Your dog may have allergies, too

Dogs, like humans, can also suffer from allergies. Itching of the skin is the most common symptom of a dog allergy. The respiratory tract can be affected causing coughing, sneez­ing, and wheezing. At times, the eyes and nose may develop a discharge. Also, the digestive system may be affected caus­ing vomiting or diarrhea.

About 20 per cent of the dogs in the United States suffer from some type of allergy, whether it be atopic dermatitis, flea allergy, food allergy, inhalant allergy, contact allergy, or bacterial allergy.

Atopic dermatitis. An allergy skin disease of dogs, known as canine atopic dermatitis, is caused by the dog’s immune system hypersensitivity to common substances in the environ­ment, such as dust, mites or molds.

If the dog begins to groom excessively, with licking or chewing of the paws, abdomen, and hind quarters, then it may suffer from atopic dermatitis. Also, check to see if the ears are reddened and hot to the touch.

Flea allergy, food allergy, and parasitic infestations may mimic the symptoms of atopic dermatitis making it difficult to diagnose. Once fleas, foods, and parasitic infestations are eliminated as being the cause, then allergy skin testing for dust mites, pollens, and molds may be done to determine what causes the dog’s atopic dermatitis.

Food Allergy. Dogs can become allergic to a food they have eaten for years which causes many people to overlook the possibility of a food allergy.

Food allergies only account for 10 per cent of allergy problems in dogs. Dogs often can not tolerate soy products, wheat, corn, beef, pork, chicken, milk, whey, eggs, fish, chemical preservatives, or artificial sugars in their food.

Determining the food allergen can be time consuming. First, eliminate all the possible allergies from the diet, by using a home made diet consisting of a protein and starch the dog has not eaten before Gradually add back, one at a time for a week, the ingredients of the dog food. If symptoms return, then the offending food allergen should be easily determined. Commercial dog foods can be found that do not contain the offending allergen.

Task 11 Read the text and a) list the causes of respiratory dis­eases in cats and dogs; and b) say whether cats and dogs have the same symptoms of the disease.

RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Respiratory diseases are very important in dogs and cats. They account for a large percentage of illnesses and include diseases which affect the nose and throat, the trachea and the lungs.

Clinical signs are similar in dog or cat respiratory diseases. One of the most reliable signs is a cough. When severity of the disease process increases, laboured breathing^[8] develops.

Upper respiratory disease complex is a viral disease which causes big problems in young kittens. The openings of the nose become blocked and the kitten will not eat if it can’t smell. Viral infections of the nose and throat also occur in the dog, but they are mild.

Dogs can contract kennel cough^[9] which is usually caused by combined viral and bacterial infections. It often deve­lops after the animal has been boarded at a commercial kennel facility.

Trauma to the nose, throat or trachea can cause serious problems in dogs and cats. Trauma to the nose usually results in nose-bleeds. Excessive pulling on a leash can produce a fracture of the larynx in the throat, and this can cause life threatening airway obstruction.

Dogs can get several chest diseases, and probably the most well known is canine distemper. It causes a mild viral pneumo­nia, but secondary bacterial pneumonias often develop.

Primary bacterial pneumonias also occur in dogs and are diagnosed by bacteriologic techniques and X-rays. Fungal infections of the lungs and chest occur and can be difficult to treat.

Cats also can acquire many lung and chest diseases. Fol­lowing an upper respiratory infection, cats can develop a bacterial infection of the chest called pyothorax. Large amounts of inflammatory fluid accumulate in the chest and cause severe breathing problems. Often this disease can be caused by wounds suffered in cat fights, so the disease is more common in non-neutered male cats.