Itchy skin is one of the most common reasons for which pets see their veterinarian. If your pet is constantly scratching, you may be wondering whether they have parasites, allergies, an infection, or another condition. Our Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital team understands how frustrated you likely feel about your pet’s excessive scratching, and we explain the itch-uation about the condition and how to manage your four-legged friend’s skin problem.

Itchy pet skin causes

Numerous conditions can lead to a pet’s skin itchiness. Some common issues include:

  • Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) — FAD is the most common cause of pets’ itchy skin. Affected pets are allergic to a compound in flea saliva, and a single flea bite can cause your four-legged friend to scratch, chew, lick, and rub their itchy skin excessively. 
  • Atopy — The second most common cause of pets’ itchy skin is atopy (i.e., a pet’s environmental allergy condition). Common atopy triggers are tree and grass pollens, mold spores, and dust mites.
  • Food allergies — Pets can develop allergies to ingredients in their food, most commonly proteins such as beef, chicken, eggs, and dairy. Affected pets may also have gastrointestinal (GI) signs such as excessive gas, vomiting, and diarrhea.
  • Skin infections — Bacterial and yeast infections lead to itchy skin, and these conditions commonly occur secondary to allergies.
  • Sarcoptic mange — Sarcoptic mange mites burrow into pets’ skin, causing extreme itchiness. 
  • Contact allergies — Some pets are allergic to fabrics or cleaning products they encounter in their environment.

Itchy pet skin diagnosis

Because numerous conditions can cause a pet’s itchiness, making a definitive diagnosis isn’t always straightforward. To help us determine why your pet is scratching excessively, our Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital team may perform these diagnostic screenings:

  • History — Medical history is extremely important when evaluating a pet who has itchy skin. Our team may ask you the following questions:
  • When did your pet first exhibit the skin condition signs? — In some cases, the age at which your pet begins exhibiting skin condition signs can help us identify the cause. Atopy typically starts when a pet is between 1 and 3 years of age, and food allergies more commonly start when a pet is younger than 6 months of age or older than 6 years of age.
  • Has your pet had itchy skin before, and if so when? — If your pet’s itchy skin is seasonal, they likely have atopy.
  • Is your pet exhibiting other signs in addition to itchiness? — If your pet has GI signs in addition to their itchy skin, they may have a food allergy.
  • Is your pet on any medication? — Some medications cause itchy skin.
  • Has anything changed in your pet’s environment? — If you have introduced a new product into your home, your pet may be allergic to the substance.
  • Physical examination — We examine your pet from nose to tail, taking note of their affected body areas. We also look for flea dirt (i.e., flea excrement) that may indicate your pet has FAD.
  • Lesion distribution — In some cases, the distribution of your pet’s lesions can help determine their itchy skin’s cause. We look for the following skin sign variations:
  • FAD commonly causes skin lesions and hair loss on the lower back, inner thighs, and abdomen.
    • Atopy can cause a pet to exhibit signs on the entire body, but an affected pet’s signs most often appear around their eyes and mouth, feet, armpits, groin, and under their tail.
    • Food allergies often cause lesions and hair loss on a dog’s face, feet, and around the anus, and on a cat’s head and neck.
    • Sarcoptic mange commonly affects a pet’s ear flaps, elbows, hocks, and abdomen.
  • Blood work — We may perform a complete blood count (CBC) and biochemistry profile to assess your pet’s health and rule out underlying issues.
  • Skin scraping — We may scrape your pet’s skin surface to examine the detritus under a microscope, looking for parasites and skin abnormalities.
  • Skin biopsy — In some cases, we may need to take a skin sample for evaluation.
  • Culture — If we suspect your pet has a skin infection, our team may take a culture to determine the causative microorganism. 
  • Medication trial — Our team may recommend a medication trial to eradicate the parasites if we suspect your pet has FAD or sarcoptic mites, and to see if your pet’s itchiness resolves. 
  • Diet trial — If we suspect your pet has a food allergy, we may recommend a diet trial to determine the causative ingredient. 
  • Allergy testing — If our team suspects atopy, we may recommend allergy testing to determine the causative environmental allergens.

Itchy pet skin treatment

Based on your pet’s diagnosis, our Boca Midtown Animal Hospital team will devise an appropriate strategy to manage your pet’s condition. Most itchy skin treatment protocols require a multimodal approach. Potential treatments include:

  • Flea control — Strict year-round flea control is important for all itchy pets, because many of them affected by atopy and food allergies also have FAD. 
  • Bathing — Regularly bathing your pet helps remove allergens from their skin. Our team can recommend an appropriate shampoo and bathing regimen depending on your pet’s condition.
  • Steroids — Steroids are strong anti-inflammatories, and we often prescribe these medications to alleviate pets’ itchiness. 
  • Anti-itch medications — Nonsteroidal anti-itch medications help relieve pets’ itchy skin.
  • Antimicrobials — If your pet has a skin infection, we prescribe an appropriate antimicrobial.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids — Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammatory chemicals, helping relieve itchiness.
  • Hyposensitization therapy — Hyposensitization therapy (i.e., allergy shots), is the most effective treatment for atopic pets. For this treatment, we take the information we obtain from a pet’s allergy testing to produce injections, and administer their problematic allergens in gradually increasing doses to desensitize the affected pet. The treatment typically takes about 6 to 12 months to be effective, but most pets significantly improve.

If you have an itchy, scratchy pet, contact our American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)-accredited Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital team, so we can diagnose their itch-uation and prescribe an effective treatment.