While we may delight in the stunning spring scenery, it’s not all cozy for our furry friends with pet allergies. The extra pollen produced by the flowers and trees may cause pet allergies that irritate your four-legged friend. Just like humans, pets can suffer from spring season allergies that are triggered by common allergens such as pollen, mold, dust, mildew, and stinging insects. Here are signs and symptoms of common pet allergies in spring.

Red, Watery, and Itchy Eyes

If your pet’s eyes look red and watery, it’s possible that they may be suffering from spring pet allergies. Allergens such as dust and pollen are the most likely to cause eye irritation for your pets. This happens most often when your pet plays outside and comes into contact with these allergens. Cats and dogs may paw at their eyes excessively and rub their faces on carpeting, furniture, and bedding if their eyes are itchy. If you observe that your pets are pawing their eyes continuously or that their eyes are consistently red and watery, you should consider taking your pet to your veterinarian. It’s possible that your pet’s eyes could be infected as a result of all of their scratching and pawing. Especially when the condition persists, you should seek animal health services.

Excessive Paw Licking

It’s common for your cat or dog to lick their paw. Pets will often lick their paws before sleeping as a way of relaxing and soothing themselves. Other causes of paw licking include boredom, displacement behavior, and lack of proper exercise. This type of paw-licking is acceptable for a pet, especially your dog. However, excessive paw licking is a cause for concern. Vigorous paw licking may cause the fur-color on your pet’s paw to change, or worse still, cause ulcers commonly referred to as lick granuloma. When your pet is playing outside in the grass, allergens such as tree pollen, mildew, and dust may get trapped on their paw. This causes irritation and the pet attempts to get off the trapped allergens by licking the paw. You should take your cat or dog to a pet hospital for decontamination using a hypoallergenic cleanser if you notice excessive paw licking.

Sneezing, Coughing, and Reverse Sneezing

Allergens such as pollen will cause your pet to cough and sneeze persistently. Sneezing and coughing are some of the obvious signs of pet allergies in spring. In dogs, allergens cause a deep irritation in the sinuses that may result in reverse sneezing. Reverse sneezing is, as the name suggests, when air is rapidly pulled in through the nose instead of expelled. Light coughing and sneezing caused by environmental allergies may not pose a grave danger. However, when the coughing increases and is coupled with a runny nose, it may mean that your pet has a more serious condition. That’s why you should visit an animal medical center to get your cat or dog checked.

What You Can Do To Ease Pet Allergies

By protecting your pet from the allergens that trigger these allergies, you can keep your pet safe from most seasonal allergies. This means giving your pet regular baths to get rid of the pollen, spores, dust, and seeds that may have gotten stuck in their fur and paws. Keeping your beds and carpets clean so that your pet doesn’t come into contact with these allergens when playing in the house or sleeping is also a good step to take. More importantly, you should visit an animal hospital if you’re unsure whether or not your cat or dog is suffering from pet allergies. In the United States, there are about 90 million pet dogs and 94 million pet cats. If you’re a pet owner, you should know a thing or two about pet allergies in spring. The above signs and symptoms of pet allergies will help you take better care of your pet.

At Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center we are happy to provide a wide range of veterinary specialty and emergency services. It is important to have a “primary care” veterinarian to keep your new family member healthy and happy with routine vaccinations and health checks. But if you find yourself in the midst of a veterinary emergency, our team of experienced veterinarians is here to help. When it comes to visiting animal hospitals, we understand that the experience can be full of stress and worry, so we aim to make things as simple as possible. For more information, get in touch with one of our experts today.