One of the more frustrat ing cases we see in vet erinary medicine is the case of an itchy dog-those dogs that are constantly battling skin infections, ear infections, or are just plain miserably itchy. There are a number of things that can make a dog itchy, from bugs to behavior, but this article is going to address dogs with allergies-those dogs that seem incredibly itchy all the time or every year seem to get the same skin and ear infections. Unfortunately this is a very common problem in our beloved sporting breeds. Whether it be springers and cockers with chronic ear issues, labs with itchy skin, or goldens with their seasonal hotspots, there are very few breeds that are unrepresented with some form of allergies. Allergies In A Nutshell When you or I think of allergies in ourselves we think of things like hay-fever, asthma, sinus problems, etc. The same irritants that cause

allergies in us can cause them in our pets. The difference is dogs get itchy and irritable skin instead of respiratory problems. Where this problem becomes even more of an annoyance is when this already irritated skin becomes infected, which I'll examine later. Basically there are two types of allergies in dogs. The first type is inhalant with allergies to various pollens, dusts (both outdoor and indoor), dander, etc. These dogs are typically itchy seasonally, and you can practically set your calendar by various bouts with ear infections, hotspots or excessive itching. The other type is food allergy. Some dogs can develop an intestinal irritation or allergy to food, but an even larger group will develop an allergy to some component of the food that will show up as itchy, irritable skin. The most important thing to understand as an owner of an itchy dog is that this is a condition that will only be managed and likely never completely resolved. It is also extremely important to stay in touch with your veterinarian about the success, or lack thereof, of treatment

protocols. During the initial stages you may need to schedule rechecks every 2-3 weeks to ensure infections are controlled and the symptoms are in check. Likely you have a dog that will either need some type of treatment for a large portion of the year or potentially a prescription diet for the rest of its life. Too frequently we want to give a shot or a pill and have the problem go away, unfortunately with allergies that doesn't happen. Think about how many people, young and old, take at least some type of medication daily? Why should we not expect the same to occasionally occur in our pets? OK, so now you have the bad news, the good news is that often we can make these dogs much better, more comfortable, and in some cases, head off these annual infections. Allergy Diagnosis And Treatment The first place I start with these dogs is to determine if there are any secondary infections (i.e. ears, feet, skin), usually bacteria and/or yeast, and to diagnose and treat these before addressing the allergies. If you were going to rate an allergy dog on a scale of itchiness of 1 to 10, and let's say your dog scores a 6, the same dog with secondary infections may be an 8, 9, or 10. Often times these infections are treated for 2-3 weeks with some combination of antibiotics, anti-fungals, and medicated shampoos. Depending on the individual case I will either begin management of the allergies in conjunction with the treatment of these infections or immediately following. To keep things somewhat simplified I'll address management of inhalant allergies in depth in this article, and we'll assume that if these options fail that the source of the problem is food, and the dog will need to undergo a diet trial of 6-8