Canine
Allergies - Does your dog have an Allergy?
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.
About the Author
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