Diagnosing pet allergy

Let’s talk allergy diagnostics

If your vet already excluded other possible causes that could be responsible for the symptoms, a blood test will confirm whether your pet is allergic and which allergens are causing the symptoms. Your vet will take a small blood sample and send it to our laboratory to analyse. We will look for antibodies against different allergens. If the level of antibodies is above a certain value for a particular allergen, it means your pet is over-reacting to it and causing the symptoms.

PAX – Pet Allergy Xplorer – blood Test

The PAX – Pet Allergy Xplorer – blood Test examines a total of 68 allergen extracts and 161 allergen components. PAX is the first commercial serological IgE-specific test that tests for molecular components (the real proteins to which animals are allergic) to identify which allergens are affecting pets. This includes indoor allergens, such as house-dust mites and moulds, and outdoor ones like pollens from trees, grasses and weeds. After performing the PAX blood Test you will know which allergens your pet is allergic to and treatment can begin.

It also means you can try to reduce exposure of your pet to the allergen, perhaps removing carpets if your pet is allergic to house-dust mites. We provide information about each allergen and what you can do to help. – download allergen guide here

Your vet may choose to perform skin tests instead, or in addition to the PAX blood Test. Certain allergens will be tested directly on a patch of your pet’s skin, by injecting a small amount of each one just beneath the skin. If your pet is allergic to it, a red wheal will come up at the injection site.

Food allergies

Many pets react to allergens in their food, as well as in the environment. About a third of pets with atopy (environmental allergies) will be food-allergic too.

For this reason, it is important to investigate food allergens, to make sure your pet is eating safe and appropriate food. – Read more about food allergies.

Immunotherapy

The only treatment that can strengthen your pet’s immune system and stop it reacting to the allergen or allergens is immunotherapy (also called allergen-specific immunotherapy).