Allergies, not just for humans: Keep your pups healthy this spring

THESE TWO HAVE STOLEN THE SHOW. SPRING IS IN THE AIR, AND THAT MEANS NEW PUPPIES AND ALSO NEW PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM ALLERGIES AND PETS. SOME PEOPLE NOT EVEN REALIZING THAT PETS SUFFER FROM ALLERGIES. BUT THEY DO. JOINING US LIVE WITH SOME TIPS TO KEEP YOUR PET HEALTHY THIS SEASON IS DOCTOR LAURA OWENS FROM AIR PARK ANIMAL HOSPITAL. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THIS LITTLE SWEETIE. WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD DAY FOR PUPPIES. YEAH. LOOK AT THIS LOVELY FRANK AND BEANS. FRANK AND BEANS. AND I’M HOLDING BEANS. AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, OKAY? THESE PUPPIES HAVE COME INTO THE STATION THIS MORNING, AND THEY HAVE COMPLETELY STOLEN EVERYBODY’S HEARTS. WE’VE BEEN PASSING THEM AROUND EVERY TIME WE’RE IN A COMMERCIAL BREAK. WE JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THEM. BUT, LOOK, YOU KNOW, WE’VE GOT PUPPIES COMING OUT. WE’VE GOT NEW KITTENS THAT ARE BEING BORN. AND SO WE’VE GOT TO THINK ABOUT THEIR ALLERGIES, RIGHT? YEAH. SPRINGTIME IS WHEN WE SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE STARTING WITH FLEAS AND TICKS HERE IN MARYLAND, FLEAS AND TICKS ARE OUT YEAR ROUND. THEY NEVER GO AWAY. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN PAUSE THEIR FLEA AND TICK CONTROL IN THE WINTER MONTHS, BUT WILDLIFE, YOU KNOW, CARRY THOSE PARASITES YEAR ROUND AND YOU REALLY NEED TO KEEP UP YOUR FLEA AND TICK PROTECTION YEAR ROUND. THERE ARE SEVERAL OPTIONS. THERE ARE TOPICALS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, AND ALSO SOME NEWER TOPICALS. THERE ARE THE THE ORAL TABLETS THAT ARE GREAT, THAT ARE GREAT NOW AND THEN THERE’S THERE’S SOME NEWER GENERATION FLEA AND TICK COLLARS, THE OLD SCHOOL ONES DON’T WORK THAT WELL. WE WILL JUST NOT SEE FLEA AND TICKS WITHIN LIKE TWO INCHES OF THE COLLAR, BUT THE REST OF YOUR DOG CAN STILL HAVE THEM. BUT SOME NEWER ONES, LIKE THERE’S A SERESTO COLLAR. THAT’S GREAT. I PREFER THE ORAL TABLETS IF YOUR PET CAN TAKE THEM BECAUSE THEY ALSO THEY DO THE BEST JOB AND THEY ALSO COVER FOR MITES AND OTHER EXTERNAL PARASITES. SO TALK TO YOUR VETERINARIAN ABOUT THOSE. YEAH. BECAUSE THE THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF ALLERGY IS A FLEA ALLERGY. REALLY? YEAH. AND YOU KNOW, WE DID MAKE A GREAT POINT THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE AROUND ALL YEAR. BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY A HEAVY SEASON FOR THEM. SO YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THAT PROTECTION. BUT I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WAS A FLEA ALLERGY. I KNOW MY DOG USED TO BE ALLERGIC TO GRASS, WHICH WAS. OH YEAH, THAT IS A REAL LIFE. YEAH, IT’S A REALLY COMMON ONE. YEAH. SOME DOGS ARE ALLERGIC TO THE FLEA SALIVA, SO THEY’RE ALLERGIC TO FLEA BITES. AND THOSE DOGS TEND TO HAVE HAIR LOSS AND A LOT OF ITCHING OVER THEIR BACK END. SO THE FIRST STEP WITH ANY ALLERGY DOG IS ALWAYS MAKE SURE THEY ARE ON A GOOD, HIGH QUALITY YEAR ROUND FLEA AND TICK CONTROL. HOW ARE WE SPOTTING THESE ALLERGIES? IS IT THE SKIN? IS IT THE FUR? SO USUALLY ITCHING. SOMETIMES IT’S JUST LICKING. NOT NECESSARILY SCRATCHING. A LOT OF THESE GUYS LICK THEIR PAWS. YOU KNOW EARS. YOUR EAR CANALS ARE LINED WITH SKIN. SO A LOT OF DOGS WILL HAVE RECURRENT EAR INFECTIONS IF THEY HAVE SOME ALLERGIES. HAIR LOSS CAN BE PATCHY OR JUST ALL OVER FROM THEM CHEWING. THEY CAN BE PRONE TO SKIN INFECTIONS. YEAH, THE FIRST STEP IS ALWAYS RULE OUT FLEAS AND TICKS. THE SECOND STEP IS USUALLY TRY AND FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE. THE TWO OTHER MAIN TYPES OF ALLERGIES ARE ENVIRONMENTAL AND THAT CAN BE, LIKE YOU SAID, THINGS OUTDOORS. GRASSES, POLLENS, THINGS THAT CAN BE SEASONAL OR IT CAN BE INDOOR. THINGS THAT ARE YEAR ROUND LIKE DUST AND MOLD. THEY’RE JUST AS SENSITIVE AS WE ARE. THEY ABSOLUTELY ARE. YEAH THEY ARE. THEY