Steroids are an important part of your pet’s allergy treatment, and you should not be afraid of them. We will show you how to use steroids safely, without causing harm to your pet.

Proactive therapy with twice weekly hydrocortisone aceponate (a topical steroid) into the ear canal has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in preventing the recurrence of otitis externa. This treatment must be continued for life, but can be reduced to the lowest effective frequency over time. Always consult with Skinvet before reducing the frequency. 

For more information about how Skinvet treats ear disease, click here.

A skincare routine is vital. All dogs with allergic skin disease should have a skincare routine tailored to their individual symptoms. It will consist of products that moisturise, prevent secondary infections, and control inflammation. An effective skincare routine often reduces the pet’s requirement for allergy medicine.

Our goal is for your pet to have a long and happy life. Making them comfortable is always our first step. In the long term, we want to teach you how to manage their condition, and particularly how to handle any flare-ups. We are aiming for 90% control of your pet’s allergies, 90% of the time. We will equip you with all of the products you will need to do this. We are always here to advise you, but we want to teach you how to manage your pet’s skin condition as if it were your own skin.