The impact of changing living conditions, pollutants, and climate change on allergic skin disease in our pets: highlighting our interconnectedness.

Environmental changes including pollution and climate shifts are driving increased allergic skin disease severity in companion animals.

This One Health review article by Marsella examines how environmental transformations over recent decades have contributed to the rising incidence and severity of allergic skin diseases in companion animals. As pets have transitioned from rural to urban living environments, they have experienced reduced plant and microbial diversity, heightened exposure to vehicular pollution, plastics, and synthetic chemicals, and increased time spent indoors. Simultaneously, climate change has intensified pollen production and allergenicity through elevated carbon dioxide levels, extended pollen seasons, and extreme weather events including heat, humidity, and wildfire smoke. These environmental stressors collectively disrupt three interconnected biological systems: the immune system, epithelial barrier integrity, and the microbiome. Barrier damage increases allergen penetration and sensitization risk, while gut and skin dysbiosis amplify inflammatory responses. The article draws parallel trends between dogs and humans, particularly regarding atopic dermatitis, which has been linked to epithelial dysfunction and gut dysbiosis in both species. The author emphasizes that the rise in allergic and inflammatory skin diseases in pets mirrors trends observed in human medicine, underscoring the One Health concept that animal, human, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. Clinicians are encouraged to consider environmental history—including urban living conditions, chemical exposures, and climate-related factors—as part of the diagnostic and management approach for patients presenting with allergic skin disease.

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