How allergy season can affect our pets

Champaign, Ill. (WCIA)

Dr. Bailey Brame, a board-certified veterinary dermatologist at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, wants pet owners to know that the signs of environmental allergies in their pet do not generally include sneezing and a runny nose like in people.

In pets, allergies may show up as skin inflammation, skin infections, and ear infections. In cats, the signs can show up as excessive grooming resulting in hair loss.

It is estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of dogs have allergies to environmental stimuli such as grasses, pollens, and dust. An environmental allergy is diagnosed after ruling out the possibility of allergies to food or fleas.

Because it’s impossible to remove grass, trees, dust, mold spores, and so on from the pet’s environment, veterinary dermatologists have treatment strategies for mediating the pet’s allergic reaction.