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Canine Allergies - Does your dog have an Allergy?
Did you know that your dog can have allergies, just like you?
The most common dog allergy is itching of the skin. Their
respiratory tract can also be affected causing them to wheeze,
sneeze, and/or cough. You may even notice a discharge from their
eyes and nose. In some cases, the digestive system can be affected
which will cause them to vomit or have diarrhea.
In the United States around 20 percent of the dogs suffer from some
type of allergy. Some of the allergies might be allergic to fleas,
atopic dermatitis, allergies to food, allergies to some thing in
the air, allergies to some thing they come in contact with or a
bacterial allergy.
Atopic Dermatitis
This canine allergy is caused by the dog’s immune system
hypersensitivity to common substance around them, such as dust
mites or mold. Atopic Dermatitis is an allergic skin disease that
usually appears within the first two years of a dog’s
life.
Watch your dog for grooming excessively, by licking or chewing his
back legs, paws, and abdomen, these are signs that he may suffer
from atopic dermatitis. Another way to check is to see if his ears
are reddened and hot to the touch.
There are signs that are not as noticeable like in the armpits,
groin, and between the toes of his paws. Saliva staining is another
sign of atopic dermatitis. It appears as a reddish brown stain. If
the case becomes severe, the skin may change color, especially the
abdomen, from a pink to a dark red to a very dark black.
It can be difficult to diagnose because flea allergy, food allergy
and parasitic infections have some of the same signs. After you
have ruled out the three above allergies from you list you may then
need to have your dogs skin tested for allergies such as dust
mites, pollens, and mold. After your vet has determined the cause
of the atopic dermatitis he can recommend treatment.
Flea Allergy
No the flea is not the real allergy here, it is the fleas saliva.
Your vet can perform a skin allergy test to determine if your dog
is allergic to flea saliva. If he is then a regular strict flea
control regimen is required to reduce your dog’s symptoms.
But, be sure to use the chemicals with caution, as some can harm
your dog.
Inhalant Allergy (allergies to some thing in the air)
These allergies are caused by the same things that cause allergies
in humans, tree, grass, weed, dust mites, molds, and
chemicals.
Any dog is susceptible to inhalant allergies, but the most common
dogs affected are terriers, golden retrievers, poodles, dalmations,
German shepherds, Chinese Shar-peis, shih tzus, lhasa apsos, pugs,
Irish setters, and minature schnauzers.
If you notice your dog chewing at his feet and constantly licking
then he may have inhalant allergies. Other common symptoms include
biting, and scratching. The worst itching will be on his feet, hind
legs, groin and armpits.
Inhalant allergies are often associated with recurring ear
infections in you dog.
Food Allergy
Food that your dog may have eaten for years may become a food
allergy. So, this type of allergy is often overlooked.
Dogs usually cannot tolerate fish, eggs, whey, milk, chicken, pork,
beef, corn, wheat, soy products, chemical preservatives, and
artificial sugars in their meal.
It may take a long while to determine the food allergen. A way to
find the allergen is to put your dog on a diet that consists of
protein and starch that your dog has not eaten before.
Start adding back the ingredients of the dog food you have been
feeding him, spreading this out over a week. If the symptoms return
then you should be able to determine the food allergen.
Then look for a dog food that does not contain the allergen.
Symptoms of food allergies in your dog may be scratching at ears,
shaking of the head, itchy skin, licking and biting their back
legs, rubbing their face on carpet, inflammation in their ears,
coughing and in rare cases vomiting, sneezing, and diarrhea.
Contact Allergy (allergies to some thing they come in
contact with)
This is the least common type of allergies in dogs. Some of the
common items that may cause a reaction are wood bedding, grass,
plants, and flea collars.
Bacterial Allergy
There are several different types of Staphylococcus (Staph) living
on your dog’s skin. That is normal! Most dogs do not develop
an allergy to them, but some dogs might.
Bacterial allergies will cause hair loss that looks similar to ring
worm. The areas that are infected need to be treated with
antibiotics.
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