Dogs can suffer from various allergies involving food, skin, or environmental triggers. The common symptoms include skin itch and rashes, swelling, vomiting, hives, sneezing, runny nose, and poor coat.
Keeping them from being exposed to their triggers and seeking veterinary treatment is how you can help relieve their symptoms and prevent future allergic reactions.
Have you been noticing your dog looking uncomfortable scratching itself more intensely than usual? Your dog is probably having an allergic reaction to something it ingested or came in contact with.
Just like for humans, having allergies can make your dog very uncomfortable. And while allergies cannot be cured, they can be treated and further flare-ups can be prevented. This article provides helpful information on the most common allergies found in dogs and how to treat and avoid them.
An allergy occurs when the body’s immune system responds to a foreign substance that causes hypersensitivity in the body. For dogs, these are usually harmless substances like pollen, certain food ingredients, molds, or dust that come in contact with your dog’s body and trigger a reaction.
Allergic reactions could be mild or severe, episodic or long-term. To help your dog get relief from the discomfort caused by the allergy, it is important to know what type of allergy it is so you can figure out its triggers and relieve the symptoms.
Although not very common, with only 0.2% of dogs in the US suffering from food allergies, some dogs can be allergic to various types of foods.
These are typically food intolerances or hypersensitivity to certain foods, but the symptoms are much like an allergy.
Determining which food ingredients are causing your dog to have an allergic reaction is the first step to resolving the issue.
The common culprit is often a protein or carbohydrate present in some foods like soy, milk, wheat, and some meats like chicken and beef.
Keep a close eye on your dog whenever you give him a new food item.
Look into which ingredients usually cause allergy symptoms in dogs and find alternatives if necessary.
Once you identify the food trigger, make sure you eliminate it from your dog’s diet and provide substitutes that have a similar nutritional value without the allergen component.
To identify which specific food your dog is reacting to, a veterinarian will put your dog on a restricted diet or conduct a food trial to determine food ingredients that do not cause a reaction.
This is done until the specific food ingredient causing allergy is determined. The vet will also prescribe allergy medications to relieve the symptoms.
Also Read: Human Foods Dogs Can’t Eat
If you see your dog scratching, licking, and biting its body almost non-stop, it’s most likely infested by fleas and having an allergic reaction to it.
Fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of some animals like dogs. They are not only pesky but are dangerous carriers of diseases, which they may transmit through your dog’s bloodstream.
Make sure you check your dog for flea bites regularly. These are usually red bumps found in body folds like the armpits, elbows, ears, groin, and knees.
These pests live for around 100 days, growing from larvae to full-grown fleas capable of reproducing. They can stay burrowed in the carpet or couch fibers and then latch onto a host.
Consult a vet about the best flea and tick prevention methods for your dog based on its breed, size, and age.
You can also provide your dog with flea and tick collars for an added layer of protection.
It’s best to consult with a vet for the right flea removal plan.
You can get rid of the visible fleas but if your dog suffers from severe flea allergy dermatitis or an allergic reaction from flea bites, the vet can administer allergy blockers to relieve the dog of symptoms like extreme itchiness.
It is important to stop flea infestation because if your dog’s allergy is left untreated, it could result in your dog suffering from anemia and other blood-related diseases.
All dog breeds can be infested by fleas but dog breeds with a genetic hypersensitivity to environmental triggers are more likely to have severe reactions. Some of these breeds are as follows:
Apart from food and fleas, there are other allergens like mites, dust, pollen, weeds, and other air-borne substances that are present everywhere. Strong scents like cleaning products and perfume can also trigger allergic reactions in dogs.
Dogs that come in contact with such substances may have adverse reactions and show symptoms from their earflaps to paws.
Your dog may also have allergic dermatitis – canine atopic dermatitis or a genetic predisposition to pruritic inflammatory skin diseases.
Another skin allergy common in dogs is contact dermatitis where the dog’s immune system overreacts to triggers and is hypersensitive to substances that come in contact with your dog’s skin, resulting in excessive scratching and skin lesions.
Got an allergy test for Sammy… he’s allergic to trees. My dog is allergic to sticks 🤷🏼 pic.twitter.com/XSTJfPb2Bt
— Duncan Jones (@YogscastLalna) September 14, 2020
Allergic contact dermatitis can cause the following symptoms:
Environmental and other skin allergens like dust, pollen, detergents, or mites can lead to the following symptoms:
Get rid of the allergens or keep your dog from getting exposed to these allergens.
Be meticulous with cleaning and sweep or dust off pollen or dust particles.
Keep your dog away from bushes or grass. When using strong disinfectants or detergents, keep your dog away from the scent trail.
Bathe your dog regularly using a mild shampoo.
If you can’t avoid the allergens in/around your home, finding another forever home for your dog could be the best option for their health.
Once an allergy is confirmed and triggers are identified, your vet will prescribe drugs to help relieve your dog’s specific symptoms.
Supplements, flea control, anti-inflammation treatment, and medicated baths are often part of the treatment process.
Also Read: Common Nail Injuries in Dogs
While a serious allergic response such as anaphylactic shock is rare in dogs, allergies should not be taken lightly. Dogs suffering from allergies usually show signs through their skin and gastrointestinal tract.
Provide your dogs with a safe environment and regularly check them for any allergic signs. In cases of severe allergic reactions, bring your dog to a vet for immediate treatment.
A digital marketing expert by profession, Andrews is a gifted writer and animal lover at heart. A self-confessed "pawrent", Andrews is well-versed in all things dogs. He uses his years of experience of raising puppies into show-quality dogs to help guide first-time pet parents. He believes in spreading the joy that comes with being a dog dad and advocates more families to adopt pets.
