We are continually hearing comments from our clients right now such as, “My cat is constantly scratching his face” OR “My dog is chewing his paws and it keeps me up at night!” In order to figure out the cause of a pet’s itch, we have to review some common causes of why your pet could be scratching.
Pet Allergies
Given the spring season we are in, seasonal allergies are abundant. Sometimes a pet can be allergic to pollens as new plant life emerges. Other pets may have environmental allergies or atopic dermatitis that could be a year-round problem for them. These pets may have a response to things like dust mites, molds, and fabrics. Sometimes they can then be complicated from seasonal allergies as well. Additionally, we can see pets with food allergies. This requires educating the pet parents as to which type of diets to attempt to feed and which treats are allowed for a food trial.
Parasites on Your Pets
Parasites on an animal’s skin can certainly make them itchy. Parasites such as ringworm, lice, mites, and fleas can certainly cause a pet to be uncomfortable. Some of these can be contagious to humans so let the veterinarian work through an exam for your pet to see if these could be a possibility. We can also help eliminate them with proper medications.
Skin Infections and Pets
Skin infections are called pyoderma. This means normal inhabitants of a pet’s skin, such as bacterial and yeast, can thrive in excess. If a pet has broken open their skin from scratching or if they have an ear infection, certain bacterial or yeast species can take over and multiply. These can damage epithelial cells and insight a continual itching cycle that is aggravating to your pet.
Metabolic Diseases and Pets
Certain pets can develop endocrine diseases, like Diabetes Mellitus or Cushing’s Disease, and this impacts the skin condition of a pet. Diabetic patients are more prone to skin infections from high blood glucose. Cushing’s patients may develop skin infections because they produce higher than normal amounts of cortisol or endogenous steroids. We can help manage these endocrine diseases in hopes of keeping skin conditions less frequent of an irritation for you and your pet.
In short, please reach out to let us help you. The “Dr. Google” websites of the world can only go so far. Call us to help properly diagnose your pet’s itching condition and eliminate more severe medical problems. Contact us at 513-506-1030 or email us anytime at independencepet@gmail.com.
