This blog aims to explain what is happening to your pet’s immune system when they are exposed to something they are allergic to. Understanding how this works should help you feel more in control of managing their condition.

When Nicole Ellis spotted Maggie at a Los Angeles shelter – an incredible adventure began.

Any breed of dog can have allergies – from terriers to sheepdogs and everything in between. In fact, more pups are affected than you might expect. For starters, more than 30% of all skin irritations in dogs and cats can be attributed to allergies. And last year we allergy tested more than 27 thousand pets from 59 different countries.

Allergen levels  in house dust mite allergy are at their highest between May and October, the peak breeding season of house dust mites. Most of the mites die during the winter, but the allergen-containing dust is stirred up by heating systems. This often causes the symptoms experienced by affected patients year-round to worsen during the winter.

To successfully treat allergy or atopy in dogs, cats and horses, a multi-modal approach is often required. This includes environmental control, topical control, systemic treatment and allergen-specific immunotherapy. Although environmental control is just one part of the multifaceted treatment, there are a number of measures that can be taken.