September 19, 2024 • 18 mins
Dr. Greer talks with Shawn about what allergies look like in pets and what you can do to treat it (before it gets serious).
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Eight forty one thirteen ten WIBA and ask the experts
with Checkout Veterinary Clinic located right in sun Prairie at
twenty seven ten Prairie Lakes Drive telephone number six so
eight three one eight sixty seven hundred. That's three one
eight sixty seven hundred. You can learn more online about
Checkout Veterinary. What makes them so unique? And I will
tell you they are unique and really really good ways.
(00:21):
It's an amazing model. Check them out online, checkout vet
dot com. That's checkout vet dot com. And joining us
this morning is the twenty twenty three Veterinarian of the
Year from the Westminster Kennel Club, of course, also from
Checkout Veterinary, his doctor Marty Greer. Doctor Greer, how you
doing this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm great, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
It's so good to talk to you. And we've got
important stuff to cover this morning. And started talking a
little bit. I know, the other week allergies came up
for both pets and people, and let's talk a little
bit about allergies and some of the you know, some
of the weird things that they say. Weird obviously, as
a vet says, you see it all the time, but
it's or sometimes we wonder what's going on there, why
(01:02):
is my pet acting a certain way or certain things happening.
A lot of times it can be allergies, can't it?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Doctor, It can, and they don't always seem obvious. When
I was a kid, we had a neighbor dog that
used to chew her feet and it was a little
poodle and our neighbors would always yell at her for
chewing your feet, and it still happens to this day.
And of course, at that point a topic dermatitis atopy.
Allergies weren't well described in the dog, but they are
(01:30):
now and we know that that's allergies. They can be
allergies to pollens and molds. It can be a lot
of different things, but that's really common. And if you
aren't experienced as a dog owner from a previous dog
that has had those for symptoms, it may not be
obvious to you that it's an allergic problem. And we've
learned a lot about allergies and management that in the
last fifty years, so a lot has changed.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Are there like antihistamines specially made for pets or are
there are there certain types of Obviously we've got use
you can. You can you can let us know what
are what are like some of those treatments that are available, doctor.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Sure, And you can do antihistamines. There are over the
counter antihistamines you can purchase for yourself, and they frequently
can be used on pets, not all of them. See,
you have to be careful. A lot of people use benadryl,
some people use luratidine which is Clarton or zero tech,
and some of those are okay, some of them are not.
You can't just go to the drug store, the pharmacy,
the dollar store, whatever, and you know, stand in front
(02:31):
of the aisle where all the human medications are and
assume that everything that you can take is safe for
your pet, because it isn't. But benadryl is safe, and
luratodine claratin is safe, so we are. We do see
some of those products used. However, they're not as effective
as some of the other medications that we have, and
that's unfortunate because the other meds are you know, you
(02:52):
have to go to the vet, you have to have
a prescription form those kinds of things, so they're not
as convenient. But if your pet isn't getting enough relief,
clearly you need to do something. Now, a lot of
people use benadru and it does make your pet sleepy,
which if they're sleeping, they can't chew their feet because
they're too tired. But it really isn't a great solution
for most pets. So benadrill can be used safely, but
(03:13):
should not be used as your only landed defense, and
it shouldn't be used this is a little off topic,
but shouldn't be used as an anti anxiety drug because
it is not anti anxiety. It does make them drowsy,
but it doesn't reduce anxiety or car sickness or any
of those things. So we have better drugs that are
more specific for those. So getting back to what we
do have. Back in the sixties, predmozone cortizons were developed
(03:34):
as anti inflammatory drugs, and they do a great job
for allergies. They're inexpensive, they're wonderful, they do a good job,
but they do have some side effects and long term
use on a daily basis can become a problem for
a pet's health. So, although I still rely on steroids
and I'm still kind of old school in that regard,
I will fall back to those if other antihistamines and
(03:57):
other anti inflammatory drugs not working because number one, they
give you a quick effect, and number two, they're very
cost effective. People can afford pregnanism, they can't afford. Some
people can't afford some of the other meds. Some can.
So I want to give people options so that they
know what their choices are. If it's this late in
the season and we're close to a hard frost, of
(04:18):
it doesn't really seem that way some days, if we're
close to a hard frust, I may use pregnant zone
just for those couple of weeks before the hard frost occurs,
and then talk about doing something more the following year
when the pet develops allergies again. Because most of the
time you can almost set your calendar to the third
week of August is always when they start to shoot
(04:39):
their feet, or the second week in May, or you
know whatever. So what happens one year will almost always
predictably happened the following years.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
It's interesting to talk about things like seasonal allergies and
of course putting that plan together. We talked to doctor Greer.
