Can Canines be Allergic to Cats?
Canines could be allergic to all kinds of environmental allergens together with pollen from bushes, weeds, and grasses. Different potential allergens embody molds, mud and storage mites, bugs, and dander from people, birds, or different animals. This contains cat dander.
Signs of Cat Allergic reactions in Canines
Canines which might be allergic to cat dander might have signs of allergic conjunctivitis. These signs embody redness of the internal eyelids and whites of the eyes, squinting, rubbing the eyes, and ocular discharge. Ocular discharge could also be clear or white however may additionally be yellow or inexperienced.
Different signs of a cat dander allergy in canines embody itchy pores and skin, coughing, sneezing, and runny discharge from the nostril. Canines with itchy pores and skin will incessantly scratch and lick at their paws, face, ears, tailbase, and the underside of their physique.
Canines with a cat dander allergy are sometimes allergic to different issues of their surroundings. Your veterinarian might advocate allergy testing to find out which allergens are probably the most troublesome in your canine.
Treating Canine Allergy Signs
One side of treating a cat dander allergy and different environmental allergy symptoms is relieving the signs of the allergy. This will likely embody antihistamines, eye drops for allergic conjunctivitis, and shampoo or different topicals to alleviate itchy pores and skin.
The opposite a part of therapy is modulating the immune system’s response to particular allergens. This will likely embody medicines—reminiscent of steroids, cyclosporine, Apoquel, or Cytopoint. This will likely additionally embody allergy hyposensitization remedy—also referred to as allergy injections.
Extra Issues
There are lots of different sicknesses that may trigger the identical signs as allergic conjunctivitis. Your veterinarian will conduct a whole eye examination with an ophthalmoscope. She might advocate testing your canine’s tear manufacturing with a Schirmer tear take a look at, figuring out your canine’s ocular pressures with a tonometry machine, and marking the floor of your canine’s eyes with fluorescein to search for corneal ulcers.
With apropriate therapy, allergic conjunctivitis attributable to a cat dander allergy could be managed, leaving your canine with extra comfy eyes.