Treating Dog Skin Allergies

One in seven dogs or 14% of dogs are ravaged by allergies. Dog skin allergies are the malady veterinarians treat most. All breeds of dogs can experience allergies, but as with humans, some types of dogs are more apt to experience allergies.

This large number of allergic reactions makes sense when one realizes a huge amount of chemicals and other toxins are used to create most modern goods & services. An additive or processing component you are completely unaware of could be causing your beloved pet anguish.

An unpleasant reaction to something in the environment is an allergy. The allergen is what causes the unpleasant reaction. The allergic reaction is the effect caused by the allergen.

Most humans experience allergies as troubled breathing. Most dogs experience allergies as skin irritation.

Canine allergies have four main causes. Those causes are fleas and biting insects, inhalation of allergens, foods and drugs, and irritants that touch the skin.

If you see your dog scratching and chewing on its skin all the time, it may be suffering from an allergy. It chews and scratches to alleviate the irritation, and may attempt these reliefs so frequently that it develops bald spots.

The best way to treat an allergy is to stop exposing the dog to the allergen. If your dog is allergic to lamb, feed him dog food with beef. Fleas can be harder to get rid of, but there are chemical treatments that will kill them. The hardest allergies to treat are those caused by allergens that the dog has to be exposed to, such as particulates in the air.

Fleas are the most common dog allergy. The saliva of fleas contains chemicals some dogs are allergic too. As fleas concentrate on the rump, near the tail, bases of the legs, and groin and belly, skin irritations in these areas may indicate a flea allergy. Flea allergies can become so painful and irritating to dogs that they will chew their skin until it bleeds and become raw and infected.

To see if your dog has fleas brush its coat vigorously while it stands over white paper. If small pieces of material drop onto the paper, they are probably flea eggs and flea feces, and your dog's body is a host for parasitic fleas.

Veterinarians perform chemical allergy tests which can conclusively determine if your dog is allergic to fleas.

A flea allergy is best treated by getting rid of fleas. Baths containing flea-killing chemicals, and ointments applied to the skin are the two most common treatments.

Many dogs also break out in hives, which are small bubbly protrusions on the skin. As dogs are hairy, hives are especially problematic on them. Hives often appear after a dog is treated with a chemical it is allergic to, especially when it is washed with shampoo or treated with an anti-flea compound. If this happens to your dog, rinse it repeatedly to get rid of the irritants causing the hives.

Dog skin allergies are best diagnosed by a veterinarian. If the dog you love is suffering from skin allergies, take them to a vet as soon as you can.