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What is an Dog or Cat Allergy?

Dog and Cat Allergy medical terms: Atopy, Allergen, Antigen, IgE (immune globulin E), Serum, Pruritus

Allergies are caused when the immune system over-reacts to something that isn’t really a threat. For example, reacting to peanuts, air-borne pollen, or laundry detergent—none of which cause harm. The material that causes an allergic reaction is called an antigen. Antigens are usually proteins. The term “allergen” is often used rather than the term antigen, but these two terms are slightly different. Antigen refers to any substance causing allergies, and allergen refers to ingested or air-borne substances causing allergies.

It helps to group antigens into 3 categories—and to realize that pets can be allergic to materials from more than one category:

• what pets eat (foods, additives, preservatives, dyes, food storage mites);
• what pets breathe (cigarette smoke, pollens, perfumes, particles released from carpet underlays, cat dander, decks treated with a perservative); and
• what pets touch (dust mites, fleas, soaps, wool).

Pet allergies are additive so that the more antigens your pet is exposed to, the more severe the symptoms. For example, pets with allergies to beef often develop more extreme symptoms in the spring when surrounded with high levels of pollens.

The most common cause of pet allergies is fleas. After fleas, pets are commonly allergic to beef, dairy, wheat, fish, pollens, eggs, yeast, chicken, pork, lamb, corn, soybeans, and rice.

The immune system over-reacting causes pet allergies

The immune system protects pets from foreign material and should react strongly to threats such as bacteria, but should not react strongly to materials such as cedar, wheat, and dust mites.

Allergy symptoms are caused when the immune system’s white blood cells (WBC) sense an allergen and stimulate histamine release. Histamine dilates capillaries so that fluid leaks from the blood vessels and the area becomes hot, swollen, puffy, and itchy. Allergic symptoms can be stopped by blocking WBC or by blocking histamine with antihistamines (Benadryl) and steroids (prednisone).

What is Atopy?

Atopy is the inherited tendency to be allergic. Pets that have atopy are called atopic. “Atopy” means “unusual reaction,” and it refers to the immune system’s excessive response to unthreatening materials.

Atopic pets tend to be allergic to air-borne materials, house dust mites, molds, and environmental allergens. Some atopic pets are even allergic to human dander. Which allergies our atopic pets develop are determined by what is in their environment. For example, if an atopic pet lives in a dry climate in a home with nonsmokers it may be symptom free, but if the pet visits the hot, steamy climate rich with pollen and mold, it may develop allergies.

Often atopic pets begin by having seasonal symptoms and progress to having year-round symptoms. This is different from symptoms seen in food-allergic pets who do not show seasonal tendencies.

About 10% of dogs are atopic. Cats are also atopic, but we have not identified the number with this problem. We do know that the number of dogs and cats with atopy is increasing, just as atopy is increasing in people.

There is an association between being atopic and developing asthma.

What pets have Allergies

Among the dog breeds predisposed to develop allergies, are an unusually high number of retrievers and terriers. For example, all Labrador Retrievers—black, yellow, and chocolate—have a tendency to develop food allergies. In a recent study of 30,000 dogs, the following were among the most likely to develop allergies: Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, English Setters, Irish Setters, Boston Terriers, Cairn Terriers, Fox Terriers, Sealyham Terriers, Scottish Terriers, West Highland White Terriers, and Wheaton Terriers. In addition, Bulldogs, Boxers, Cocker Spaniels, Collies, Dachshunds, Dalmatians, Lhasa Apso, Miniature Schnauzers, Pugs, and Shar Peis are prone to allergies.

Cats are prone to allergies but we have not clearly identified which breeds have the most significant problems; however, many suspect Siamese-breeds lead the list.

Young and middle-aged pets have the greatest problem with allergies, and senior pets, the least. In senior pets, white blood cells are less efficient at storing and releasing histamine so that histamine-mediated allergic reactions decrease with age.

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