Why So Many Dogs Have Allergies Now

Every day, itchy dogs shuffle into Elizabeth Falk’s veterinary office. Some can’t stop chewing their feet or scratching their bellies. Others have red, smelly ears, or rashes on their skin. All are intensely uncomfortable because of environmental allergies. “They’re sitting in the waiting room, and everyone else is backing away out of fear that it’s contagious,” she says. “It’s super busy helping as many as we can.” Until recently, Falk was a veterinary dermatologist at Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, where she saw about 15 allergic pets a day and was booked up to six months out. Demand is so high that in April, she’ll open her own pet dermatology practice. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] More and more dogs are suffering from atopic dermatitis, otherwise known as environmental allergies: According to a 2018 report from Banner Pet Hospital—the latest U.S. numbers on the subject—there’s been a 30% increase in cases over the past 10 years. In 2021, a teaching hospital in Brazil reported that 25% of dogs they examined suffered from allergies. Though dog allergies aren’t consistently tracked, anecdotally, they’re soaring. “Allergic skin disease is probably the top thing we see,” says Erin Tate, vice president of clinical development at CityVet in Dallas. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years and have definitely seen a dramatic increase in recen...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news