Itchy Dogs – New Medications
Dr Robbie Anderton BVSc (Hons) MANZCVS (SA Med)
It is a common refrain in the veterinary world – as we move into Springtime, the pollen levels in the air increase, the grasses start to grow, and we start to see dogs showing signs of allergies.
The dogs are scratching, and there’s no signs of fleas.
They might be shaking their heads or scratching at their ears.
They might be licking or chewing their feet.
They might be rubbing their faces, tummies, or even bums on the ground.
Their skin may be red and sore, or moist and gooey, they may have lost fur in places, or their fur may become stained.
This can affect the dogs quality of life, because their skin is sore when it is inflamed or infected, and their licking and scratching drives the dogs and their owners bananas.
Unfortunately, we can’t really “cure” animals of an allergy, and if we can’t stop their exposure to what is causing the allergy, we are left with trying to control the clinical signs.
But there are two great new therapies we have access to so we can try and help to reduce the itch, and make these dogs feel much better.
And the results so far have been pretty spectacular!
The first treatment is an Injection called “Cytopoint”.
Cytopoint works by using an antibody to remove a specific protein from the dogs tissues which is involved in the allergy inflammation cascade, not the rest of the immune system. The beauty of this treatment is it is so specific, is that it has very few side effects, and seems to be very effective in helping to control the signs of itchiness for over 4 weeks, and sometimes up to 12 weeks!
The second treatment is a post wash conditioner that has an anti itch medication in it, called “Barazone”. The cortisone infused in the conditioner has a prolonged action once applied to the skin, giving up to 7 days effect when used after washing.
These two new treatments, along with other common itchy skin management plans like controlling infection, diet control, and other management strategies are really making a big difference to a lot of itchy dogs, and their owners, in helping to control their allergy signs.
It is a real pain for these poor dogs and their owners to have these long term itchy signs, but it’s great to have some new really effective ways of trying to help.
If your dog is showing signs of allergies, is licking or chewing its feet, getting recurrent skin infections, or other signs of skin issues, give the clinic a call on (03) 98079222 to make an appointment with one of our vets so we can discuss your options.