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Treatment

• Eliminate the offending substance(s)
• Bathe with hypoallergenic shampoos to remove antigen from the skin
• Create mechanical barriers, if possible, to restrict your pet from the offending environment

Living and Management

The most important, yet difficult thing to do is to remove your pet from the environment that brought on the condition. If the dermatitis resulted form an irritant and not an allergy, recovery will be quick once the irritant is identified. If the dermatitis is the result of an allergy, it may have developed over months or years. If your pet is exposed again, symptoms will be apparent from three to five days following exposure. The symptoms may persist for weeks. If the antigen can be identified and removed, your pet will probably be back to normal health after a few weeks. If you are unable to identify the allergen, there is a possibility that you will have to treat the symptoms with medications for the rest of your pet’s life.