A Word of Caution: Treating Dog Arthritis AND Dog Allergies Safely

When your dog has been scratching and nibbling the same area of skin for some time, he may be suffering from a skin infection or allergy. Common dog skin infections are usually caused by:

• Allergies. Some common allergens are pollen, mold, dust, and dust mites.
• Skin parasites. Fleas, ticks, gnats, chiggers, deer flies, and mites have bites that can irritate the skin.
• Fungi and bacteria. 

Treating skin problems such as parasites and infections caused by either fungi or bacteria can be simple. There are spot-ons, shampoos, soaps, powder, and ointments that can be bought over the counter, and are effective treatments. To treat dog allergies occasional or long term use of cortisone is the most common and effective way for settling down inflamed, itchy skin. This may be combined with antibiotics and insecticides. Although identifying the allergens would be a great help, the process can be difficult and frustrating. 

Cortisone is a potent anti-inflammatory steroid that will have an adverse reaction with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Rimadyl and Metacam. In addition, prolonged steroid use also speeds up the process of dog arthritis.

Safe Treatment

To safely treat your dog that is suffering from both dog arthritis and skin allergies, the right thing to is to replace either NSAIDs or cortisone with another medication. I would recommend sticking with cortisone since there are many available treatments for dog arthritis (please read previous entries on the said topic) such as:

• Adequan or Cartrophen injections. These medications are known to improve joint mobility, neutralize damaging chemicals (enzymes) and stimulate cartilage cells.  They might help counteract the damage caused by the cortisone.
• Tramadol, painkillers, or analgesics.
• Fish oils with their Omega-3 are great for arthritis and skin problems.
• Anti-oxidants help protect cartilage cells against what is called oxidative stress.

If you want you could always tell your vet to forego with the cortisone treatments and look for other skin treatment alternatives such as cyclosporine or anti-histamines.

Dog owners should be aware of the medical history of their dog. This includes the medications that are being administered to your dog. In this way, you can prevent NSAIDs and cortisone being administered and search for alternate treatments that will provide your dog with the best treatment and quality of life he can get.

Treating Dog Arthritis AND Dog Allergies Safely (PDF)