A Solution For Your Pets Painful Itch
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's new help for dogs with itchy skin.
It's one of the top reasons people take their pets to the veterinarian.
An estimated 10 to 15 percent of dogs suffer from atopic dermatitis, which causes itchy skin, but vets said the actual number is probably much higher.
Now this new treatment, turns off their need to scratch.
Barbara and Jeff Leebaw said if their two golden retrievers could speak, they'd tell you they use to be in agony, constantly itching.
"They have a different kind of allergies, but they were both miserable," she said as her dog barks. "Yes, she's saying, 'I was miserable!'''
Their allergies triggered atopic dermatitis, which is like eczema in people, left the dogs scratching and biting at their skin. Eight-year-old Cleveland had it worse.
"He started developing terrible hot spots, we tried doing everything, but nothing was helping," she said.
Now, a new USDA approved treatment is giving Cleveland and his sister, CC some relief. The first-of-its-kind injection for dogs called sight-toe-point to point, it targets a protein to stop the itch.
"It's blocking this pathway or transmission to the brain that basically tells the dog to lick, bite, chew scratch, so you're basically turning that off," said veterinary dermatologist, Ian Spiegel.
The injection is administered every four to eight weeks. Vets say unlike steroids and other medications, there are virtually no major side effects for dogs and it can be combined with other treatments.
"It's really worked for us, and it's really worked for them!! And their lives are so much better," Leebaw said.
The cost of the injection varies depending on the size of the dog from about $75 per injection to several hundred dollars.
Vets said the biggest cause of dogs having itchy skin is fleas, so it's important to have that under control.
