It is always a pleasure to bring home a dog. It brings in much happiness and positivity to your world. But it is essential to take care of your furry friend so that they don’t fall sick or develop physical bruises or allergies.
Are you aware of dog allergies? Did you get a chance to speak to your vet about it? And did they suggest that allergies can pose severe problems for your dog? It is essential to do your homework about allergies. As the allergies that dogs have and humans have been slightly different. Dogs tend to suffer more with allergies than humans. In this article, we will delve into the types of allergies so that you are well updated and can take better care of your dog.
The kinds of dog allergies you need to know
The allergies are the misguided response to the foreign substances by your body’s immune system, which can make pets and people suffer a lot. You will come across several dog allergy types. The environmental allergens, food allergies and skin allergies pose a challenge for the dog and their owners. To add to the complication, dog allergies symptoms vary from one dog to the other, leaving you no more for a predictable outcome. It means when it comes to treatment no one size fits all. Carefully assess the allergy type and check with your vet for the treatment.
The skin allergies
Skin allergies, also known as allergic dermatitis, are a common allergic reaction in dogs. The three main things that cause skin allergies are:
- Environmental allergens’
- Food allergies
- Flea allergy dermatitis
Simply put, the flea allergy dermatitis can get described as the allergic reaction to the fleabites. There are few dogs who generate an allergic reaction to flea saliva. The dogs affected by this are very itchy towards the tail base. Also, their skin can get inflamed, scabbed and red. Additionally, they will also have flea signs, for instance, flea dirt.
The food allergies can get caused because of itchy skin. Some of the familiar places where you will find that a dog has allergies include the paws and the ears. It can also lead to other gastrointestinal symptoms.
Furthermore, environmental allergens, like mold, pollen and dust, can lead to atopic dermatitis or atopic allergies. In most cases, the allergies are seasonal. Hence, you can notice that the dog might itch at specific times of the year. Similar to food allergies, some of the common areas affected, other than the ears and the paws, are around the eyes, groin, wrist, underarms, muzzle and ankles. Most skin allergies come with the risk of a secondary infection. When your dog bites, scratches and also licks at the skin, they often become vulnerable to bacterial and yeast infections, which need treatment.
The food allergies
Real food allergies might not be as common as people consider them to be. But the truth is it, does pose some hassle to the dog’s health. Usually, the food allergies lead to an immune response that can show up in a vast symptom range, from certain skin conditions like itchiness, facial swelling and hives to gastrointestinal signs, like diarrhea and vomiting. It could also be a mix of both. In certain rare cases, you can land up in a severe reaction that leads to anaphylaxis, similar to an extreme case of peanut allergies humans suffer from.
The dogs on the hypoallergenic food diets
Here it would help if you thought about those species of dogs who are following the hypoallergenic dog foods diets. When people say that the dog suffers from a food allergy, they mostly mean that they have a food sensitivity. It could also get termed as food intolerance. The food sensitivities, unlike real allergies, doesn’t include a specific immune response and are a reaction for offending the ingredient in the dog’s food, like milk, beef, wheat, eggs, soy, chicken and corn.
Dogs with food sensitivities can come up with a world of symptoms, including gastrointestinal signs like diarrhea and vomiting. It can also lead to dermatologic signs, such as poor coat and skin, itchiness, foot and also chronic ear infections. The ideal way to diagnose the food allergy and treat it is to work closely with a vet to manage the dog’s symptoms and come up with the ingredient leading to a bodily reaction.
The extreme allergic reactions
It could be that the most hurting of all kinds of allergies are known as the acute allergic reactions. The dogs, such as people, can move into an anaphylactic shock, when they get a reaction to the allergen. It can become fatal if it is not treated well.
The vaccine reactions and the bee stings, amongst various other things, can lead to an anaphylactic response in certain dogs. It is the reason why it is always a great idea to keep a careful watch on your dog after they have received a vaccination. The same is applicable if they ate something new that they usually don’t or have consumed a medicine which is new to their body. Usually, the anaphylactic reactions are very rare for dogs.
It is possible for your dog to develop facial swelling or hives as a response to an allergen. The face swelling, lips, throat, earflaps and eyelids might appear severe, but it is hardly fatal. When you make a visit to your vet, they will effectively treat it using an antihistamine.
Hence, your dog will have a different allergic reaction than humans. The allergies can sometimes create an innate physical discomfort, making the dog appear more irritated than ever. They might bark incessantly or can become silent. Certain drugs that you might decide to give them without vet consultation can make them sleepy or tired. It can also lead to other health hazards when consumed in the wrong dosage. Make sure to get in touch with a vet the moment you see that your dog has developed an allergy and treat it the best way possible.