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The most challenging part of any allergy management program is identifying the specific allergens that cause a pet to suffer. An accurate diagnosis requires a detailed patient history, an assessment of the animal's environmental surroundings, and a full clinical examination.
Based on a simple blood test, the ACTT Allergy Test is the first step of our comprehensive plan for the early identification and treatment of allergies. This ELISA assay is accurate, reliable, and offers many advantages for the pet and owner alike. What we test for.
1. No steroid or antihistamine withdrawal required.
2. No skin testing required.
3. Less traumatic/invasive for the patient.
4. Any veterinarian can submit a sample for testing.
Understanding Canine Atopy
Canine allergic disease (atopy) often presents as skin disease, or canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). Atopy can be defined as an inherited predisposition to develop IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to substances present in the indoor and outdoor environment, resulting in reactions such as eczema (atopic dermatitis), chronic urticaria, allergic rhinitis and asthma.
The clinical signs of atopic dermatitis are pruritus, characterized by intense itching, redness (erythema), face rubbing, feet chewing and constant licking. These often result in hair loss, chronic ear infections and secondary infections.
The progression of allergic disease is complex, and depends on many factors:
• Accumulation of environmental allergen exposure over time
• Inheritance of an autosomal dominant genetic tendency to produce allergen-specific IgE
• Impaired barrier function in the skin
• Altered cellular immune responses
• Secondary bacterial and yeast infections
• Self-induced trauma
Read more about diagnosing ATOPY.
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