STEVE WHATLEY: Helping your dog get through allergy season

Q: Every year when fall and spring roll around, our dog (a Lab) has allergy problems. What are some steps I can take to his head this off? Does an antihistamine or fish oil tablets help?

A: Well, I’m not sure if there are steps to completely head this off, (achoo, achoo), but there are some things that can be done to help. It seems like we live in the allergy capital of the world and allergies can be challenging to treat and prevent.

Since your question is about seasonal allergies, we will only talk about inhale allergies, as opposed to other types of allergies, like food allergies or flea allergies.

Allergies in pets are a little different than they are in people. The cells that cause us to have hay fever-type signs are primarily in our pet’s skin. When these cells de-granulate or break down, they release chemicals that cause us to sneeze and our pets to scratch. One of these chemicals is histamine. So, yes, taking an antihistamine will help.

The use of fish oil tablets are worth trying. Some of the benefits are controversial, but I believe they do benefit dogs with dry, flaky skin. If they don’t seem to help, you can always discontinue them.

Most of the time when we are managing allergies in dogs, we try to address the underlying problem. We can do this by allergy test. We can determine what they are allergic to and develop a serum you can give at home. This is done to desensitize the body to small amounts of the allergen in hopes that they will no longer be allergic to the allergen.

If this is not helping, we try to eliminate the signs of the allergies. We do this by using medications to “suppress” the immune system so it does not respond to the allergen. We will use anti-inflammatory doses of steroids at times. However, there are newer medicines available that do this without the side effects of steroids. One is an oral medication that is given at home and the other is an injection that actually blocks the signal that is sent to the brain that tells the body to scratch.

I hate that your pet has allergies. It is a problem we all face. With the help of your veterinarian, I hope at least make it where your pet has a comfortable life.

Dr. Steve Whatley is a longtime member of the Bush Animal Clinic medical team in Albany. The Albany native joined the staff as a veterinary assistant in 1991 and, after earning his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1998 at the University of Georgia, returned to the hospital as a general practitioner. His professional interests include orthopedic surgery, ultrasonography and cardiology. He has served on the board of directors of the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association and is a member of the South Georgia Veterinary Medical Association, the Dougherty County Veterinary Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

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The Pet Doctor is a rotating feature. If you’re a veterinarian in the metro Albany area and you would like to participate in this column, contact Jim Hendricks at [email protected] or call (229) 888-9352.