For this week’s edition of Animals, they’re just like us!, People Mag has new reporting about how pets can get seasonal allergies. Vet tech Michael Natale explains that cats and dogs coming down with allergies is more common than you would think. But despite it being a common occurrence, each case must be addressed on its own basis. Spot may be sneezing, Lucky may be licking incessantly, or Kitty may be coughing, and it may very well be a different trigger for each case. Natale advises working with your vet to isolate what specifically your pet is reacting to, and then what the best course of treatment is.

Pets can deal with seasonal allergies just like their owners.

In a conversation with PEOPLE, Michael Natale — a licensed veterinary technician — details that cats and dogs can also suffer during the same times of year when their human counterparts find their allergies acting up.

“Every animal has the potential to have or get allergies. Just like people, they can also develop them as they get older,” he says.

“It’s more common than most people think,” Natale adds.

According to Natale, allergies in canines and felines must be handled on a “case by case basis, just like people.”

“For example, my Rottweiler has severe allergies, so I perform weekly allergy injections on him, as well as provide biweekly medicated baths and food that best fit his allergens.”

Natale, who also works as an educator and a talent acquisition and retention manager, details there is one allergy he sees often when it comes to pets.

“I see a lot of animals allergic to chicken, which can be found in many pet products,” he explains.

In order to help pets deal with their allergies, Natale tells PEOPLE that owners should “first find out exactly what they are allergic to.”

“To do so, your primary veterinarian, or even a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, can test for allergens,” he says.

Natale adds, “If you know the allergen, try your very best to avoid exposing your pet to that.”

“Read product ingredients and allergy medications prescribed by your veterinarian, and most of all have your pet examined if you feel something is off about them,” he continues.

[From People]

My darling and sassy chihuahua-dachshund mix rescue, My Girl, turned 12 in March, and it feels like she’s become an old(er) lady overnight! We were in and out of the vet in May, and now many tests (and bills) later, My Girl has officially been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. She drinks a lot, pees a lot, and will eat anything within reach of her snout (though that was always true; I chalked it up to her first years having to fend for herself on the street). Another symptom she checks off is having a potbelly. Well, at least now the next time someone asks if she’s expecting (which happens often), we can retort back with, “It’s Cushing’s disease, not pregnancy.” But My Girl likes to keep things interesting, so on the heels of her diagnosis she’s developed an entirely new issue: a digit in her left paw is swollen. We’re headed back to the vet tomorrow (thank goodness it’s only a block away), and will definitely be asking if allergies might be the source of this new inflammation. But if the culprit turns out to be chicken?!! Please pray for our household if I have to start denying chicken to My Girl.

Photos credit: Jacob Sierra on photos by Errn on Pexels, Jamie Street and Dominik Qn on Unsplash