Many owners expect itching to settle once summer ends. For a large number of Burnaby pets it does the opposite. Mould spores rise as leaves fall and rain sets in, houses close up, and the heating goes on, which concentrates indoor allergens. The result is a distinct autumn flare that catches people out.
Why autumn is its own allergy season
Pollen gets all the attention, and grass pollen genuinely does fade through September. What replaces it is less obvious.
Mould and mildew spores. This is the big one in the Lower Mainland. Wet fallen leaves, damp bark mulch, compost heaps and lawn thatch produce enormous quantities of spores through a Burnaby autumn. A dog that sniffs its way along a leaf-covered verge is inhaling and wearing them.
Dust mites. Numbers build indoors through autumn and winter. They live in bedding, carpets, upholstery and, importantly, in your pet’s own bed. Warm and humid indoor conditions suit them perfectly.
The heating going on. This does two things. It stirs dust and dander that has been sitting in ducts and vents all summer, and it dries the air, which makes already irritated skin itchier.
Everyone indoors, longer. Pets spend more hours in contact with carpets and soft furnishings, and less time in fresh air.
So a pet that was itchy in July for one reason can easily be itchy in October for entirely different reasons, and the pattern of where and when it itches often changes with it.
What an allergy actually looks like in a pet
This is where it differs from people. Dogs and cats rarely sneeze and stream. They itch.
In dogs, watch the pattern more than the intensity:
- Licking or chewing at the paws, often one in particular, and brown staining on white fur from saliva
- Rubbing the face along carpet or furniture
- Scratching at the ears, head shaking, or a recurring ear problem that keeps coming back
- Chewing at the belly, the groin, the armpits or the base of the tail
- Redness in the skin folds, between the toes and under the front legs
- Scooting, which is sometimes anal glands and sometimes allergic irritation
- Skin that has become darker, thicker or leathery in patches over time
- A greasy coat or a distinct smell
- Hot spots, which are the sudden angry patches that appear overnight
In cats it looks different again, and is missed constantly:
- Over-grooming, often out of sight, leaving a thin or bald strip along the belly or inner thighs
- Small crusty scabs along the back and neck, which owners often find by hand before they see them
- Chewing at the base of the tail
- Hairballs and vomiting, from swallowing all that fur
- Sores or ulcers on the lip or chin
- Increased hiding or irritability
A cat that seems to be losing hair without scratching in front of you is almost always grooming it off when you are not watching.
Why it keeps coming back to the ears
Ear problems and allergies are so closely connected that a dog with repeated ear trouble should be assessed for underlying allergy rather than having each episode handled in isolation.
The ear canal is lined with skin. When skin elsewhere is inflamed, the ear canal is inflamed too, which changes the environment inside it and lets yeast and bacteria multiply. Damp autumn weather compounds it. That is why a dog can have its ears sorted out in March and be back in October.
Chasing individual episodes without identifying the driver is how dogs end up with permanently thickened, narrowed, painful canals. Our guide to dog ear infections in Burnaby covers the ear side in detail, and this article is the other half of that same conversation.
What is not an allergy
Plenty of itchy pets are itchy for other reasons, and assuming allergy delays the right answer.
Fleas are the most important. Flea allergy is extremely common and a single bite can set a sensitive pet off, so a pet can be miserable without you ever finding a flea. Fleas do not stop in autumn in this climate, and a warm house extends their season indefinitely. Ruling fleas out properly comes before anything else.
Mites, including the one that causes intense itching and is contagious, also need excluding. So do bacterial and yeast overgrowth, ringworm, and in older pets some hormonal conditions that change the coat and skin. A few cancers present as skin change too.
This is why we examine rather than assume, and why skin samples are often part of the visit. Our medical services team will look at the distribution of the itch, the state of the skin and coat, and take samples where they will change the answer.
What genuinely helps at home
None of this replaces getting your pet examined, and none of it involves giving your pet anything.
- Wipe the paws and belly after every walk. A damp cloth removes spores and pollen that would otherwise sit against the skin all evening. This is the highest-value habit on the list and takes thirty seconds.
- Wash pet bedding weekly on a hot wash and dry it fully. This is the main dust mite reservoir in most homes.
- Vacuum more often through autumn, including upholstery, and empty the vacuum outside.
- Clear wet leaves from the areas your dog uses, and keep them out of compost heaps they can reach.
- Get the heating vents cleaned before you turn the system on for the season.
- Keep flea prevention going year round rather than stopping in September. Ask us what suits your pet rather than choosing from a shelf.
- Do not bathe on a whim. The wrong product or too-frequent washing strips the skin and makes things worse. Ask us before starting a bathing routine.
- Keep a diary. Note where and when the itching happens for a fortnight. Patterns that are invisible day to day become obvious on paper, and it is genuinely useful to us.
The thing not to do
Please do not give your pet anything from your own cabinet, and do not use a product bought for another animal. Reaching for something intended for people is a common home experiment, and it is frequently unsuitable, sometimes dangerous, and often masks the picture enough to make the real problem harder to identify later.
Creams intended for human skin, tea tree preparations and essential oils are all worth specifically avoiding. Cats in particular have very limited ability to process many substances that are unremarkable in a person.
Bring your pet in and let the veterinary team decide what is appropriate. Our wellness program is a sensible place to plan the year-round side of it, since allergic pets do much better with a plan than with a series of emergencies.
Frequently asked questions
My dog was fine all summer and started chewing his paws in September. Why now?
Autumn has its own set of triggers, and mould spores from wet leaves are the most likely candidate in Burnaby. Indoor allergens also rise once the house closes up and the heating comes on. It is entirely normal for a pet to be comfortable in one season and itchy in another, and the pattern itself is useful information.
Can I just give my dog something from my own cabinet?
Please do not without asking us. Human products vary in what else they contain, some are actively harmful to pets, and the amount that matters is completely different. There is also a diagnostic cost: partially suppressing the signs before an examination can make it harder to work out what is actually going on. Come in first.
Would changing food help?
Sometimes, but food is a less common cause than environmental allergens, and a food-related pet is usually itchy all year rather than seasonally. Switching foods repeatedly on your own tends to muddy the picture without answering the question. If food is worth investigating, there is a specific way to do it properly and we will take you through it.
My cat is losing fur but I never see her scratch. Is that allergy?
Very possibly, and it is one of the most common presentations we see. Cats groom secretly and often at night, so owners see the result rather than the behaviour. Fur that is broken off short rather than falling out at the root points strongly to over-grooming. It is worth investigating rather than watching.
Do I really need flea prevention in the winter here?
Yes. Fleas survive comfortably in a heated home all year, and a flea-allergic pet reacts to a single bite. Stopping prevention in September is one of the more common reasons for a mysterious autumn itch. Ask us what is suitable for your specific pet.
Will this be a lifelong problem?
Environmental allergy is usually managed rather than cured, but managed well it need not dominate your pet’s life. Identifying what is driving it, keeping the skin barrier healthy, controlling fleas and having a plan for flare seasons makes a very large difference. Pets that get a proper assessment early do considerably better than those who spend two years on guesswork.
Speak to the team at Edmonds St. Animal Hospital
If your pet has become itchier since the weather turned, book an examination rather than trying products at home. Call us on (604) 540-7387.
Published by the team at Edmonds St. Animal Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact Edmonds St. Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
Edmonds St. Animal Hospital
7621 Edmonds St, Burnaby, BC V3N 1B6
Phone: (604) 540-7387
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Sunday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM