Pets

Time - More and more dogs are suffering from atopic dermatitis, otherwise known as environmental allergies: According to a 2018 report from Banner Pet Hospital—the latest U.S. numbers on the subject—there’s been a 30% increase in cases over the past 10 years. In 2021, a teaching hospital in Brazil reported that 25% of dogs they examined suffered from allergies. Though dog allergies aren’t consistently tracked, anecdotally, they’re soaring. “Allergic skin disease is probably the top thing we see,” says Erin Tate, vice president of clinical development at CityVet in Dallas. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years and have definitely seen a dramatic increase in recent years.” Dogs with environmental allergies tend to be “miserable,” she adds, sometimes scratching so aggressively that their hair falls out. Spring is a particularly trying time. “I tell people that if your allergies are flaring up, your dog’s allergies are flaring up, too,” Tate says.