Allergies
One of the most complicated problems the Veterinary Surgeon has to treat is the "itchy dog". Diagnosis and cure can be very elusive. The cat also has a similar condition but on the whole cats tend to lick themselves excessively rather than scratch.
There are many reasons for scratching. We still see a few dogs with sarcoptic mange - a common problem some years ago. Now, however, our main challenge is allergies.
Much is made in the Press about the rise of allergic illness in people: asthma, nuts, digestive diseases and hyperactive children. Pollution, food labelling and food additives are often sited as causes, even animals get the blame! Is it possible that some dogs and cats are allergic to humans?
Animals can be passive smokers. I am treating several dogs with coughs at the moment. They are not improving despite intensive treatment and diagnosis. The Specialist's advice is to warn owners that smoking may affect their animal.
The biological basis for allergic disease is difficult to explain. The immune system is not confined to one organ. There are specialist cells scattered all over the body on the surface of the skin, in lungs and intestines and through the lymphatic system. It is easy to see an animal is sick when the lymph nodes are swollen, but the microscopic groups of cells whose activity stimulate itchiness in the skin or malabsorption in the digestive tract are less obvious.
In my opinion the most common canine and feline allergy is as a result of flea bites. Owners often find this difficult to understand because they may not actually see fleas on the animal. The new generation of insecticides are very effective at killing adult fleas but they rely on the adult flea biting the animal and feeding on its blood before they can work. As the flea finds a tiny blood vessel in the skin it injects a special protein that acts as an anticoagulant. After the flea has had its meal it jumps off or dies but the anticoagulant is left behind. The substance stimulates the body's immune system and the animal then becomes itchy - just as we do after a mosquito bite.
So don't forget once the first warm spell occurs in March reach for the drops or the spray and beat the fleas as they hatch!