How A Flea Allergy Can Drive Your Pets – And You – Crazy

Flea allergy dermatitis (or FAD) is the most common skin allergy seen in cats and dogs. Often, just the bite of a single flea can cause prolonged, severe itching in both animals, and continual, seemingly obsessive, grooming in cats. The consistent gnawing, licking, biting, and nibbling can be irritating, frustrating, and downright annoying to both you and your pets.

At its worst in high summer when fleas are most common, this type of allergic reaction can last all year round if you don’t have good flea control in your home.

An affected cat often develops what is called “miliary dermatitis,” a type of skin condition characterized by tiny bumps found on the back, neck, and face. These rash-like bumps (papules) are extremely itchy and often become crusty and broken because of the cat’s repeated licking, scratching, and chewing. A cat with flea allergy dermatitis will typically show hair loss around the neck and ears and in a stripe from the mid-back to its tail.

Dogs with FAD can show up with itchy, scaly lesions over the entire body, although the flanks, inner thighs, lower back and the base of the tail, ears, and neck appear to be the areas most commonly affected. They often seem restless and uncomfortable, constantly licking, scratching, rubbing, chewing, and even nibbling at infected areas on the skin. If the FAD remains untreated and becomes chronic, they can lose the hair on the areas of the body most affected, and develop secondary bacterial and yeast infections. Many dogs with FAD will show up with “hot spots,” round, raw areas of moist dermatitis caused by constant biting and licking.

A pet with FAD is extremely sensitive to the flea saliva injected into the skin during a bite. This saliva contains a variety of chemicals, enzymes, and amino acids that causes an allergic effect in your cat or dog. This reaction can be immediate, occurring within 15 minutes of the bite, or delayed, showing up 24- to 48-hours later, depending on your animal’s immune system.

Your veterinarian typically makes a diagnosis of flea allergy dermatitis based on your reported history of itching and scratching, and after a detailed examination of the lesions and surrounding skin. Sometimes, seeing adult fleas or flea “dirt” demonstrates direct evidence of flea exposure. Other times, flea-allergic dogs and cats show no fleas on the body because they have been removed by the constant licking and biting.

The most effective way to cure FAD in your pet is to get rid of all the fleas on the body. You may want to first use Capstar, an oral medication, to kill any adult pests before applying a regular, monthly flea treatment such as Revolution or Advantage.

Once the fleas have been eliminated, your dog or cat may need topical and oral antibiotics to clear up any secondary skin infections, and natural grooming products to bring her coat and skin back to normal. You’ll also want to ensure that your house and yard are flea-free by using diatomaceous earth or other natural flea repellants.

Everybody hates fleas, and if you’ve got a particularly itchy cat or dog, getting rid of those nasty pests can make all the difference in your pet’s health and happiness.