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Pet Medication Home -> Canine Allergies
Canine Allergies - Does your
dog have an Allergy, and How to Treat It
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 something 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 something 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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