All pets scratch, lick, bite, and rub. However, it should never interrupt activities such as playing or eating, cause hair loss, skin damage or be often enough that it causes discomfort for your pet and for you. Frequent or constant scratching, licking, biting, scooting, and/or rubbing are most often signs of an allergic skin disease.

The immunological mechanisms underlying allergy in dogs, cats and horses are essentially the same as in humans. Allergy is a condition of hypersensitivity to substances which are common and harmless to most animals. The hypersensitivity is caused by a dysfunction in the pet’s immune system. The substances that cause allergy – allergens – include pollens, dust mites, molds, dander, insects, fibers and foods.