Casey is a great example of a dog dealing with the most common allergies in pets: environmental allergies and food allergies. We'll start with environmental... Every spring and fall, the oak trees bloom and you suddenly start to see a lot more yellowish-green cars in Florida. The pollen drives me crazy. Some mornings I wake up wishing I could scratch the back sides of my eyes and I know Casey feels the same way. Oak and grass pollen both do it for her and the sneezing, scratching, face rubbing and paw chewing starts. She just loves to be outside though (in case her roll in the grass didn't clearly demonstrate that...) so we had to find some ways to cope. We try to limit outside time and walks on days when I know the pollen is highest. When we come in, I wipe down her face and THEN her paws with a wet wash cloth to try to get rid of as much residual pollen as possible. On the days when she simply can't help herself and decides to go roll in the grass, she gets a bath before bed time.
Figuring out the food allergy was a little bit tricky. There are so many things in food dogs can be allergic to and dogs can also develop allergies to something they've been eating for a very long time. Common dog food allergens include beef, chicken, dairy, soy, corn and wheat among others. I spent a lot of time emailing back and forth with Casey's vet trying to figure out what to feed her. Dog Food Advisor was a great resource for us and along with the vet's help, we were able to find something that helped Casey a lot. High quality foods can go a long way in helping your dog, but your vet may also recommend supplements during allergy season or throughout the year.
Just like bees for some people, pets can be allergic to fleas. Fortunately, I don't have to deal with that nightmare with my dogs but the cat I had for 20 years would rip all of her fur from her shoulders back when the fleas got really bad. Unfortunately for poor Cinders, topical flea treatments weren't an option (we'll revisit this in the next section) and I got the distinct pleasure of bathing a very angry cat who frequently left my arms looking like they'd been through a paper shredder. Flea allergies in Florida are always a nightmare because the fleas never seem to go away. Cinders was a little easier to cope with than a dog would be. She quickly became an inside-only cat and that really helped, but if she had been a dog our only option would have been frequent baths and oral allergy medications.
So back to the topical flea treatments... The last major category of allergies we're covering today is contact allergies. These work similarly to poison ivy in people: frequently a delayed response and always from coming into direct contact with the allergen. We never figured out which part of the topical flea treatment Cinders was allergic to, but I did discover it's a lot more common than I thought. People and pets share many common allergies including fragrances, formaldehyde (found in some paper products, paints, fabric finishes and household cleaners), topical medications and preservatives found in soaps and shampoos.
It can take a very long time to figure out what's causing Fido to be so fidgety, but it is definitely worth the effort. I was glad I traded a few months of trial and error for the peace of mind I now have. If your pet is driving you crazy with late night scratching, itching and licking, start by calling your vet to discuss what the most likely causes and most appropriate solutions may be. Just like any other condition, never give your pets medication without first clearing it with the vet. Do some research on the products you use on and around your pet and you may be surprised at what you find.
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