Can animals get allergies just like people?
My-Dog.info > Dog Health
An allergy is a condition characterized by the exuberantly
rejection by the body of something it sees as foreign using an
established immune response to that inciting material (allergen).
This exuberant hypersensitivity reaction leads to abnormal signs
over and above the effect of the infectious agent or material.
Direct effects of the agent may include the disease that results
from an infection, for example. Animals and humans both can
develop allergies but sometimes the pattern of signs or the type
of immune reactivity to a specific allergen varies between
species.
There are different classes of hypersensitivity reactions
based on the components of the immune system that mediate the
response. Type I hypersensitivity for example, is classified as
an immediate hypersensitivity reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis,
atopy). Atopy, or allergic inhalant dermatitis is covered
elsewhere on this site. Different immune system mechanisms are
involved in delayed hypersensitivity—another class of immune
responsiveness. In the delayed reaction, such as occurs in a Type
IV hypersensitivity reaction, the signs following exposure to the
allergen do not peak for hours to days after exposure. Contact
allergy is an example of this latter type of reaction.
All allergens typically result in sensitization of the body's
immune system. The body can then recognize the foreign substance,
and respond to prevent illness. In the case of allergy, the
memory cells produced during initial exposure will lead to an
allergy-producing immune cascade after one or more subsequent
repeated exposures to the same agent because they significantly
over-stimulate the immune response. Often it takes months (or
even years) of exposures to trigger a full-blown allergy, so just
because an animal currently tolerates something does not mean
that an allergy to that same component could not develop at some
time in the future.
Some examples of animal allergies:
- Drug Allergies (penicillin, vaccine, etc.)
- Food Allergies (beef, chicken, corn, etc.)
- Parasite Allergies (heartworm microfilariae, flea bite,
bee sting anaphylaxis, etc.)
- Contact Allergies (shampoos, insecticides, plastic, flea
collars, rubber, cedar chips, etc.)
Allergies may lead to development of signs of illness in a
particular body system, though sometimes multiple systems are
affected. Examples include:
- Allergic rhinitis (nasal cavity reaction to dust, mold,
cigarette smoke, litter dust etc.)
- Allergic pneumonia in dogs (lung reaction from
Aspergillus fungus, pollen, heartworm microfilariae etc.)
- Allergic dermatitis (skin reaction due to food allergy,
contact allergy, cutaneous drug eruptions, atopy-allergic
inhalant dermatitis etc.)
- Allergic gastroenteritis (reaction of stomach and
intestines - vomiting, diarrhea due to food allergy)
- Allergic blepharitis (eyelid reaction to molds, dust,
pollen, topic medications etc.)
The signs of allergy correlate with the system affected rather
than the inciting agent. For example, allergy to beef may show up
as skin lesions, diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss in a cat.
Corn allergy may produce the same constellation of signs.
For gastrointestinal problems, non-immune reactions to food
must also be considered. Food intolerance such as milk
intolerance due to loss of the enzyme that functions to break
down the milk sugar lactose will lead to signs such as vomiting
and diarrhea, but this type of sensitivity is not a true allergic
reaction. Likewise, contact allergic dermatitis of the skin
should be differentiated from irritant contact dermatitis. The
latter case is due to physical or chemical irritation rather than
an overactive immune response.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
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