We talked the other week about pen insurance. Do pen
insurance cover do any of them cover any type of
prescription that or is that something that that's just about
universally out of pocket not covered?
Speaker 2 (05:04):
No, most of the prescriptions will be covered. Now, the HeartWare,
men'sly in tech medications frequently or not routine, there's something
you's in budget for, but the anti allergy medications frequently
those are covered. The medications for arthritis, sometimes cancer therapy
is covered, depending on what policy you have. So there
is a great deal of coverage for our pets. There's
(05:25):
a lot we can do for them, and having that
pet insurance policy will keep you from having to say
it's how much. The only people who don't need pet
insurance are the people who don't have to ask how
much is that going to be? So if you end
up at the emergency clinic or the referral center or
the that school or whatever, and they walk into the
room with a fifteen thousand dollars estimate for you, and
you don't have to say, oh, fifteen thousand dollars, I
(05:49):
I'm not sure I can do that. If you if
you don't have to say, fifteen thousand dollars is going
to ding your checking account, then don't buy pet insurance. Otherwise,
you probably should have it for at least the most
predicted expensive pet we all have, you know, multiple pets
that have varieties of predicted needs. If you have a
French bulldog, a bulldog, you know some of the breeds
(06:11):
that we know are going to have health problems, the
ones that we jokingly stay in veterinary medicine. If you
get a bulldog, just set up direct deposit with your veteran.
You're going to be seeing them all the time. If
you have one of those. Geat pet insurance. If you
have a puppy, get pet insurance. Fifty percent of puppies
end up needing some kind of unexpected care in their
first year of life. They fall on the stairs, they
(06:31):
you know, cut themselves on something, and then the dog
beats them up, they get diarrhea, whatever. It's really common
to see that. So if you don't have to say
how much will that be, here's my credit card, just
put put on it whatever you need to. If you
don't have to say that, great, you don't need pet insurance. Otherwise,
I think I'm going to say probably ninety nine percent
of our owners should have it.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Really good perspective this morning, as we talk with doctor
Marty Greer of Checkout Veterinary the website checkout vet dot com.
That's check out vet dot fantastic clinic. Of course, the
first visit it is free, get that exam free. Of course,
other things there are charges. The great thing too is
when you go to checkout vet dot com, transparent pricing
and understanding what things kind of ballpark are going to cost.
(07:13):
That information available to you as well at checkout vet
dot com. Open Monday through Wednesday and Friday through Sunday
nine am until five pm. At checkout Vet. You say, well,
what about Thursdays? Yes, checkout Vet is closed on Thursdays,
but check in is open for you during the week,
so they're always there for you. It's an amazing thing
with doctor Greer and the team at Checkout Veterinaria and
(07:33):
you can learn more online at checkout vet dot com.
That's checkout vet dot com. Talking about allergies, obviously think
about seasonal I think about myself personally. I have for
some reason, there's some ingredient and TI detergent that makes
my skin breakout in hives. Are there are there? There's
got to be also for pets. Environmental things that can
trigger allergic reactions, well, aren't there, Yes.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And sometimes it is longer detergents from having those Fragrance
free and die free soap can be very helpful. So
if your pet sleeps on a blanket in your bed, whatever,
and they have some skin problems, you may want to
look at that as a possibility. Carpet powders can be
irritating to their skin, and the more they scratch lick
bite two and the more itchy they are, the more
(08:15):
they smell, so the more carport powder you may use.
So those are some things to be aware of, so
just you know, be very cautious about those things. But
like I said, we have some really nice new allergy
medications that we didn't have back in the sixties seventies
when pregnant zone was developed. So about ten years ago
apicuoil came to market. That's a daily medication. It starts
(08:38):
off twice a day for the first two weeks and
then we go to daily medication. That can be really
helpful for our dogs both allergies. It's a tablet. It
used to be just a tablet. Now it comes as
a chewable from the same company that brought us the
original product and There is also now a generic which
makes the cost of it a little bit less expensive.
Still daily medication, very effective for allergies for a lot
(08:59):
of dogs. And then we have a newer one even
yet called sided Point, and that's an injection that's given
every three to five weeks under the skin, so it's
pretty painless. You just run into the bed every three
to five weeks, have one of their technicians or their
assistance give the injection. Once you've seen the veterinarian that
has DIAGNOSEDI and a treatment plan put together, and again
(09:19):
that can be a very effective medication. They have two
different mechanisms of action. One affects the jack pathway that
causes the allergic reaction, which is the biding, chewing, looking,
scratching at their feet, at their skin, at their belly,
if they break out in the rash their ears. A
lot of ear infections are related to allergies. And then
the injectible product is a monoclonal a antibody. So they
(09:40):
have two different mechanisms of actions. So if one doesn't work,
the other frequently will for your pet. And if all
those sales, we can always fell back to pregnant zone
as either an additional drug delayer with it in cases
that we have very bad allergies, usually the end of
August and most of September when the ragweed and goldenrod
is bad. Or if you have a pet that you
you simply can't afford those medications for Please don't leave
(10:02):
your pet unprotected and uncard for if you can't afford
apicuail or started point speaks for veterinarian about the alternative
for steroids because they are still very effective and very
good drugs used appropriately, meaning every other day, not daily,
doctor l there's some things we can do.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
And then doctor, when you talk about you know the
feed and then some of the belly, is that just
because that the skin in those areas are a little
more exposed, a little less fur covering or are those
just areas that tend to tend to get those lichy
spots for the pets? Obviously we can't ask them. How
does any ask any dog how's your backs? And need
a scratcher? Saying oh sure, yes I do, Yes I do.
(10:39):
Those are those those areas that they just tend to
focus in on because they can kind of get access
to their skin and it's on it. Or do we
see more like little breakouts or rashes in those areas.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You know, that is the greatest question. We used to
say that the dogs have mass cells. Mass cells are
a form of stuff we have in our body that
creates a histamine, and that histamine releases what makes you
uncomfortable during allergies. And people they're concentrated in their nasal
passages their eyes, so we get runny eyes, itchy noses,
(11:11):
running noses, sneezing, congestion, that kind of thing for people.
Dogs will have a component of that, but most of
their masks dolls appear to be in their feet, so
that's where we see a problem. And the direct contact. Again,
we used to say that it was from the pollens explicitly,
but we also know now that direct contact with grass
will cause those dogs to have an allergic reaction. So
(11:32):
I've actually had one client with a bulldog that replaced
the grass in the part of the yard with AstroTurf
that the dog goes into significantly cut down on their
allergic reactions. So they saved a lot of money, didn't
have to put on put the dog on as many medications.
So there are some things that you can do, washing
their feet when they come inside, especially the last trip
outside at night to go potty. If you wash their
(11:53):
feet before you go to bed, that's good eight hours
that their feet aren't being exposed to the direct contact
that they had with the grass when they were out.
In people, they tell you to wash your hair before
you go to bed at night if you have allergies,
so that you're not that the pollen that sticks to
the oils of your hair don't transfer on to your
pillow and then have you really back and forth all
night with your nose on where those exposed pollens are.
(12:14):
So there's some little things that you can do, both
for yourself and your dog that will reduce the amount
of medication that you need. So there's a little device
called a pop plunger. You can put your little dogs
pull on it one at a time so that you
can wash their feet before you go to bed. Or
you can just use a bowl with some warm water
and some soap in it. Doondish soap is fine to
break up those oils on the coat and get rid
of those residues that are causing the problem. So just
(12:38):
be aware that simple things like that can significantly reduce
the cost of medication. The amount of medication and your
pet's discomfort.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Talking this morning with doctor Marty Greer of Checkout Veterinary.
The website checkout vet dot com. That's checkout vet dot com.
Great website to learn more about checkout Veterinary again that site,
checkout vet dot com. It's a great day to start
that relationship. All you gotta do is pick up phone
gimmick six eight three one eight sixty seven hundred. That's
six oh eight three one eight sixty seven hundred. If
(13:05):
you haven't had a chance to check out the clinic
right at twenty seven to ten Prairie Lags Drive. It's
an amazing clinic, a great facility, and again you can
learn more online checkout vet dot com. Talk a little
bit more about allergies. We'll get into cats. We also
talk about it if maybe certain breeds are more more
susceptible to allergies, and also if you're a person that
has allergies to some pets, are there things you can
(13:25):
be doing to reduce that allergic reaction. We'll get the
details from the doctor next as ask the experts with
Checkout Veterinary continues right here on thirteen ten wib A
eight fifty five thirteen ten Wi b A and Ask
the Experts, talking this morning with doctor Marty Greer of
Checkout Veterinary, the website check out vet dot com. That's
(13:48):
checkout vet dot com. It's a great day to check
out checkout vet. Learn more online at checkout vet dot
com and doctor As we talked this week about allergies,
kitties and kittycats can have can have allergies as well,
can't they.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
They can and frequently they'll be. I have different symptoms
in our dogs. They tend not to have looking and
foot chewing, but they can break out on their skin
with different kinds of rashes, and they also can have
allergic problems around their ears. So if your cat is
really itsuy around their ears, scratching at their ears, sometimes
to the point of self mutilation because their nails are
(14:23):
so sharp. If they're really intently scratching at their ears,
then you don't have ear mites or an ear infection.
