Allergies!

On most days, Jazz is a well mannered gentleman and rapidly responds to our instructions. But that is not the case these days. “Stop that scratching, Mister!”, is a regular cry heard in our house the past couple months.
Poor Jazz has been uncomfortable since the “dog days” of summer hit. Late August to early September is when the heat and humidity are at peak levels here in the Midwest. We aren’t certain what is causing the chronic itching, scratching and biting in our pooch! By doing a little research we found a couple conditions with similar symptoms. The first was a possible food allergy. You may remember a previous post (Is Corn the Culprit?) which detailed our quest to eliminate corn from our pet’s diet. As it turns out, corn was not the culprit after all. Jazz continue’s to scratch and bite and is now loosing patches of fur in the areas he chooses to attack most frequently.

“Jazz stop it”…… “Jazz!! Stop that!!”…..”Jazzy Please”!! As I march toward this poor creature, he is getting in the last few chomps and stops just as I am one step away! He looks at me as if he knows he deserves to be scolded. Normally, he would have obeyed upon the first request. His condition has deteriorated to the point he will risk punishment and continue scratching, rather than heed a command to stop! “Ok Jazz, you have our attention!” We understand now that we need our veterinarian to help us with this. The appointment is just a day away! Finally, relief is in sight for our poor guy!
Prior to the vet visit, I do a bit more research. I’m lead to believe Jazz is suffering from Hot Spots. These are caused when moisture becomes trapped next to the dog’s skin, usually under a thick coat of fur or a dog collar. A bacterial infection develops and causes itching & scratching due to the painful irritation. That’s it, Jazz is suffering from Hot Spots. I’m certain I have this figured out. We just need the veternarian’s office to prescribe much needed medication.

Today is your lucky day, Jazz! We are veterinarian bound to see what exactly is needed to cure our pooch. To my surprise, the Dr. diagnosed a classic case, textbook actually, of Flea Bite Hypersensitivity. I was in disbelief when the vet told us it was a flea related allergy. We have never seen a sign of fleas on them or in the house or yard. Fleas could not be the problem! “But neither Jazz, nor Jersey, has fleas!” I point out. I am quick to defend our puppy parenting skills fearing the stigma that a flea ridden dog is considered unclean or uncared for. Our pooch’s are treated for fleas, bathed regularly and well groomed. The Dr. checked Jazz for fleas, which I‘m sure was due to my defense of the cleanliness of our pups. It took a bit of searching but he managed to come up with one….yes just one flea!! As it turns out, that’s all it takes to set off this allergic reaction.
　
Our vet was kind enough to explain this particular condition. Flea bite hypersensitivity and flea allergic dermatitis is the most common skin disease in pets. As few as one or two flea bites a week can cause severe itching of the skin. A few weeks ago we kicked around the idea that our pups could be picking up fleas from rabbits living in our yard. (Scratch That!) We considered they might hop on for a bite and then not find our pet to be a suitable host and drop off. We thought this idea was a bit far fetched at the time. Ironically, that is the most likely scenario. Jersey and Jazz don’t have fleas but obviously they have been visited by them on more than one occasion. The veterinarian prescribed a monthly preventative treatment for both dogs and medication for Jazz’s skin repair! Although Jersey isn’t showing any of the allergy symptoms, she will be treated with the preventative medication as well. She was not happy about being subjected to another visit to the vet’s office!

After the outing, Jazz was treated to a warm bath and his first round of medication. He was not pleased with any of these activities. However, the house is quiet once again. In fact, it’s so quiet we had to peer over Jazz to see if he was ok. There has not been one incident of scratching, biting or chomping since our return! “Enjoy your peaceful slumber, Mister”, I murmer as he lies snoozing at my feet. Finally, peace has been returned to our home!