the allergy insider

THE ALLERGY INSIDER
FOLLOW US...
ISSUE 12, SEPTEMBER 2010
BROUGHT TO YOU BY SPECTRUM LABS, ALLERGY TESTING & TREATMENT SPECIALISTS SINCE 1985
IN THIS ISSUE
ALLERGY MANAGEMENT THAT MAKES CENTS PAGE 1
NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR V.M.A.?
PAGE 2
HYDRATION AID REVIEW
PAGE 3
IMPORTANT ALLERGEN UPDATE
PAGE 4
Health Care
ALLERGY MANAGEMENT THAT MAKES CENTS
In my life I try and be conscious of others financial
situations, so I spend others people’s money like I
spend my own—intelligently. I understand you have
a business to run, however by starting off with the
simple tools first and keeping pet parents informed
about the process as a whole (starting with topicals,
etc. before resorting to the expensive and sometimes
necessary allergy testing), that will nurture the
relationship between you and the pet parent.
This in many cases makes for a longer term
relationship that will positively effect your bottom
line as well as create an advocate for your practice
that will sing your praises to their friends and
colleagues.
The benefits of bathing include the removal
of inflammatory and bacterial by-products,
removal of offending allergen from the surface
of the skin (the body’s largest organ), and
removal of calloused skin, resulting for some,
in immediate results.
As you know, there is no single way that will
successfully manage every allergy case. When
dealing with an allergic pet prescribing some type of
suppression therapy may make sense,
however for the purposes of this article, we’d also
like to explore other options (i.e.
supplements, topicals, frequent bathing, etc.) that
can help to reduce or ideally eliminate some of the
discomfort.
According to Dr. Jessica Melman, a
practicing veterinarian and Director of
Veterinary & Technical Services for
DermaPet, suggests that frequent bathing with a moisturizing product, such as
DermaPet’s DermAllay Shampoo & Spray or
DermaPet’s DermaLyte Shampoo, or wiping
them frequently with a medicated wipe, such
as with DermaPet’s MalAcetic Wet Wipes,
is often effective in removing environmental
allergens from an allergic pets coat.
TOPICAL THERAPY:
Topical therapy can be used as one of the initial
tools for all types of pyoderma. The benefits often
include decreases in bacteria along with a reduction
in the recolonization of surface bacteria, helping to
prevent recurrences.
Bathing:
This is the most widely utilized and effective
practice due to the fact that it doesn’t require any
special equipment or tools and is something that
can be easily done in the comfort of the home.
Common antibacterial ingredients in
shampoos include benzoyl peroxide (with
or without sulfur), ketoconazole and
chlorhexidine, with benzoyl peroxide being
considered superior to other options, in cases
that included Staph intermedius.
The frequency of bathing is going to be
determined by the severity of the pyoderma
with severe cases benefiting from frequent
bathing at the onset (every 2 to 3 days),
followed by weekly maintenance. Another
suggestion is to cut back any overlying hair prior
to bathing, which may increase response rate and
time commitment.
Sprays, Gels, Creams & Ointments:
This type of treatment is ideal for spot treating
and has limited use in some pyoderma cases.
Ideal situations for these products would be
pyotraumatic dermatitis, skin fold pyoderma,
and localized folliculitis and furunculosis. Many
companies that make chlorhexidine shampoos
also have towelettes and wipes available to
supplement between bathings or to be included in
a bathing routine.
Common antibacterial ingredients in sprays,
gels, creams and ointments include benzoyl
peroxide, chlorhexidine, and mupirocin. Gels
with peroxide may occasionally be irritating
and should be discontinued if inflammation
develops. Mupirocin is found to work well for
deep folliculitis and furunculosis cases that are
localized. (Mupirocin is effective as it inhibits
bacterial protein synthesis and has the ability
to penetrate extremely well into the effected
tissue.) It is important to note however that
because of the risk of nephrotoxicity, mupirocin
should not be used in areas where large amounts
of polyethylene glycol can be absorbed or on
mucosal surfaces.