Talk to your veginarian about the possibility of this being
a food allergy. So that's how cats react is completely
differently than dogs because dogs are not cats and cats
are not small dogs, so we have to treat them
as entirely different species. They have different medications, different needs,
(14:45):
different kinds of symptoms, different disorders. Is their overlap. Oh sure,
but they're not the same. So please, if you're not
getting good success, maybe even consider seeing somebody that specializes
in feline medicine. We have doctors in our practice that
love cats, We speak cat and there are some other
clinics as well that have feline medicine specialists. So don't
(15:07):
overlook the possibility of having those as possibilities for your
pets care. But they'll break out in these weird rashes
that ooh boy. And when cats get itchy and start
over grooming, they can really cause some damage to their
skin because their load tongues are so rough. So it's
a whole different species.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Are there, are there, and they and fantastic pets cats
are are there? Are there? Oftentimes, like for pet owners,
sometimes mistakes some of these signs and symptoms for you
mentioned mites or maybe fleas or ringworm, where people like, oh,
maybe my cat or dog's got an infection or or
has got a parasite. Turns out it's it's maybe the
food that they're eating, or the seasonal allergies or something
(15:45):
in the environment.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Oh yeah, we see a lot of flea allergies. We
don't see as many mites as we used to. We
used to see more scabies and demon decks. But the
oral medications that we give for flea and tit control,
like Crudelio simperica, Brevecto, next Guard and their cousins, some
paragatrio and all the others, those will control mites. So
we considerably see fewer mites than we used to. And
(16:08):
it's gotten to like a place of concern for me
that veterinarians are going to get a little bit complacent
about doing the skin scrapings to look for those parasites.
It's just a simple test that we take a blade
and we just take some of the superficial skin cells
and look under the microscope. But because we've gotten so
used to those really controlling the pets parasites, we oftentimes
just kind of bypass the possibility that might or a concern.
(16:31):
So food allergies, ring, where mightes, bacterial infections, all those
things cause skin problems. So if you're not making successful
progress with some of the over the counter things that
you may have tried at home, please come in have
a veterinarian, take a look at your pet, have them
do some blood work if it's necessary, do a skin scraping,
do a flea comb, really give a good assessment. There
(16:52):
are doctors that love dermatology and they can do a
super job of getting to the source of the problem
and rather than just throwing a band aid at it,
we can get rid of the parasites, the bacteria, whatever
seems to be causing the underlying issue. And then there
are some hypoallergenic diets as well that are hydrolyzed protein.
So we have lots of choices for what we can
help you with.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
That's great and real quick and we got it. But
just about a minute here, doctor, I've got to ask
for pet owners. Obviously, we love our pets and and
we want to you know, have you know, have spent
great time with them. Some folks develop or have allergies.
Are there things that people can do to kind of
for them to, you know, to keep themselves from from
from having allergic reactions, especially I think around cats and
(17:34):
that type of thing.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Sure, and there are some pets, dogs in particular, that
tend to be hypoallergenic. They're never non allergenic. But frequently
grooming your pet or having the groom or do it
for you. Bathing the pet frequently, we'll cut down on
the dander in that coat and keeping the dog's coat short.
Those are the things you can do to keep the
pets in the household and not have to eliminate them.
There are jokes about, you know, we've got rid of
(17:56):
the kids because they were allergic. They kept the pets,
they got rid of the kids. Yeah, that's that's another
veterinary joke that kind of circulates.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I'm talking this morning with doctor Marty Greer. It is
a great day to get in, get your pet in
to check out vet. Learn more online checkout vet dot com.
That's checkout vet dot com. An amazing model. As you
got the drive through, you really drive your car right
up open the bay doors, say drive you in. You
get the exam for your pet right in the bay.
The pet if your dogs, cat's got anxiety, and which
(18:24):
pet doesn't. Really makes it really convenient for you and
enjoyable for your pet. Learn more online checkout vet dot com.
