Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common skin disease in dogs, causing intense pruritus from hypersensitivity to flea saliva that requires effective flea control and medical management.
Flea allergy dermatitis causes intense, constant itching that significantly compromises quality of life. Dogs with FAD are in constant pruritic discomfort - scratching, biting, and rubbing to the point of creating raw, infected skin lesions. The sleep disruption from constant itching, the physical discomfort of skin inflammation, and the behavioral distress of unrelenting itch create profound welfare compromise. The condition can be present for months before owners seek treatment. Highly effective flea control products make FAD prevention and management straightforward, making ongoing welfare compromise from untreated FAD an avoidable failure.