Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) is one of the most common skin conditions affecting dogs and cats in New Zealand. Learn how to recognise the signs of FAD, get proper treatment for your pet and prevent it from impacting on their lives in the first place.
Flea bites expose pets to flea saliva – which some pets become allergic to over time. This allergic reaction is known as flea allergy dermatitis, or FAD.
FAD is an allergic skin condition that mostly affects pets aged over one year and commonly occurs in dogs and cats with underlying skin diseases like atopic dermatitis.1, 2 Pets with FAD can damage their skin by constantly scratching, biting or licking, and this damage can lead to secondary infection.
What does FAD look like?
The most common sign of FAD in dogs and cats is intense itchiness, but there are other signs to watch out for:
- Appearing restless and uncomfortable.
- Spending a lot of time grooming, chewing, biting, licking and scratching themselves or rubbing their skin against objects.
- Hair may be stained brown from licking – especially obvious in pets with white fur.
- Skin changes in dogs: hair loss, rash, reddened or darkened skin, thickened skin, scratches or wounds from self-trauma, typically along the lower back and base of the tail, the thighs and belly.
- Skin changes in cats: hair loss, rash and scabbing typically involving the back half of the body (belly and back), hind legs (inner and back surfaces), back of the neck, and less commonly on the head.
- It's also important to look for damage to your pet’s skin that can lead to secondary infections (reddened, moist areas called “hot spots”) that will exacerbate the itching.1 ,2
How to treat FAD in your pet
If you do suspect your dog or cat has flea allergy dermatitis, take them to your vet – they will look for evidence of fleas and may perform a flea elimination trial, skin tests or blood tests.
Bites from just one flea can be enough to trigger intense itching in a pet with FAD, and your vet may diagnose FAD even if fleas or flea dirt (flea faeces) aren’t visible.
Minimising the number of flea bites is the most important part of managing FAD. You can control fleas year round with an effective, fast-acting product like Advocate™, Seresto™ or Advantage™, thanks to imidacloprid – the super active ingredient, which kills fleas on contact. This means that fleas don’t need to bite your pet and cause further irritation before the treatment takes effect.3 Once fleas come into contact with your pet, they are affected within 3-5 minutes. Reinfesting adult fleas are killed within 2 hours.4
All pets in the household should be treated whether or not they show signs of flea infestation all year round.
Talk to your vet about FAD management
As well as using a fast-acting, effective flea control to minimise flea bites, your vet may also advise the following treatments to help heal your pet’s damaged skin, eliminate bacteria and alleviate the itching:
- Antibiotics can be indicated in specific cases.
- Anti-inflammatories i.e. steroids.
- Medicated shampoos and conditioners
Always consult your vet when using a medicated shampoo and/or conditioner with products and read product labels for details.
References:
- Noli, C, Foster, A and Rosenkrantz, W, Veterinary Allergy, 2013; 1st edn, Wiley Blackwell, New Jersey.
- Miller, WH, Griffin, CE and Campbell, KL, Muller and Kirk’s Small Animal Dermatology, 2013; 7th edn, Elsevier Mosby, Missouri.
- Mehlhorn, H, Hansen, O and Mencke, N, Comparative study on the effects of three insecticides (fipronil, imidacloprid, selamectin) on developmental stages of the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis Bouche 1835): a light and electron microscopic analysis of in vivo and in vitro experiments, Parasitology Research, 2001; 87(3): 198-207.
- Seresto Technical Manual.