That's checkout vet dot com. Doctor Greer, it's always great
chatting with you. You enjoy this beautiful day. Thank you news
comes your way next right here on thirteen ten WI
b A
Eight forty one thirteen ten WIBA and ask the experts
with Checkout Veterinary Clinic located right in sun Prairie at
twenty seven ten Prairie Lakes Drive telephone number six so
eight three one eight sixty seven hundred. That's three one
eight sixty seven hundred. You can learn more online about
Checkout Veterinary. What makes them so unique? And I will
tell you they are unique and really really good ways.
(00:21):
It's an amazing model. Check them out online, checkout vet
dot com. That's checkout vet dot com. And joining us
this morning is the twenty twenty three Veterinarian of the
Year from the Westminster Kennel Club, of course, also from
Checkout Veterinary, his doctor Marty Greer. Doctor Greer, how you
doing this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm great, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
It's so good to talk to you. And we've got
important stuff to cover this morning. And started talking a
little bit. I know, the other week allergies came up
for both pets and people, and let's talk a little
bit about allergies and some of the you know, some
of the weird things that they say. Weird obviously, as
a vet says, you see it all the time, but
it's or sometimes we wonder what's going on there, why
(01:02):
is my pet acting a certain way or certain things happening.
A lot of times it can be allergies, can't it?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Doctor, It can, and they don't always seem obvious. When
I was a kid, we had a neighbor dog that
used to chew her feet and it was a little
poodle and our neighbors would always yell at her for
chewing your feet, and it still happens to this day.
And of course, at that point a topic dermatitis atopy.
Allergies weren't well described in the dog, but they are
(01:30):
now and we know that that's allergies. They can be
allergies to pollens and molds. It can be a lot
of different things, but that's really common. And if you
aren't experienced as a dog owner from a previous dog
that has had those for symptoms, it may not be
obvious to you that it's an allergic problem. And we've
learned a lot about allergies and management that in the
last fifty years, so a lot has changed.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Are there like antihistamines specially made for pets or are
there are there certain types of Obviously we've got use
you can. You can you can let us know what
are what are like some of those treatments that are available, doctor.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Sure, And you can do antihistamines. There are over the
counter antihistamines you can purchase for yourself, and they frequently
can be used on pets, not all of them. See,
you have to be careful. A lot of people use benadryl,
some people use luratidine which is Clarton or zero tech,
and some of those are okay, some of them are not.
You can't just go to the drug store, the pharmacy,
the dollar store, whatever, and you know, stand in front
(02:31):
of the aisle where all the human medications are and
assume that everything that you can take is safe for
your pet, because it isn't. But benadryl is safe, and
luratodine claratin is safe, so we are. We do see
some of those products used. However, they're not as effective
as some of the other medications that we have, and
that's unfortunate because the other meds are you know, you
(02:52):
have to go to the vet, you have to have
a prescription form those kinds of things, so they're not
as convenient. But if your pet isn't getting enough relief,
clearly you need to do something. Now, a lot of
people use benadru and it does make your pet sleepy,
which if they're sleeping, they can't chew their feet because
they're too tired. But it really isn't a great solution
for most pets. So benadrill can be used safely, but
(03:13):
should not be used as your only landed defense, and
it shouldn't be used this is a little off topic,
but shouldn't be used as an anti anxiety drug because
it is not anti anxiety. It does make them drowsy,
but it doesn't reduce anxiety or car sickness or any
of those things. So we have better drugs that are
more specific for those. So getting back to what we
do have. Back in the sixties, predmozone cortizons were developed
(03:34):
as anti inflammatory drugs, and they do a great job
for allergies. They're inexpensive, they're wonderful, they do a good job,
but they do have some side effects and long term
use on a daily basis can become a problem for
a pet's health. So, although I still rely on steroids
and I'm still kind of old school in that regard,
I will fall back to those if other antihistamines and
(03:57):
other anti inflammatory drugs not working because number one, they
give you a quick effect, and number two, they're very
cost effective. People can afford pregnanism, they can't afford. Some
people can't afford some of the other meds. Some can.
So I want to give people options so that they
know what their choices are. If it's this late in
the season and we're close to a hard frost, of
(04:18):
it doesn't really seem that way some days, if we're
close to a hard frust, I may use pregnant zone
just for those couple of weeks before the hard frost occurs,
and then talk about doing something more the following year
when the pet develops allergies again. Because most of the
time you can almost set your calendar to the third
week of August is always when they start to shoot
(04:39):
their feet, or the second week in May, or you
know whatever. So what happens one year will almost always
predictably happened the following years.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
It's interesting to talk about things like seasonal allergies and
of course putting that plan together. We talked to doctor Greer.
