Blog Post

Allergy Awareness Week

  • by Dundas
  • •
  • 06 Jun, 2016
  • •
    Allergic skin disease is one of the most common skin complaints that we are presented with. What is an allergy? An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a certain substance and can include, food, parasites eg fleas as well environmental allergens eg pollen, house dust mites. Atopy is a hypersensitivity […] The post Allergy Awareness Week appeared first on Dundas Veterinary Group.
 
 
Allergic skin disease is one of the most common skin complaints that we are presented with.
What is an allergy? An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a certain substance and can include, food, parasites eg fleas as well environmental allergens eg pollen, house dust mites.
Atopy is a hypersensitivity to environmental allergens such as tree pollens or grasses or indoor allergens such as house dust mites. It results in intense pruritis (itchiness) which becomes a source of distress for both pet and owner.
Clinical signs include pruritis (itchiness) with hair loss or sometimes just saliva staining around the paws. Depending on secondary factors there may also be evidence of bacterial infection or yeast overgrowth hence the clinical appearance can vary markedly from animal to animal.
Diagnosis is based on seasonal history if outdoor allergens are involved, (though this may become less obvious as the disease progresses), clinical examination of affected areas and pattern of affected areas as it is usually around the head and paws that symptoms are displayed. It is often a diagnosis based on exclusion of other causes of skin disease and this may require general health screening blood tests, skin scraping and biopsy.
For a more definitive answer, allergy testing is available either via intradermal testing or immunoglobulin blood testing for specific allergens. This can help manage allergies more effectively and immunotherapy can be initiated if necessary.
Treatment is aimed at controlling the pruritis and clinical symptoms in an attempt to manage the condition rather than cure it. As mentioned previously, atopy often coexists with or is complicated by other skin diseases. A secondary bacterial pyoderma is common therefore antibiotic therapy may be started. Shampoos are very useful in soothing the skin, improving the skins natural defence barrier and reducing bacterial infections or yeast overgrowths. Antihistamines can be useful to reduce the pruritis but in many cases corticosteroids may have to be used to make the pet more comfortable in the short term. Supplementation of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) may be helpful in improving the skin barrier which is important as it is the first defence against infection or inflammation. An immune modulating drug is now available which alters the immune response without the side effects of steroids.
If allergy testing has been performed there may be a possibility of immunotherapy which involves a course of subcutaneous injection of small quantities of allergens.
Good protection against fleas and other parasites is very important and is easily achieved through application of topical spot on preparations. Sometimes we will also look at dietary trials as many animals with atopy will also have food intolerances. This may be in the form of prescription diets or homemade diets with a novel source of protein and carbohydrate.
For indoor allergies frequent vacuuming, especially those with filters, washing of pets beds and having wooden flooring rather than carpets will all help to reduce the number of house dust mites and alleviate some of the symptoms. Using small containers for food storage and buying smaller bags reduces the number of storage mites.
For outdoor allergies walking may have to be limited to certain areas to avoid allergens. Bathing after a walk can also often help reduce the pruritis.
For further information please contact the surgery.
The post Allergy Awareness Week appeared first on Dundas Veterinary Group.

Environmental Policy

by EMMA SHARP • 19 February 2025

DUNDAS VETERINARY GROUP ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY-CLIENT INFORMATION

At Dundas Veterinary Group we are committed to trying to reduce our impact on the environment throughout our daily running of all of our branches.

There are many ways in which you, as our valued clients, can help to ensure we can try to achieve this:

1.      APPROPRIATE ANTIBIOTIC AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE USAGE-our vets are focused on providing the best healthcare for your pet and prescribe medications appropriately to their specific needs. In doing so our vets will only dispense the amount of medication required to avoid the unnecessary waste of medicinal products, especially with regards to antibiotics.

Our vets follow very careful protocols with respect to antibiotic use to help try and reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance and minimise the potential harmful environmental impact.

We, therefore, do encourage owners to bring back any unused medications to the practice at your appointments so we can safely dispose if these for you.

 

2.      RECYCLING OF MEDICINAL PACKAGING-as part of our daily protocols we are very conscious to try and recycle as much material as possible and are always looking at ways to minimise our waste output.

 

We welcome clients to bring back blister packs and packaging from their dispensed medications at their next appointment.

