What are
allergies?
The word allergy
means 'altered working'. Just like humans, cats can have
allergies too. Allergies are a common cause of skin disease in
cats.
The purpose
of the immune system is to keep infectious microorganisms, such
as certain bacteria, viruses, and fungi, out of the body, and to
destroy any infectious microorganisms that do invade the body.
Allergies are caused by an inappropriate response to a substance
which would usually be considered harmless.
In an allergic
animal, the immune system over reacts to the substance & mounts
an immune response against it.
Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex &
Miliary Dermatitis
have been linked to allergies.
In cats there are
four types of allergies; insect (most often caused by fleas, but
occasionally mosquito bites can cause an allergic reaction),
food,
contact & inhalant.
Contact
Dermatitis:
This is the least
common of the four types of allergy in cats. Contact dermatitis
is a result of the cat coming into contact with a substance. The
cat's fur acts as a barrier, protecting it from allergy
producing compounds.
There are two
causes of contact dermatitis; allergic & irritant.
Irritant
Contact Dermatitis:
Irritant
dermatitis, the most common type of contact dermatitis, involves
inflammation resulting from contact with acids, alkaline
materials such as soaps and detergents, medications, solvents, or other
chemicals.
Allergic
Contact Dermatitis:
The second most
common type of contact dermatitis is caused by exposure to a
material to which the person has become hypersensitive or
allergic.
It arises some
hours after contact with the responsible material, and settles
down over some days providing the skin is no longer in contact
with it. Plants, wool, medications are a common cause of
allergic dermatitis in cats.
Symptoms of
contact dermatitis:
-
Non seasonal
itching, especially in areas where there isn't much fur.
Typical areas include the chin, ears, toes, underbelly & anus.
-
Lesions of any
type: redness, rash, papules (pimple-like), vesicles, and
blisters
-
Skin redness or
inflammation
-
Thickening of
the skin
Diagnosis of
contact dermatitis:
Your vet will
perform a physical examination & take a history. He/she will
want to rule out other causes of dermatitis (such as flea bite
hypersensitivity) first.
A skin biopsy may
be performed.
A patch test may
be performed. This involves applying various substances to the skin, which is then bandaged over. This is
then examined at 24 & 48 hours. A positive reaction will be seen
as redness & swelling at a specific site.
A presumptive
diagnosis may be made by removing your cat from the environment
for a week , if lesions begin to heal, then recur once returned
to the environment.
Treatment of
contact dermatitis:
Identification &
elimination of the substance causing contact dermatitis is the
best solution.
Corticosteroids
may be prescribed to control the itch.
Antibiotics may be
necessary to treat secondary bacterial infections.
Please note:
The medical
articles on this site have not been written by a
veterinarian & should not be considered a replacement for a
veterinarian visit. The articles are provided for
informative purposes only.
Always seek
immediate veterinary advice for any problems (health or
behavioral) in your pets.
While great
care has been made in the creation of these articles, we
cannot guarantee the accuracy or omissions on these pages.
If in any doubt whatsoever, seek professional medical
advice.
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