We talked the other week about pen insurance. Do pen
insurance cover do any of them cover any type of
prescription that or is that something that that's just about
universally out of pocket not covered?
Speaker 2 (05:04):
No, most of the prescriptions will be covered. Now, the HeartWare,
men'sly in tech medications frequently or not routine, there's something
you's in budget for, but the anti allergy medications frequently
those are covered. The medications for arthritis, sometimes cancer therapy
is covered, depending on what policy you have. So there
is a great deal of coverage for our pets. There's
(05:25):
a lot we can do for them, and having that
pet insurance policy will keep you from having to say
it's how much. The only people who don't need pet
insurance are the people who don't have to ask how
much is that going to be? So if you end
up at the emergency clinic or the referral center or
the that school or whatever, and they walk into the
room with a fifteen thousand dollars estimate for you, and
you don't have to say, oh, fifteen thousand dollars, I
(05:49):
I'm not sure I can do that. If you if
you don't have to say, fifteen thousand dollars is going
to ding your checking account, then don't buy pet insurance. Otherwise,
you probably should have it for at least the most
predicted expensive pet we all have, you know, multiple pets
that have varieties of predicted needs. If you have a
French bulldog, a bulldog, you know some of the breeds
(06:11):
that we know are going to have health problems, the
ones that we jokingly stay in veterinary medicine. If you
get a bulldog, just set up direct deposit with your veteran.
You're going to be seeing them all the time. If
you have one of those. Geat pet insurance. If you
have a puppy, get pet insurance. Fifty percent of puppies
end up needing some kind of unexpected care in their
first year of life. They fall on the stairs, they
(06:31):
you know, cut themselves on something, and then the dog
beats them up, they get diarrhea, whatever. It's really common
to see that. So if you don't have to say
how much will that be, here's my credit card, just
put put on it whatever you need to. If you
don't have to say that, great, you don't need pet insurance. Otherwise,
I think I'm going to say probably ninety nine percent
of our owners should have it.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Really good perspective this morning, as we talk with doctor
Marty Greer of Checkout Veterinary the website checkout vet dot com.
That's check out vet dot fantastic clinic. Of course, the
first visit it is free, get that exam free. Of course,
other things there are charges. The great thing too is
when you go to checkout vet dot com, transparent pricing
and understanding what things kind of ballpark are going to cost.
(07:13):
That information available to you as well at checkout vet
dot com. Open Monday through Wednesday and Friday through Sunday
nine am until five pm. At checkout Vet. You say, well,
what about Thursdays? Yes, checkout Vet is closed on Thursdays,
but check in is open for you during the week,
so they're always there for you. It's an amazing thing
with doctor Greer and the team at Checkout Veterinaria and
(07:33):
you can learn more online at checkout vet dot com.
That's checkout vet dot com. Talking about allergies, obviously think
about seasonal I think about myself personally. I have for
some reason, there's some ingredient and TI detergent that makes
my skin breakout in hives. Are there are there? There's
got to be also for pets. Environmental things that can
trigger allergic reactions, well, aren't there, Yes.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And sometimes it is longer detergents from having those Fragrance
free and die free soap can be very helpful. So
if your pet sleeps on a blanket in your bed, whatever,
and they have some skin problems, you may want to
look at that as a possibility. Carpet powders can be
irritating to their skin, and the more they scratch lick
bite two and the more itchy they are, the more
(08:15):
they smell, so the more carport powder you may use.
So those are some things to be aware of, so
just you know, be very cautious about those things. But
like I said, we have some really nice new allergy
medications that we didn't have back in the sixties seventies
when pregnant zone was developed. So about ten years ago
apicuoil came to market. That's a daily medication. It starts
(08:38):
off twice a day for the first two weeks and
then we go to daily medication. That can be really
helpful for our dogs both allergies. It's a tablet. It
used to be just a tablet. Now it comes as
a chewable from the same company that brought us the
original product and There is also now a generic which
makes the cost of it a little bit less expensive.
