There are some tests that we have for allergies in dogs. When I think of dog allergy testing, I think about skin testing, which is done with little injections put all over their bodies by a dermatologist. We often send dogs for testing by a dermatologist to get a diagnosis. We also do blood tests. They're done less frequently than skin testing. We also have dog allergies that are related to food, so we'll do some tests through food trials.

People with allergies typically get upper respiratory symptoms and ocular issues, like itchy, watery eyes, runny noses, congestion, coughing, sneezing, and maybe some asthma in the lungs. Those are common areas of allergies in people. Dogs can also have respiratory and ocular allergies, but they more often get dermatologic or skin presentations, like itchiness, licking their feet, licking their bottoms, itchy armpits, and rubbing their faces. But feet licking is one of the more common areas of allergy presentation in dogs.

Yes, they are allergic to things through the different seasons. In spring, we have all the flowers blooming. We have all those grasses pollinating. In the summer, we have a lot of moisture and mold. Everything is still blooming out there. In the fall, we get the dying grasses and trees, and we have more mold. In wintertime, animals are coming in more, so there are indoor allergies to things that might be indoors. Seasonal allergies are the most common allergy that we see in our dog patients.

Food allergies typically cause reactions in the skin. You would think that a common reaction from food would be GI-related, like vomiting or diarrhea, but only about 20% of dogs with food allergies will have GI symptoms. Oftentimes they have dermatologic or skin conditions, primarily itchy ears with maybe no infections at all, just itchy ears and booties. They might scooch or lick around their bottoms. Those are the two most common areas that we'll see canine food allergies and general itchiness of their body. It's difficult to diagnose dogs with food allergies. Of all the dogs that have allergies, only a very small subset truly have food allergies. So you really do need to work with your veterinarian very closely, and we often do nutrition trials to make that final diagnosis.

A contact allergy is when a dog is lying on maybe a surface that has something that they're reacting to. The most common would be a detergent or maybe a chemical that was sprayed in the environment. They're just laying on it for long periods of time, and their skin starts to have a reaction from being in contact with that allergen. It's not very common.

Pretty common. That's one of the number one reasons we see canine patients. They're coming in with allergic-like symptoms. That includes itchy skin, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, maybe some hives, some GI problems, vomiting, and diarrhea. We often see those as presenting signs for a lot of our canine patients. Our pet parents bring them in, and these are the things that we hear. Oftentimes, we get to that diagnosis of allergies. Historically, I would say maybe 10 to 20% of our canine patients suffer from some type of allergy.

By mouth is the most consistent way to get pain medication into the cat as far as absorption and things like that go. But we do, of course, do some injections in the hospital. There's transdermal, which means you rub it on the skin, and it gets absorbed through the skin, but there is a little more variability with that type of medication delivery. Just as a warning, when it's transdermal, you need to wear gloves when you're putting it on your cat because you'll get some too, and you don't need it. The kitty does.

If you notice any behavior changes in your kitty cat, you notice that your kitty cat's limping, not jumping, cries when you pet it, is hiding from you, we probably need to at least have an exam to figure out what's going on with your cat, whether it's in pain or has something else going on. It's a good indication to have them looked at.