 

3.      CONTACT & MILEAGE- we have various ways for clients to stay in touch and offer post op checks via pets app and email to reduce client mileage and environmental impact. When first registered we will allocate the branch closest to you and when possible arrange appointments at this branch.

 

Please see our Facebook/petsapp/practice noticeboards for further updates.

 

If you have any further questions or suggestions with regards our environmental policy, we welcome our clients views-please email the practice nurses@dundasvetgroup.co.uk

LITTER PICK AT CRAMOND

by EMMA SHARP • 18 February 2025
The team had a fantastic day at our beach litter pick on 2nd February.  We were joined by clients and some four-legged friends and collected lots of rubbish both on the beach and island. Taking in the fresh sea air as we went.

Thanks goes to The City of Edinburgh Council for helping with the picking supplies and also to Dog Aid Scotland for the support on the day.

Dundas Street Reception Refurb!

by EMMA SHARP • 10 February 2025
Exciting News!

Our Dundas Street Reception area is getting refurbished this coming weekend.

From 5pm on Friday 14th February until 8am on Monday 17th February, our Reception will be closed.

To allow this work to take place, our Saturday morning surgery will take place from 9am to 12noon at our Granton branch, 34 Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 3QS, 0131 551 1407.

Please bear with us while we carry out this work and look out for the photos!

Beach Clean Up

by EMMA SHARP • 17 January 2025
Join Dundas Vet Group to help litter pick at Cramond beach!  We welcome you to join us on Sunday 2nd February at 11am.  Litter pickers, gloves and bags provided, as well as biscuits for both humans and dogs!
Meet at the start of the Causeway for a prompt start at 11am.

Christmas and New Year Closures

by EMMA SHARP • 4 December 2024

We will be closed on the following days over the Festive Period:

Wednesday 25th December

Thursday 26th December

Wednesday 1st January

Thursday 2nd January

 

If you have an emergency during these closures, please contact our emergency care provider

E-Vets on 0131 662 1689.


We would like to wish all our clients a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


Please Welcome Matthew

by EMMA SHARP • 26 September 2024
Veterinary Surgeon, Matthew Saunders has joined Dundas Vet Group as a Clinical Director, working at the Dundas Street and Oxgangs Road Surgeries.

Matthew has been qualified since 2006, with additional qualifications in Endoscopy and keyhole surgery.  He also has a keen interest in Ophthalmology and is working towards further qualifications in this discipline.

We are thrilled to have Matthew join our team and he is looking forward to meeting you all with your pets!

Goodbye to Will

by EMMA SHARP • 14 August 2024
Sadly we have had to wave goodbye to Will Clancy as he heads home to Australia.
Having spent the last 5 years with us at Dundas Vets, he will be sorely missed by clients and colleagues alike.
We would like to wish him all the best in his future career back in Australia.

May is Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month 

by EMMA SHARP • 1 May 2024
The month of May is Veterinary nurse awareness month. We have uploaded a video to our Facebook and Instagram pages, showing the amazing job our nurses do every day to help look after your pets. They are the heart and soul of every veterinary practice!  

Their job entails a huge variety of skills ranging from monitoring anaesthesia, taking blood samples, giving medication, blood pressure checks and taking care of our hospitalised pets. This is only a small part of their essential contribution to our practice.

We can now offer nurse clinics at our Dundas Street branch for nail clipping, dressing changes, weight management checks and some repeat injections.

Please contact Dundas Street reception for more information.

Run 50k in March

by EMMA SHARP • 8 April 2024
We are happy to announce that our 50k in March running team completed their challenge and ran just over 600km in March!  We are so thankful for all of the support from our community and thrilled that we raised £1130 for Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home!  
Thank you to all who took part and donated.

Online Appointment Booking

by EMMA SHARP • 23 February 2024

We are now delighted to offer our clients an online appointment booking service through Petsapp and our webpage.

For clients who have downloaded our Petsapp, this can be done directly from your smart phone or through your online log in. For clients without the app, online booking can be accessed through the web widget on Dundas Vets home page Vets in Edinburgh | Dundas Veterinary Group (dundasvetgroup.co.uk)

If your appointment is for urgent veterinary care then please contact the surgery by phone as we reserve on the day appointments, and our friendly receptionists can arrange a suitable time. We hope that the Petsapp will make it easier for our clients to communicate with us, and us with them, though all branches will continue to be contactable by phone and online through our website.

Best wishes

Dundas Vets

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