Still daily medication, very effective for allergies for a lot
(08:59):
of dogs. And then we have a newer one even
yet called sided Point, and that's an injection that's given
every three to five weeks under the skin, so it's
pretty painless. You just run into the bed every three
to five weeks, have one of their technicians or their
assistance give the injection. Once you've seen the veterinarian that
has DIAGNOSEDI and a treatment plan put together, and again
(09:19):
that can be a very effective medication. They have two
different mechanisms of action. One affects the jack pathway that
causes the allergic reaction, which is the biding, chewing, looking,
scratching at their feet, at their skin, at their belly,
if they break out in the rash their ears. A
lot of ear infections are related to allergies. And then
the injectible product is a monoclonal a antibody. So they
(09:40):
have two different mechanisms of actions. So if one doesn't work,
the other frequently will for your pet. And if all
those sales, we can always fell back to pregnant zone
as either an additional drug delayer with it in cases
that we have very bad allergies, usually the end of
August and most of September when the ragweed and goldenrod
is bad. Or if you have a pet that you
you simply can't afford those medications for Please don't leave
(10:02):
your pet unprotected and uncard for if you can't afford
apicuail or started point speaks for veterinarian about the alternative
for steroids because they are still very effective and very
good drugs used appropriately, meaning every other day, not daily,
doctor l there's some things we can do.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
And then doctor, when you talk about you know the
feed and then some of the belly, is that just
because that the skin in those areas are a little
more exposed, a little less fur covering or are those
just areas that tend to tend to get those lichy
spots for the pets? Obviously we can't ask them. How
does any ask any dog how's your backs? And need
a scratcher? Saying oh sure, yes I do, Yes I do.
(10:39):
Those are those those areas that they just tend to
focus in on because they can kind of get access
to their skin and it's on it. Or do we
see more like little breakouts or rashes in those areas.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You know, that is the greatest question. We used to
say that the dogs have mass cells. Mass cells are
a form of stuff we have in our body that
creates a histamine, and that histamine releases what makes you
uncomfortable during allergies. And people they're concentrated in their nasal
passages their eyes, so we get runny eyes, itchy noses,
(11:11):
running noses, sneezing, congestion, that kind of thing for people.
Dogs will have a component of that, but most of
their masks dolls appear to be in their feet, so
that's where we see a problem. And the direct contact. Again,
we used to say that it was from the pollens explicitly,
but we also know now that direct contact with grass
will cause those dogs to have an allergic reaction. So
(11:32):
I've actually had one client with a bulldog that replaced
the grass in the part of the yard with AstroTurf
that the dog goes into significantly cut down on their
allergic reactions. So they saved a lot of money, didn't
have to put on put the dog on as many medications.
So there are some things that you can do, washing
their feet when they come inside, especially the last trip
outside at night to go potty. If you wash their
(11:53):
feet before you go to bed, that's good eight hours
that their feet aren't being exposed to the direct contact
that they had with the grass when they were out.
In people, they tell you to wash your hair before
you go to bed at night if you have allergies,
so that you're not that the pollen that sticks to
the oils of your hair don't transfer on to your
pillow and then have you really back and forth all
night with your nose on where those exposed pollens are.
(12:14):
So there's some little things that you can do, both
for yourself and your dog that will reduce the amount
of medication that you need. So there's a little device
called a pop plunger. You can put your little dogs
pull on it one at a time so that you
can wash their feet before you go to bed. Or
you can just use a bowl with some warm water
and some soap in it. Doondish soap is fine to
break up those oils on the coat and get rid
of those residues that are causing the problem. So just
(12:38):
be aware that simple things like that can significantly reduce
the cost of medication. The amount of medication and your
pet's discomfort.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Talking this morning with doctor Marty Greer of Checkout Veterinary.
The website checkout vet dot com. That's checkout vet dot com.
Great website to learn more about checkout Veterinary again that site,
checkout vet dot com. It's a great day to start
that relationship. All you gotta do is pick up phone
gimmick six eight three one eight sixty seven hundred. That's
six oh eight three one eight sixty seven hundred. If
(13:05):
you haven't had a chance to check out the clinic
right at twenty seven to ten Prairie Lags Drive. It's
an amazing clinic, a great facility, and again you can
learn more online checkout vet dot com. Talk a little
bit more about allergies. We'll get into cats. We also
talk about it if maybe certain breeds are more more
susceptible to allergies, and also if you're a person that
has allergies to some pets, are there things you can
(13:25):
be doing to reduce that allergic reaction. We'll get the
details from the doctor next as ask the experts with
Checkout Veterinary continues right here on thirteen ten wib A
eight fifty five thirteen ten Wi b A and Ask
the Experts, talking this morning with doctor Marty Greer of
Checkout Veterinary, the website check out vet dot com. That's
(13:48):
checkout vet dot com. It's a great day to check
out checkout vet. Learn more online at checkout vet dot
com and doctor As we talked this week about allergies,
kitties and kittycats can have can have allergies as well,
can't they.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
They can and frequently they'll be. I have different symptoms
in our dogs. They tend not to have looking and
foot chewing, but they can break out on their skin
with different kinds of rashes, and they also can have
allergic problems around their ears. So if your cat is
really itsuy around their ears, scratching at their ears, sometimes
to the point of self mutilation because their nails are
(14:23):
so sharp. If they're really intently scratching at their ears,
then you don't have ear mites or an ear infection.
