Last week I wrote about spotting allergic skin conditions in our pets; I mentioned that, as vets, we first rule out parasites as a cause of itching in cats and dogs and then we go on to investigate if there is another cause - the most likely other cause is an allergy.

Whenever I see a new case of skin disease in a pet I tend to warn the owner that they will need to be patient, we will be in this for the long haul: Skin investigations can take time, there is seldom an overnight cure and often pets will need lifelong treatment, which can be costly. The investigation of allergies is not always easy – food allergies (themselves quite rare) require restriction diets that take time and vigilance from owners. We can also do blood tests and skin tests to reveal an allergic cause and if we are lucky, we may be able to manufacture desensitisation injections to treat the allergic response.

However, in the majority of cases, even after we have narrowed down what the allergic cause is, we cannot find a complete “cure” as such – there is no magic bullet for allergic skin disease. We tend to use a combination of shampoos, supplements, injections, tablets and dietary restrictions to damp down the allergic skin to a comfortable level. That is not to say we do not make these patients better – by a well-planned choice and combination of medications we can make skin more comfortable and return coats to luscious fur. As I said before, this improvement is usually maintained by life-long treatment – hence the need for owners to be patient and forewarned.

Alice Moore is a vet at Castle Veterinary Clinic, Dorchester and Weymouth. Tel 01305 267083.