2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines
Treating allergic skin diseases in pets is not one-size-fits-all, and a multimodal approach often yields the best results.
Guidelines for pet allergies at a glance
Are you haunted by the sound of scratching in the dead of night? Take the scary out of managing allergic pets with the 2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases Guidelines. Stop fighting the urge to run away when you see another itchy pet on your schedule? These guidelines offer detailed diagnosis and treatment plans to help guide you to better patient outcomes and client satisfaction.
What’s in the Guidelines?
Diagnosis and treatment plans for:
- Flea allergy
- Food allergy
- Feline atopic skin syndrome
- Spectrum of care considerations for allergic skin diseases
- Client communication tips
- Optimizing the role of veterinary technicians
- Guidance on when to refer to a specialist
3 Takeaways
- Always get a detailed history of the patient, including seasonality, pruritus level, ectoparasite prevention, age of onset and progression, and response to previous therapies.
- After a complete physical exam has been performed, a minimum dermatologic database should be collected, including skin cytology, flea combing, skin scrapings, and ear cytology (if ear disease is present).
- Atopy is a diagnosis of exclusion. Allergy testing (intradermal or serum) to identify allergens does not diagnose atopy and should only be performed if immunotherapy is planned.
2 Actions for treating pet allergies
- Treating all pruritic cats for fleas/mites is not only a potentially important therapeutic measure, but also a key diagnostic step on the path to determining the primary cause of pruritus.
- If previously successful management protocols stop working, first perform a thorough history and physical examination and return to the minimum dermatologic database to determine if anything has changed.
1 Thing to Never Forget
- Treating the allergic patient is not one-size-fits-all, and a multimodal approach often yields the best results.
Download the Guidelines at a Glance
Meet Ollie!
Ollie is our mascot for the 2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines, designed by artist Lili Chin.
Download the Guidelines Summary poster
Watch this summary of the 2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines
The 2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines are generously supported by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Merck Animal Health, and Zoetis.
