by Phillip Paris

Printed in the Williamson County Sun on June 24, 2001

Well, I'm back. This spring has been filled with dog seminars, competition, and canine certifications! I appreciate all of the calls and emails from everyone asking about the next article. I promise that the column will continue on a more consistent basis now that so much of the springtime activities are over with!

I hope that summertime finds you and your pet doing well. Along with the increase in heat, comes increased concerns about keeping your dog safe this summer. You want to make sure that if you have an outside dog, that he has plenty of shade during the extreme heat of the day. Make sure that your dog has access to plenty of water all day long. It is not that uncommon for an outside dog to drink up to a gallon of water during the course of the day when we have temps as hot as it has been! A good idea may be to bring your pet indoors for several hours during the extreme heat of the day. You want to be very careful while exercising your pet in the heat. Try to do your jogging and other activities early in the morning or later in the evening. Every year we lose dogs in this area due to heat strokes and many dogs suffer from heat exhaustion!

Above all, closely monitor your pet during the summer months, and if you think your pet may be beginning to show signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, contact your veterinarian immediately.

This week we have a guest columnist, Dr. Patrick Breen from the Animal Hospital of Georgetown, who has written an article on spring and summer pet allergies.

Allergies and Your Dog!

It's summertime, that means it is allergy season for many of us and our pets. Though sore throats, runny eyes and sneezing can occur, dogs and cats seem to have dermatitis as their most common sign of allergy, rather than the upper respiratory signs that are common in people. One of the most intense allergy producers is the flea. Recent advances in flea control have helped us to control this intense itch producer. However, many of our pets have allergies to plants, molds, grass, food, house dust, insects and house dust mites that cause a tremendous amount of itching as well.

There are several medications that help to diminish the itching that occurs as a result of allergic reactions in dogs and cats. Antihistamines, along with fatty acid supplements, are commonly prescribed to alleviate the signs. Some cases require antibiotics because of secondary bacterial infections. In addition, there are many hypoallergenic shampoos and skin conditioners that can be recommended to help give some immediate relief from the annoying itching.

If medication doesn't seem to be alleviating the signs, patients with suspected food allergy are put on a hypoallergenic diet trial for six weeks to see if a dietary change is in order, and some patients are allergy tested to pinpoint the allergens. Pets can be hyposensitized to allergens with "allergy shots" similar to what some people receive.