Allergy in Our Pets
Just like humans, our furry friends can also be allergic. An allergy is a condition in which the animal’s immune system overreacts to harmless everyday Your pet may be exposed to these substances, also called allergens, through inhalation or ingestion, but most often it occurs through direct contact between the skin and an allergen.
What can I do to verify if my pet has an allergy?
Not all itchy skin and scratching is due to an allergy. Other diseases can cause similar signs. This is why your vet will try to exclude all other possible causes first, such as fleas, scabies and infections.
If the allergy symptoms remain after excluding or treating other causes like these, the next step is to exclude food allergy. If food is not the problem, then environmental allergens can be tested for, by a quick and simple blood test, the PAX – Pet Allergy Xplorer – blood Test.
This is important, because without knowing which allergens are causing the problem, it is impossible to avoid them or to treat your pet.
Introducing PAX® – Pet Allergy Xplorer
PAX is the first quantitative multiplex macroarray specifically designed for companion animals that tests for both allergen extracts and molecular components. Molecular allergology is a state-of-the-art approach to the detection of sensitisations, whereby defined single allergen components are used for the determination of specific IgE in place of traditionally-used allergen extracts. The molecular components are recombinant proteins that provide a higher level of standardisation than allergen extracts and enable a more precise identification of IgE sensitisations. Molecular allergology tests are powerful tools that help pinpoint allergy triggers, thus facilitating risk assessment and therapy decisions.
Is Treatment Possible?
The best way to treat an allergy is to avoid any contact between the pet and the allergens that are causing the problem. However, this is practically impossible, especially when it comes to environmental allergens.
The only treatment that can strengthen your pet’s immune system, so it no longer reacts to the allergens, is immunotherapy (also called allergen-specific immunotherapy).
Immunotherapy is a tailored treatment, made specifically for your pet, which will stop the symptoms from affecting its health, comfort and quality of life.
What is Artuvetrin Therapy?
Artuvetrin® Therapy is a personalised immunotherapy prepared with the allergen extracts that are responsible for your pet’s allergy. It is a licensed veterinary medicine, prescribed by your veterinarian. It is completely custom-made, safe and can be given for long periods.
The efficacy rate for Artuvetrin® Therapy is about 75%*. Most pets show improvements within a few months, but it can take up to 12 months before the treatment gives noticeable results.
*Willemse. Tijdschr. Diergeneesk. Deel 129 (2004) 402-408
