allergies

Dog Allergies FAQ's

Dogs can Get Allergies?

The awnser is Yes. Just like humans, dogs can get allergies to pollen, dust, even food, anything!

How do I know if my dog has them?

Unlike humans, every dog allergy is shown with itchy irritated skin, some dogs do have a runny nose and red eyes but itching is the most common clue in allergies. If your dog has been: very itchy, balding, has irritated skin, and licks their paws and (everywhere else) alot, and you're sure your dog doesn't have fleas, they have allergies, ask your vet to be sure.

How can I be sure it's not fleas?

Well, it could be, but did you know that dogs can have an allergic reaction to flea bites also? If you notice your dog itching and they have never been before, during their daily hair brushing, get close to their skin, brush it upward with your hand or the brush to check for small brown/black bugs, check their ears too, is their little blackish coffe looking residue in it? This may be flea dirt, or "droppings" another way to tell is, every bath scrub them good and use a oatmeal or tea tree dog shampoo and rub them down afterwards with a white towel, and inspect that towel like no tommorrow!

When a dog is allergic to something, his body is reacting to certain molecules called 'allergens.' These allergens may come from:

Trees

Grass

Weed pollens

Fabrics such as wool or nylon

Rubber and plastic materials

Foods and food additives such as individual meats, grains, or colorings

Milk products

House dust and dust mites

Flea bites

In pets, allergies usually start to develop between one and three years of age. They may start as late as age six or eight, but over 80% start earlier. To make matters worse, as the animal ages, it usually develops allergies to additional things and the response to any
one allergen becomes more severe.

Treating allergies
Remember, Always get your vet's opinion about your dog's itchy skin.
*Avoidance

*Topical therapy such as sprays, shampoos, salves (lotion), etc.
It is highly recommended when using a topical therapy to use the sprays for whole body/all over itching most can be used daily, and even on red inflamed sore skin just avoid contact with eyes. The Salves or "lotions" for Itch relief may work it the dog has specific itchy areas not whole body itching. Itch Relief Shampoos will dry the skin and must be used with the Itch Relief Spray. Remember, These All are temporary relief options, the best way to get rid of the itch for good is to get an allergy diet and feed NOTHING but that, and only allergy treats nothing else or it will have little affect.
*Fatty acids
*Biotin
*Antihistamines
*Immunotherapy (Hyposensitization)
*Steroids

When a vet provides little to no help. Sometimes your vet may just leave you clueless about your dog's problem. When this happens make sure you have an experienced vet #1, 2, make sure you've had blood work to check for hypothyroidism and other problems with symptoms close to allergies, now this is NOT cheap, usually over $60.00 and if you and your vet are SURE that it is NOT anything other than allergies, or they may have allergies and another problem you could get an allergy blood test but that's expensive, well over $1000 so the first step to helping the outside skin problems is to help from the inside. Your vet may put your pup on antibiotics and steroids along with a good bath more than once a week, keep up with that but it will get expensive but first, investing in a good high quality dog food with NO soy, corn, by-products or wheat is a really good place to start.