Atopy, skin allergies, desensitising vaccines & antibody injections

Atopy is an allergic disease to airborne allergens including plants, pollens, animal dander, insect scales, moulds, dusts and house mites. There is a tendency for the disease to be inherited and usually requires life long treatment.

Mild cases of allergies may be controllable using fatty acid supplementation, shampoos, moisturisers and antihistamines.
Secondary bacterial and yeast infection are common with allergies and often add to the itch if left untreated.

Recent research and development into allergy treatments for dogs has meant that a new monthly injection has become available to vets for helping control the itch in allergic skin cases. This very safe caninised monoclonal antibody is a simple injection once a month, and has been working well in helping dogs with allergies live better quality lives. Ask us about it today.

Desensitising vaccines offer one of the best alternative to control allergies.

Initially other treatments need to be used WITH the injections while we wait for them to take effect.

• 75 % of patients on the injections will gain complete or partial control of their allergies. 25% will not respond.
• Out of those 75%, 25% of the animals are perfect, whilst 50% still require mild intermittent medication.
• 5-10% of all animals on desensitising injections are cured such that when they come off the vaccine they do not relapse. But for most cases, the therapy is lifelong.
• The average animal will take 4-10 months before seeing improvement.
• The cost of the vaccine depends on how many allergens are included.
• Injections are usually given twice weekly for 8 weeks then every 3 weeks.

In resistant cases, a combination of vaccines, corticosteroids and cyclosporin may be required to control signs.
While all of this may sound arduous, most cases that are well managed have a great quality of life for years to come!

Common Northern NSW Plants Causing Allergic Reactions in Dogs and Cats

Plant Name	Toxic Parts	Severity	Common Symptoms (Allergic)
Wattle (Acacia species)	Pollen	MILD to MODERATE	Itchy skin (pruritus), paw chewing, red ears, sneezing, runny eyes, head shaking.
Rye Grass (Lolium species)	Pollen	MILD to MODERATE	Skin irritation (contact dermatitis), excessive licking/chewing of paws, inflamed skin, seasonal itching.
Buffalo Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum)	Blades/Seed Heads	MILD (Contact Irritant)	Contact dermatitis, itchy belly/paws, red bumps, hair loss in affected areas.
Lantana (Lantana camara)	Leaves, stems, flowers (ingestion is toxic, but contact causes irritation)	MILD (Contact)	Skin irritation, redness, rash (primarily due to physical contact with irritating hairs/sap).
Privet (Ligustrum species)	Pollen	MILD to MODERATE	Seasonal rhinitis (sneezing, runny nose/eyes), itchy skin, head rubbing.
Wandering Jew (Tradescantia fluminensis)	Leaves, stems	MILD (Dermal Irritant)	Severe skin irritation, itchy rash, especially on the abdomen and groin (this is often a contact allergy/dermatitis).