SUPPLEMENTS:
Just as they do in their human counterparts,
supplements help pets overcome nutritional
deficiencies. We need all the nutrients in their
ALLERGY MANAGEMENT THAT MAKES CENTS continued...
supplements—such as vitamins A, C and
E, selenium and alpha lipoic acid—have a
stronger immune system and are able to fight
disease and infection more easily than animals
who eat a highly processed diet deficient in
these nutrients.
proper amounts for optimum health. Since most
pet foods contain questionable ingredients at
best, and given the high cost of premium pet
foods, supplements can fill in those gaps.
Nutritional supplements are also useful in
getting rid of the toxins which pets take in
everyday. The environmental stresses our
patients/pets, go through, chemicals they are in
contact with, as well as our lifestyle - all subject
them to harmful toxins which can lead to serious
health problems. Supplements, most especially
antioxidants, can help their bodies keep toxins to
a minimum.
There are many more benefits that nutritional
supplements can provide. The main point is that
these supplements help you give your patient/pet
the optimum health they deserve and minimize
the risk of diseases.
OMEGA 3-GEL CAPS: Dogs & cats have strict
dietary requirements for certain polyunsaturated
fatty acids that are important for maintaining
skin and hair coat conditions, reproductive
function & tissue repair. Current research shows
that Omega-3 fatty acids also play an important
role in mediating and regulating inflammatory,
immune & aggregatory responses within the
body. EPA is believed by experts to have a sparing
effect on COX inhibitors/NSAIDS.
Omega-3 offers considerable potential for
disease prevention and in the therapeutic
management of a wide variety of clinical
ALLERGEN CHANGE
NOW IN EFFECT:
Dr. L. Phillips Brown, DVM of Nutri-Vet
reminds us that skin/coat supplements
provide essential fatty acids, minerals and
vitamins that may often be missing in a
pet’s diet. These additional supplements
can help promote a soft, shiny, and healthy
coat and reduce unwanted shedding.
A supplement they often recommend from
their line is the Nutri-Vet Wild Alaskan
Salmon Oil which is full of Omega-3 fatty
acids (helps promote healthy coat; control
allergies and inflammation). He also reminds us of the benefits of brewer’s yeast
(a great source of vitamin B and amino
acids; promotes immune health) and
antioxidants (for healthy skin and coat).
Each unique Nutri-Vet product is veterinary
formulated to taste great & help dogs feel
and look great.
disorders. Subsequently, Omega-3 supplements
have been used in veterinary trials,
predominately in animals with inflammatory and
immune-based conditions, with very favorable
clinical responses.
ANTIOXIDANTS: Research has found that
dogs and cats that are given antioxidant
Antioxidant supplementation is especially
important for animals that are being treated for
cancer or have other diseases that compromise
their immune systems. The appropriate
management of allergies is not a one and done
approach and relies heavily on the right tools,
the right steps and the right partners. If you
wish to discuss a particular case, whether on
treatment elsewhere or just in the beginning
stages of managing a new case, Spectrum Labs
is here to help. Our goal, whether it comes to
allergy testing and treatment or can be managed
by the aforementioned techniques, is a better
quality of life for our 4-legged allergy sufferers.
REFERENCES
1. Kania SA, Williamson NL, Frank LA, et al. Methicillin
resistance of staphylococci isolated from the skin of dogs
with pyoderma. AJVR 65:1265–68, 2004.
2. Ihrke PH. Bacterial skin disease in the dog: A guide to canine
pyoderma, Bayer, AG, 1996
3. Kwochka KW. Recurrent pyoderma. In Griffin CE, Kwochka KW,
MacDonald JM, eds, Current Veterinary Dermatology. The Science
and Art of Therapy, St Louis, Mosby Year Book, 1993, p3–21.
4. Rosenkrantz WS. Practical applications of topical therapy for
allergic, infectious and seborrheic disorders. Clin Tech Small
Anim Pract 21:106–116, 2006.
