2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines

Guidelines at a Glance

Are you haunted by the sound of scratching in the dead of night? Are you fighting the urge to run away when you see another itchy pet on your schedule? Take the scary out of managing allergic patients with the 2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases Guidelines.

Managing allergic skin diseases in dogs and cats can be challenging. It requires a multimodal therapeutic approach and frequent, ongoing communication with the pet’s family members and caregivers. These guidelines offer detailed diagnosis and treatment plans to help guide you to better patient outcomes and client satisfaction.

What’s in the Guidelines?

Diagnosis and treatment plans for:

Flea allergy
Food allergy
Atopy

Flea allergy
Food allergy
Feline atopic skin syndrome

Spectrum of care considerations for allergic skin diseases

Client communication tips

Optimizing the role of veterinary technicians

Guidance on when to refer to a specialist

3 Takeaways

Always get a detailed history of the patient, including seasonality, pruritus level, ectoparasite prevention, age of onset and progression, and response to previous therapies.

After a complete physical exam has been performed, a minimum dermatologic database should be collected, including skin cytology, flea combing, skin scrapings, and ear cytology (if ear disease is present).

Atopy is a diagnosis of exclusion. Allergy testing (intradermal or serum) to identify allergens does not diagnose atopy and should only be performed if immunotherapy is planned.

2 Actions

Treating all pruritic cats for fleas/mites is not only a potentially important therapeutic measure, but also a key diagnostic step on the path to determining the primary cause of pruritus.

If previously successful management protocols stop working, first perform a thorough history and physical examination and return to the minimum dermatologic database to determine if anything has changed.

1 Thing to Never Forget

Treating the allergic patient is not one-size-fits-all, and a multimodal approach often yields the best results.

Watch this summary of the 2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines

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Guidelines Contributors

Introduction

Figure 1: Diagnosing Allergic Skin Disease in the Canine Patient

Table 1: Antipruritic and Anti-inflammatory Medications for Dogs

Table 2: Acute Flare and Long-term Management Therapies in Dogs

Table 3: Oral Antihistamine Doses for Dogs

Figure 4: Assessing Diet Trial Results

Table 4: Antimicrobials for Skin Infections in Dogs

Table 5: Oral Antifungal Medication Doses for Dogs

Figure 5: Clinical Presentation of the Feline Patient

Figure 6: Diagnosing Allergic Skin Disease in the Feline Patient

Table 6: Antipruritic and Anti-inflammatory Medications for Cats

Table 7: Acute Flare and Long-term Management Therapies in Cats

Table 8: Oral Antihistamine Doses for Cats

Reformulated Topical Medications for Management of Allergic Otitis Externa

Figure 7: Flowchart of Technician Utilization for Allergic Skin Diseases

Figure 8: Client Communication Flow Chart for Treatment Plans

10 Key Messaging Points When Talking to Clients

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Developing the Guidelines

The 2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines are generously supported by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Merck Animal Health, and Zoetis.