The Joys of Spring Did you know that we sneeze when we have hay fever, but our pets commonly itch? I t is due to where we have our mast cells in the body. Mast cells carry the histamine granules that are released in an allergy and are responsible for all the unpleasant symptoms. In humans, our mast cells are concentrated under our mucous membranes – nose, throat, eyes, while in our pets they are under the skin Seasonal allergies are a nuisance but when it is your bed-partner who is scratching and chewing themselves all night it can become a BIG problem! Come in and discuss your itchy pet. Neither of you have to live with this problem as there is much that can be done. An exciting new drug is available to treat skin allergies in dogs. It has similar actions to cortisone but does not have the unpleasant side effects of long-term cortisone use. There are amazing diets that really do make a difference. The skin ones have massive doses of omega 3 and 6’s which result in rapid improvement in dermatitis/itch levels.