Is your cat grooming half her hair off or your dog licking his paws raw? It may well be your pet is experiencing allergies, one of the most common health problems for pets. Pets with these kinds of allergic symptoms can be pretty miserable creatures, and unfortunately they can’t be cured. Allergies are life-long, chronic problems. The good news is that there’s a lot you can do to help your animal “children” feel better. The best way to start is to find out what your pet is allergic to, so you can keep the allergen out of his environment. Animal allergies generally fall under one of four main categories.

• Contact allergies
• Food allergies
• Inhalant allergy
• Flea allergies

Whatever treatment decision you and your veterinarian come to, rest assured that the patience and determination it can take to treat allergies is well worth it. Though it may take some time and effort, you can help your itchy, grouchy pet feel comfortable again.