Vetstoria

1. Normal dog or cat

• Minor irritation in response to flea bites
• Even in the presence of dozens of fleas, there will be very little itching

2. Flea allergic dog or cat

• Severe, itch producing reaction to flea bites
• Allergic response to the flea saliva
• Just one bite may cause intense itching for days or weeks

3. Trigger for the disease

• Not known for sure
• Possibly caused by intermittent flea treatment

o Only when fleas are found
o Only during summer months

What are the symptoms of flea allergy?

• Chewing, licking, scratching
• Hair loss
• Sores/Scabs

Those self inflicted lesions occur in a fairly specific manner:

1. Seasonality

• Worse during peak flea times
• In the summer and fall

2. Age of onset

• From 6 months to 5 years old

3. Distribution of the lesions

Dogs:

• Bite and scratch their back end
• May become more generalized

Cats:

• Lick their back end/head/neck
  
• Gets generalized more frequently than dogs
  
• Miliary dermatitis = small red crusts

1. Specific symptoms (even in the absence of flea infestation)

2. Evidence of flea infestation

• Use a fine-toothed flea comb
• Trap live fleas
• Trap 'flea dirt' (wet paper test)

It is worth noting that on many occasion, due to excessive grooming from the pet or recent flea treatment, there are no more fleas or flea dirt to be found.

3. Allergy testing

• Intradermal skin testing
• Blood testing

How is flea allergy dermatitis treated?

The treatment of flea allergy is mostly dealt with in 2 other podcasts/articles:

• Gold standard flea treatment
• Treatment of the allergy

Finally it is interesting to note that while desensitization is possible with certain types of allergic diseases, it does not seem to work with flea allergy.