CAN BE ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING. AND YOU WERE TALKING TO ME ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ALSO BEING CAREFUL WITH YOUR HOUSE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN WE START WANTING TO OPEN OUR WINDOWS. AND YOU’RE SAYING BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT. YEAH. JUST GENERAL SPRING SAFETY TIPS FOR PETS ONE. CHECK ALL YOUR WINDOWS BEFORE YOU KNOW THIS IS THE TIME WE WANT TO OPEN THE WINDOWS AND ABSOLUTELY CHECK YOUR SCREENS. MAKE SURE THEY DON’T HAVE ANY RIPS OR TEARS. MAKE SURE THEY’RE STILL FASTENED IN THERE SECURELY BECAUSE THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR WE SEE CATS FALL OUT OF SCREEN WINDOWS AND GET LOST, OR DOGS BUST THROUGH THEM WHEN THEY GO TO SNIFF. SO CHECK THAT. AND THEN THE OTHER BIG ONE IS FLOWERS AND PLANTS. IT’S GARDENING SEASON. EVERYBODY HAS THEIR EASTER LILIES, WHICH ARE PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE OFFENDER. THEY’RE SUPER POISONOUS TO CATS. THEY CAUSE KIDNEY FAILURE. YEAH. MY GENERAL RULE IS IF YOU HAVE CATS, YOU CANNOT HAVE LILIES IN YOUR HOUSE BECAUSE CATS ARE CATS AND THEY’LL GET WHEREVER THE FLOWERS ARE. THEY CAN JUMP IF A LITTLE PETAL FALLS OFF AS THE FLOWER DIES AND LANDS ON THE FLOOR, YOU KNOW, JUST A TINY BIT OF EXPOSURE IS ENOUGH. SO NO LILIES. OKAY? AND THEN THERE, ASPCA HAS A REALLY GREAT WEBSITE FOR POISON CONTROL IN GENERAL, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE A WHOLE LIST OF ALL THE TOXIC PLANTS. SO LOOK IT UP IF YOU’RE GETTING SOMETHING NEW, IF YOU’RE BRINGING IN A HOUSEPLANT, OR IF YOU’RE KEEPING PLANTS INDOORS UNTIL YOU PLANT THEM IN THE GARDEN, CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE OKAY FOR THE PETS. AND LET’S BRING IN SOME BEHAVIOR, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE KNOW OUR PETS ARE LIKE OUR CHILDREN, AND WE WILL HAVE OUR CHILDREN TESTED FOR ALLERGIES. DO WE NEED TO HAVE OUR PETS? YOU CAN TEST IT FOR ALLERGIES IF YOUR OTHER IF YOUR OTHER THINGS ARE NOT WORKING. OUR GENERAL RULE IS ONE. DECREASE EXPOSURE TO ALLERGENS. SO IF YOUR PET’S ALLERGIC TO GRASS, WIPE THEM DOWN WHEN THEY COME IN. USE JUST A WET WASHCLOTH OR LIKE A UNSCENTED BABY WIPE, WIPE OFF THEIR PAWS. GIVE THEM, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEM A LITTLE BATH. THEY MAKE A LOT OF REALLY NICE SHAMPOOS THAT HELP IMPROVE THEIR SKIN BARRIERS SO THEY DON’T RESPOND TO THE ALLERGENS AS SEVERELY. BUT IF NONE OF THAT IS WORKING, YOUR VETERINARIAN HAS SOME REALLY GREAT ALLERGY MEDS THAT CAN HELP DECREASE ITCH, CAN HELP DECREASE INFLAMMATION, SOME REALLY GREAT TOPICAL PRODUCTS AND MEDICATED SHAMPOOS. SO TALK TO A VET IF YOUR PET IS RED OR RAW OR LOSING HAIR. THEY NEED TO SEE A VET BECAUSE THEY CAN REALLY BE TERRIBLY UNCOMFORTABLE FROM ALLERGIES. PICTURE HAVING A BAD CASE OF POISON IVY? YEAH, YOU KNOW, RUIN YOUR DAY AND THEN REALLY QUICKLY BECAUSE WE HAVE TO GO. AND I DON’T WANT TO GIVE THIS PUPPY BACK, BUT FOXES ARE OUT NOW. THEY ARE. THERE’S A RISK OF MANGE. THERE IS. YEAH. THAT’S ON OUR LIST OF THINGS THAT MAKE YOUR PET ITCHY. DOGS GET MANGE. THAT IS SPECIES SPECIFIC, THANKFULLY, BUT IT CROSSES OVER WITH FOXES. SO THE CLASSIC WAY WE SEE DOGS GET MAGE IS IF YOU HAVE FOXES COMING THROUGH YOUR YARD, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE FOXES THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, BABIES UNDER YOUR SHED OR SOMETHING, AND THOSE ORAL FLEA AND TICK PREVENTATIVES ALSO TREAT AND PREVENT MANGE SO THAT THEIR ONES, IF YOU HAVE FOXES AROUND, DEFINITELY GET ON ONE OF THE PILL, FLEA AND TICK MEDICINES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME BRINGING THESE SWEETIES IN HERE. BEANS. WE GOT TO GO. I KNOW I DON’T WANT YOU TO GO EITHER. ALL RIGHT, GUYS, SAY BYE TO BEANS AND FRANK. YOU SLEPT DURING THE WHOLE BY JENS. LITERALLY OFF IN THE WINGS WAITING FOR ME TO STOP TALKING SO SHE COULD TAKE IT. I DON’T EV

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