Itchy skin in pets is not unusual. In this article, we take a look at some common skin conditions that cause itchy skin and how pet owners can take care of their pets’ skin health.
The most common complaint during skin consultations is an itchy pet with hair loss or hair thinning. An itchy pet can present with physically scratching his body, licking his paws, head shaking and scooting. The itch can start with a change in food, change in season, change in their environment or just at random.
The first things we need to rule out are external parasites, such as fleas or mange. These are easily diagnosed and then treated accordingly. Certain patterns of hair loss can point to external parasites, such as tail base alopecia or hair loss on the ears. Sometimes, the owners are also itchy. An easy way to prevent these conditions is to keep your pet’s tick and flea treatments up to date, especially in the spring and summer months or if you are moving to a new environment.
Irritating allergies
The second category is allergies – either food or environmental, known as atopy. In these cases, the pets’ diets may have been changed, and they are usually quite young. Often the allergy is caused by the protein in the food, which is usually chicken or beef. To rule out food allergies, we place them on a food that contains hydrolysed protein. This means the molecule is so small that the body does not recognise it as an allergen. This is an eight-week process, with no treats.
Environmental allergies can almost look like any of the above – pets are usually very itchy with a red, inflamed skin and can have secondary bacterial dermatitis (skin infection), which is caused by trauma to the skin due to the constant scratching. Treatment is life-long and specific. We usually place them on a hypoallergenic diet as well, or a food that has a novel protein that is not chicken or beef.
Treatment
What we need to remember is that damage to the skin occurs due to trauma from scratching. We therefore aim to treat the infection first, along with the itch, thereafter maintaining the body’s natural barrier as best as we can.
Treatment is also very specific. There are many products on the market; however, not all of them work and some have major side effects.
It is important to seek treatment from a veterinarian as soon as the itching starts. Otherwise, it can be a very long, uncomfortable journey for the pet and could result in some sleepless nights for the owner.
Itchy nodules
Another common complaint is a nodule or nodules on the skin; sometimes just under the skin. This could be due to an allergic reaction, an abscess or a tumour. It is easy to distinguish between them by way of fine-needle aspiration (a biopsy) – a very inexpensive way to get a diagnosis. The only thing that can be tricky is if the nodule is a tumour in which the cells are not distinguishable. Then, we usually send the cytology (cells on a slide) to a clinical pathologist, take a biopsy or remove the lump and send it for histopathology to find out what sort of tumour it is.
If we suspect it is cancerous, we tend do a medical work-up, which includes looking at the rest of the body with a full blood count, biochemical tests, chest radiographs and on abdominal ultrasound. This work-up helps us give a clearer picture to the owner about the prognosis with treatment.
Keep in mind
It is always important to know what lumps and bumps your pet has. Sometimes, due to repeated trauma, the skin becomes too damaged to remove the lump completely or, in the case of cancer, it spreads to internal organs.
Remember, it is not always doom and gloom – most skin problems can be diagnosed and treated successfully if it is done properly and with owner cooperation. There is a good chance that there is a solution to your pet’s constant itching.
By: Valley Farm Animal Hospital