| Allergies in our cats are just as important as in our | | | | parasites can cause very similar sores and usually |
| canine friends; they can just be harder to detect. | | | | have more intense itching. Doing a skin scrape and |
| Dogs with allergies usually show pet health symptoms | | | | examining it under a microscope is the only way to |
| such as intense itching, hair loss and sores. The | | | | identify the parasites such as sarcoptic mange. |
| symptoms of allergies in cats can be similar to dogs | | | | Ringworm is a fungus that reflects the same |
| except for the most major symptom of intense | | | | symptoms as allergies in cats and like sarcoptic |
| itching. Cats do have the hair loss and the sores on | | | | mange it can also infect humans. Ringworm causes |
| the skin but lack the scratching. | | | | sores around the ears, head, and feet. There is also |
| Most causes for pet allergies are common: 80 | | | | a simple test for this fungus. Cats can also have |
| percent of dogs are allergic to airborne particles, 15 | | | | baldness and occasional sores due to their constant |
| percent fleas, and five percent to food. Cats are a | | | | licking behavior. It is up to your vet to determine |
| lot different. The biggest pet health offender on the | | | | what is ailing your pet health. Finally, there are also |
| kitty side is fleas, probably as much as 80 percent of | | | | other bacterial infections that can look similar to feline |
| cats are allergic to fleabites. This is a major concern | | | | military dermatitis. Once the diagnosis is made for |
| for cats that can be very hard to detect. Cats are | | | | allergies the next issue becomes is how to treat the |
| meticulous groomers and can erase the signs of fleas | | | | problem and keep it from arising again. If the problem |
| with their tongues and their constant licking. Flea | | | | is severe enough we have to use steroids to control |
| allergies lead to a syndrome known as feline military | | | | the allergy and antibiotics to stop the infection. |
| dermatitis. This process begins with fleabites, which | | | | Sometimes steroids can get the body back in balance |
| leads to scratching, but this can be very subtle. Due | | | | and allow the infection to go away on its own. But |
| to the allergies the immune system can go haywire | | | | far more important is flea control within your |
| and ignore other problems. So, after the scratching | | | | household, backyard and on your pet. There are |
| begins the skin's surface is broken and normal | | | | many good products out there; some that are topical |
| bacteria called staphylococcus hop into the open | | | | medications that kills fleas, intestinal parasites, |
| wounds. Pinpoint sores develop along common | | | | heartworms, and mites so it is a great all |
| scratching points of the neck and tail head. This skin | | | | parasite-killer. Watch out for some over-the-counter |
| infection just makes the overall allergy complex | | | | medications that contain pyrethrins because in |
| worse and causes even more problems as the | | | | common dosages they can cause a seizure disorder, |
| infection spreads and leads to hair loss and new | | | | cripple pet health or even cause the timely death in |
| sores. | | | | cats. Remember treating allergies can be frustrating |
| Feline military dermatitis and allergies can be a very | | | | and costly, but keeping the fleas off our pets is the |
| common problem in pet health, particularly your cat's | | | | only way to prevent the allergy from returning again. |
| health, but can look similar to other infections. Skin | | | | |