Dr. Chelsea Sluyter April 12, 2017
A concern of an itchy dog is one of the most common things we see at Milford Animal Hospital. Dogs can itch for a variety of reasons, from mites to skin infections, but the most common underlying cause is allergies. This can be allergies to food, fleas or something in their environment. Environmental allergies typically present as seasonal scratching, and this fall seems to have been a bad one for many of our patients!
Treating allergies can range from antihistamines and more frequent bathing all the way up to allergy shots, just like in people. Luckily, veterinary pharmaceutical companies have understood our need to treat these itchy dogs, and we have some great new medications available. Apoquel is probably our best anti-itch pill, and many of our clients can share stories on how much it has helped their pets.
Recently an exciting new treatment has become available. This is a monoclonal antibody, which means it’s a part of the dog’s own immune system and isn’t actually a drug at all. This antibody targets the itch signal in a method similar to apoquel. It relieves itching fast, and the best part is that this is an injection given only once a month or as needed.
Is your dog itchy? Make an appointment so we can best figure out how to give you and your pet some relief!