- Being itchy is no fun for anyone and having a pet that is constantly scratching, biting and chewing at themselves is miserable for both the pet and the owner. Some pets are so itchy that they actually scratch/chew/lick themselves raw creating painful, infected open sores….poor things!! Fortunately, we can help – hopefully before things get that bad!
- The first step in dealing with an itchy pet is to bring them to their veterinarian who will get a complete history and perform a thorough physical exam. Sometimes, the itching can be caused by something as simple and common as fleas and a good flea treatment may be all that is needed. More commonly however, there are a number of factors such as dry skin, diet, bacteria and or yeast and underlying allergies that all add up together to push the pet over the “Itch Threshold”. In those cases, further diagnostic testing will likely be needed and treatment may involve multiple modalities such as diet, supplements, shampoos, antibiotics, allergy injections and in some cases, steroids. In many cases, the realistic goal is to control the itching to a level where your pet is comfortable as opposed to actually curing them.
- Fortunately, we now have access to a powerful new tool in the battle against allergies in the form of a drug called Apoquel (oclacitinib). This revolutionary drug provides almost immediate relief of itching without many of the negative side effects associated with traditional steroid therapy and is safe and easy to use. Please feel free to give us a call at 705-759-8888 for more information or to schedule an appointment for your itchy pet!