Talk to your veginarian about the possibility of this being
a food allergy. So that's how cats react is completely
differently than dogs because dogs are not cats and cats
are not small dogs, so we have to treat them
as entirely different species. They have different medications, different needs,
(14:45):
different kinds of symptoms, different disorders. Is their overlap. Oh sure,
but they're not the same. So please, if you're not
getting good success, maybe even consider seeing somebody that specializes
in feline medicine. We have doctors in our practice that
love cats, We speak cat and there are some other
clinics as well that have feline medicine specialists. So don't
(15:07):
overlook the possibility of having those as possibilities for your
pets care. But they'll break out in these weird rashes
that ooh boy. And when cats get itchy and start
over grooming, they can really cause some damage to their
skin because their load tongues are so rough. So it's
a whole different species.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Are there, are there, and they and fantastic pets cats
are are there? Are there? Oftentimes, like for pet owners,
sometimes mistakes some of these signs and symptoms for you
mentioned mites or maybe fleas or ringworm, where people like, oh,
maybe my cat or dog's got an infection or or
has got a parasite. Turns out it's it's maybe the
food that they're eating, or the seasonal allergies or something
(15:45):
in the environment.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Oh yeah, we see a lot of flea allergies. We
don't see as many mites as we used to. We
used to see more scabies and demon decks. But the
oral medications that we give for flea and tit control,
like Crudelio simperica, Brevecto, next Guard and their cousins, some
paragatrio and all the others, those will control mites. So
we considerably see fewer mites than we used to. And
(16:08):
it's gotten to like a place of concern for me
that veterinarians are going to get a little bit complacent
about doing the skin scrapings to look for those parasites.
It's just a simple test that we take a blade
and we just take some of the superficial skin cells
and look under the microscope. But because we've gotten so
used to those really controlling the pets parasites, we oftentimes
just kind of bypass the possibility that might or a concern.
(16:31):
So food allergies, ring, where mightes, bacterial infections, all those
things cause skin problems. So if you're not making successful
progress with some of the over the counter things that
you may have tried at home, please come in have
a veterinarian, take a look at your pet, have them
do some blood work if it's necessary, do a skin scraping,
do a flea comb, really give a good assessment. There
(16:52):
are doctors that love dermatology and they can do a
super job of getting to the source of the problem
and rather than just throwing a band aid at it,
we can get rid of the parasites, the bacteria, whatever
seems to be causing the underlying issue. And then there
are some hypoallergenic diets as well that are hydrolyzed protein.
So we have lots of choices for what we can
help you with.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
That's great and real quick and we got it. But
just about a minute here, doctor, I've got to ask
for pet owners. Obviously, we love our pets and and
we want to you know, have you know, have spent
great time with them. Some folks develop or have allergies.
Are there things that people can do to kind of
for them to, you know, to keep themselves from from
from having allergic reactions, especially I think around cats and
(17:34):
that type of thing.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Sure, and there are some pets, dogs in particular, that
tend to be hypoallergenic. They're never non allergenic. But frequently
grooming your pet or having the groom or do it
for you. Bathing the pet frequently, we'll cut down on
the dander in that coat and keeping the dog's coat short.
Those are the things you can do to keep the
pets in the household and not have to eliminate them.
There are jokes about, you know, we've got rid of
(17:56):
the kids because they were allergic. They kept the pets,
they got rid of the kids. Yeah, that's that's another
veterinary joke that kind of circulates.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I'm talking this morning with doctor Marty Greer. It is
a great day to get in, get your pet in
to check out vet. Learn more online checkout vet dot com.
That's checkout vet dot com. An amazing model. As you
got the drive through, you really drive your car right
up open the bay doors, say drive you in. You
get the exam for your pet right in the bay.
The pet if your dogs, cat's got anxiety, and which
(18:24):
pet doesn't. Really makes it really convenient for you and
enjoyable for your pet. Learn more online checkout vet dot com.
That's checkout vet dot com. Doctor Greer, it's always great
chatting with you. You enjoy this beautiful day. Thank you news
comes your way next right here on thirteen ten WI
b A
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