The season of spring allergies is fast approaching and soon the clinic will be full of ear infections and itchy dogs as a result of our local spring blooms. But what about our canine friends who are itchy year round, no matter how much you treat their allergies?

Food allergies can be one of the itchiest conditions for our pets and often develop after they have been eating the offending food for months or years with no trouble. In dogs, there is no great test for food allergies but the condition often results in facial itching, foot chewing, and recurrent ear infections. Our dogs’ immune systems react to the proteins that are broken down in the food, which are recognized by the body as foreign invaders to be attacked. 

If there is no good test for food allergies, how do we go about determining if our dog is feeling itchy because of their diet?

Most vets may recommend switching to a sensitive skin and stomach food, or trying a hypoallergenic diet trial. In a diet trial, the dog is fed the hypoallergenic diet for a period of six to eight weeks, and then the original diet is fed for up to two weeks to see if itching resumes. If we see a lapse in itching with the test diet and a return in itching with the original diet, then a food allergy is diagnosed. For these diet trials to work, a diet must be strict (meaning no outside treats or snacks) and in multi-pet households, it is advised that all pets are fed the diet so food-sharing is not an issue. 

What makes a hypoallergenic diet?

Usually vets recommend using a novel protein food or a hydrolyzed protein food. Novel, or “new”, protein diets contain a single protein source (like kangaroo, duck, or salmon) that the patient has never eaten before. Fortunately, these are readily available and many brands found at your local pet store carry diets that may contain proteins novel to your pet! A hydrolyzed protein diet means that a conventional protein source is used, but the protein is broken down into molecules that are too small to excite the dog’s immune system. 

If you think your pet may fall into the category of year-round allergies and not seasonal allergies, consult your vet at Comer Veterinary Hospital for options on diet trials and alternative treatment plans. It is also always important to rule out flea allergies in chronically itchy pets! Any itchy pet should be on a year-round flea preventative to ensure that fleas are not the cause of the redness and itching. 

This month at Comer Vet, we want YOU to get your dog or cat microchipped — and to sweeten the pot, we’re doing it at a steep savings of only 25 bucks!

Unfamiliar with microchips? They’re a little bit like the “find my iPhone” feature, but for animals. Each microchip has a unique identification number that will be registered to you as the pet owner. You’ll get a copy of that registration, and we’ll keep one at the clinic. So, say your escape artist cat darts out the door when you walk in with an armload of groceries. If your cat winds up at a stranger’s door later on, they can bring him into a vet clinic to be scanned for a microchip. Your name will come up, and bam! It’s happy reunion time.

Microchips can be put in while your pet is here for an already scheduled appointment, such as a spay/neuter or annual wellness exam. If your pet recently had their annual exam, you can also request just getting a microchip done! Appointment requests can be made here.

— After Hours at Comer Vet —

Career Day at Jackson Empower C3

The March photo contest theme is “Pets Around Town”!

Take a horizontal photo of your pet(s) in a favorite spot around the greater Madison County area and send it to us by Mar. 23! For this month, please include the name of the spot where your photo was taken. Entries can be submitted via DM on the Comer Vet Facebook page or Instagram. Voting will run the 26th through 30th.

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