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Recap of what you just watched!
Ways to help your dogs itchy and allergic skin:
First, I discussed in my previous video “Why do dogs lick and chew their paws”, I ended that video with the fact that allergies a disease also called Atopy, is the number one reason most dogs are itchy!

With Atopic dermatitis, the dog’s immune system overreacts to an allergen. This can be hypersensitivity to their own skins bacteria and yeast, environmental allergies in the grass or air, fleas or insect bites or dietary ingredients. And certain breeds simply have genetic hair loss issues!

But let’s get into the simple steps and medications you can discuss with your veterinarian to use to help your dogs itchy skin.

Number 1:
Is medicated Baths ever 3 days or weekly to keep your pets skin clean!
- Get prescribed Chlorhexidine or Ketoconazole shampoo from your vet.

Number 2 Allergy pills and injections
- You can try over the counter Benadryl 1 mg per lb to help alleviate itchy skin and allergies in dogs, however most pet owners find this doesn’t work well.
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So there are 2 stronger pills veterinarians can prescribe, that really work.

The first one and more commonly prescribed allergy pill for dogs is Apoquel, brand name Oclacitinib. This pill works great and dogs can be on it seasonally or long term of over 5 years to alleviate their allergies. Apoquel may also be prescribed for short term situations such as flea allergies, instead of steroids to avoid steroid side effects such as peeing in the house.

The second pill is called Atopica, with the brand name of Cyclosporine. Atopica is another immunomodulatory drug that has inhibitory effects on T-lymphocytes by decreasing production of cytokines such as interleukin-2 which decreases skin inflammation and itchiness.

Cyclosporine is a strong medication and is very affective at treating Atopic dermatitis in dogs and is also used for dogs with other autoimmune diseases.

And then there is an allergy injection called CADI or Cytopoint. And this injection helps control itch in dogs for 4 to 8 weeks. Cytopoint (Lokivetmab) is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that specifically targets and neutralizes canine IL-31, an important cytokine involved in sending the itch signal to the brain in atopic dermatitis dogs. Cytopoint has minimal impact on normal immune functions.

Cytopoint starts having itch reducing effects for pets within 48 hours. It is so far studied to be a very safe drug for controlling Atopy in dogs and I definitely recommend discussing this for your pet.

Number 3: A course of Antibiotics
Dogs with hotspots or severely itchy skin due to bacterial infections will need a 2 to 4 week course of antibiotics to help clear up their skin infections. Dogs are obsessive scratchers and lickers and can cause traumatic dermatitis within hours to their body or paws. If your dog has been on multiple courses of antibiotics your veterinarian may ask to culture his or her paw puss or skin to rule out any antibiotic resistance.

Number 4: Steroids
- Now that veterinarians have access to the allergy medications that we spoke about, steroids are becoming last on our list to use to control itchy skin and inflammation. Steroids are dangerous to use long term and are hard on your dogs liver and body. Steroids are also strong immunosuppressives so if your pet has a nasty bacterial or fungal infection they can make it harder for your pets immune system to fight off the infection.

However, steroids are significantly cheaper and are safe to use along with antibiotics as a short course alternative to alleviate your pets itchy skin and inflammation due to a hot spot or flea allergies.

The 5th thing I like to use in combination with the above are a short course of anxiety medications to help stop self-traumatic damage from excessive itching. I like to use trazadone, valium or gabapentin to help keep your pets calm for a few days while their antibiotics or allergy pills are kicking in.

Most importantly make sure your pets are on a monthly flea prevention medication and then go from there with their skin care. Also, don’t be afraid to see a Veterinary Dermatoloy specialist to help diagnose and treat your pets skin condition, that’s what the got their degree for.

Alright guys, subscribe to my channel and smash that like button so other desperate pet owners can find this video too! See you next time!
~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer

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