5. http://dermapet.com/eicosaderm.html
6. http://www.holisticpetinfo.com/conditions/antioxidants.htm
7. http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/
8. http://www.nutri-vet.com/dogs/skin-and-coat
NEED A SPEAKER?
WE’LL COME FLYING TO YOU
Let Spectrum Labs provide a speaker for your next meeting. Our
presentations can be tailored to your needs in terms of length and
WE WILL BE TESTING FOR
TRICHOPHYTON IN LIEU OF
STACHYBOTRYS AND WE WILL
BE DROPPING JUTE FROM OUR
JUTE/SISAL MIX.
style (formal or casual).
A typical presentation lasts between
1-2 hours. There is no charge at all for the presentation, as
long as there are a minimum number of 25 veterinarians
present. The presentation provides a general overview on the
subject:
“IMMUNOLOGY, TESTING AND TREATMENT OF YOUR
ALLERGIC PATIENTS”
To get more information, or to schedule a speaker please call today
and ask to speak with a seminar coordinator at:
(800) 553-1391
introducing a nutritious, delicious, hydrating treat...
p
Scoo
Stir
Serv
e
We have many exciting things going on
introducing a nutritious, delicious, hydrating tr
behind the scenes here at Spectrum. We
coop
Stir
S
are putting the finishing
touches on our
Serv
e
new website full of new interactive tools,
have launched our social media efforts
and have started development on some
new tools for pet parents and educational
tools for you and your staff.
ALL NATURAL
ALL NATURAL
No chemicals, No animal by-products, No preservatives
EACH DRINKABLE TREAT ENSURES
Proper hydration, Promotes general good health & well being
SCIENTIFICALLY DEVELOPED TO DELIVER
Essential vitamins, Minerals, & Antioxidants
A portion of all proceeds are donated to the Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center and to
Mari’s House, an organization developing free animal clinics for those in need.
CTRUM
A SPE
LABS SISTER ORGANIZAT
I ON
chemicals,
No animal
by-products,
No preservatives
We are No
also
putting
together
industry
blasts periodically to keep you informed
EACH DRINKABLE TREAT ENSURES
about food
recalls, USDA alerts, etc.
Proper hydration, Promotes general good health & well bei
SCIENTIFICALLY
DEVELOPED
DELIVER
To make
sure you are
included inTO
these
Essential vitamins, Minerals, & Antioxidants
please email your clinic name (city, state)
and preferred email to:
A portion of all proceeds are donated to the Colorado State University Animal Cancer Cent
Mari’s House, an organization developing free animal clinics for those in need.
______________________________________________
BS SISTER ORGANIZA
email
address:
TRUM LA
TION
SPEC
A
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MANAGING PET ALLERGIES
INFORMATIO
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DVDS ARE
HERE! DO Y
OU
HAVE YOUR
S?
DO YOU OR YOUR EMPLOYEES HAVE ALLERGIES?
Spectrum Labs, Inc. has been performing human allergy testing through our sister affiliate,
Spectrum Health Care, Inc. for the last several years. We are pleased to announce that we are
making these services available to all of our veterinary division
clients* at a professional courtesy discount.
You will now be able to provide our
world famous SPOT Test to your office staff and members of their families at the
discounted price of $115.00.
The human SPOT Test includes 45 inhalant allergens consisting of local grasses, weeds, trees, molds and animal dander as well as 46 food allergens consisting of meats poultry, dairy, seafood, grains,
fruits, vegetables and spices.
Please call us at (800)553-1391 and ask us to fax you a
copy of the special order form, blood draw and shipping instructions we’ve designed for this courtesy program.
as usual, results will be available and faxed to your office within 48 hours after we receive the patient serum.
Please feel free to take advantage of this special program that only Spectrum Labs is able to provide to the veterinary industry.
*due to government regulations, this offer is only available to u.s. residents.
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