by Team WellJoy
“Every summer Harry gets a little bald patch on his shoulder, and I can tell that he’s itchy and uncomfortable. Our vet thinks it’s pollen, so we’ve got him on a strict regime of WellJoy Immune+ supplements to help make those flare-ups a bit more bearable.”
Allergies can be a response to many things in the environment including mold, pollen and dust mites. What makes allergies challenging is that they’re often long-term, and once your pet’s immune system is sensitized to something, the allergies can progress.
The obvious signs are all very well-known: itchiness, licking, overgrooming, scabs, and hair loss.
However there are often-missed symptoms, in both cats and dogs, that can point to allergies – including recurrent ear infections and hot spots, as well as grumpiness or changes in sleep because a pet is exhausted from constant itchiness.
What causes allergies in pets?
Your pet’s immune system sees something harmless, like pollen, and decides it’s a threat that it tries to eliminate. That creates inflammation in their body, which can cause itching. Outwardly your pet might just seem like they’re scratching more, but that inflammation happens in their gut as well as their skin, and makes an upset stomach or skin infection more likely as a result.
Often, pets have more than one allergy and each one adds to the burden. For example, a dog that’s sensitive to a particular food might have more severe flare-ups during pollen season.
Pets tend to be allergic to some key things:
- Flea bites
These are far and away the most common, and can cause Flea Allergy Dermatitis. It only takes a single bite to create intense itching for weeks after the flea has gone. In cats, this allergy looks like scabs, lesions or over grooming, and in dogs it can be hair loss, an itchy tail base, hot spots, or chewing at their rump and thighs.
- Food
Sometimes, pets can have a food intolerance, as opposed to an allergy, that causes digestive irritation.
These intolerances develop from proteins that pets are exposed to over time, rather than 'new' ingredients. Beef and dairy are both common triggers in cats and dogs, and many dogs also have reactions to wheat and chicken. Sadly, fish is another common problem for cats – despite all those age-old stories about how much they love tuna.
- Environmental triggers
These can be extremely hard for veterinarians to pinpoint and diagnose, because it’s challenging to single out one allergen in a pet’s environment. However, pollen from trees, grasses and weeds, as well as mold spores, dust mites and storage mites can all provoke allergic reactions.
It’s not just itching and licking
Allergies tend to show themselves on your pet’s body, but they also impact cats and dogs in many unseen ways.
An ongoing allergy can:
- Make them more susceptible to other infections
- Impact their sleep
- Decrease their general quality of life
- Alter the balance of their gut microbiome - which has a wider effect on their body
What to ask your veterinarian
Working together with your veterinarian can help identify your pet’s triggers. With a plan in place, Pet Loyalists can help solve the mystery by keeping a diary of flare-ups, locations, food and cleaning products – to try and find a pattern.
Your veterinarian will likely rule out any parasites or infections first, and then explore an 8-week strict elimination diet to identify possible food allergens.
For environmental allergies, your vet might discuss anti-itch medication, topicals, bathing or ear care to control symptoms, or recommend allergy testing to formulate immunotherapy. Small changes in your home and routine can also enormously help your pet:
- Regular flea prevention is a must
- Wipe their paws and belly after they’ve been outside, especially in peak allergy seasons
- Wash their bedding regularly
- HEPA vacuuming can help in homes with dust mites
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Fragrance-free cleaning products are less likely to cause irritation
How supplements can support
Adding a supplement into your pet’s routine can’t cure their allergies, but they can keep your pet resilient and help reduce the intensity of flare-ups.
Look for options that include Omega-3s and antioxidants, for skin barrier support and inflammatory balance, and prebiotics and postbiotics for gut health, which in turn boosts your pet’s immune system.
WellJoy’s Immune+ supplements for dogs and cats include Vitamin E, Colostrum and Astaxanthin as antioxidants, as well as our GutBoost formulation, which supports the gut microbiome to help boost all the other ingredients in our supplements too.
We’re proud to say that all of WellJoy’s content is fact-checked and verified by a Pet Loyalist team, including a veterinarian trained in companion animal nutrition and a PhD board-certified companion animal nutritionist.