How To Cope With Allergies In Dogs And Locating Remedies

Have you begun to observe your dog scratching and itching excessively? Is the scratching creating open wounds and loss of hair on your pet? If so, this is a good sign that your dog may be stricken with dog allergies. Dogs don’t develop the typical blotchy eyes and a watery nose the way humans do when we are suffering with an allergy. Other warning signs can involve extreme itching of a particular area, or chewing their paws to the point of bleeding.

What Are The Causes of Dog Allergies?

An allergic reaction can occur when an animal’s immune system excessively reacts to particular substances. The body will then produce antibodies as a means of defense when the cause of an allergy passes into the body. The antibodies will then stick to immune cells in skin and different body organs. So, as the allergens progressively infiltrate tissue surfaces, the antibodies incite immune cells to emit powerful substances (known as histamines) into the surrounding tissue. This will then cause inflammation and dog itching.

There are several points to take into account when attempting to find the origin of skin allergies in dogs. An allergy which affects a dog’s skin is generally triggered by one (or several) of the following: airborne allergens, fleas, and food.

Flea Dermatitis or Flea Allergy is usually brought on by saliva from a flea. That’s the reason it is very crucial to rid your pet of fleas regularly.

The atopic allergy is caused by the inhaling of airborne allergens in the atmosphere, such as pollen, tobacco smoke, dust and mold spores, instigate atopic allergies. If a dog is allergic to pollen, the pet will display warning signs, even if you keep it indoors as the particles will come into the home. Sneezing, coughing and wheezing usually are symptoms of this type of allergy.

Food allergies are the third most frequent form of dog allergy. The most likely causes for food allergies in dogs are: milk, soy, chicken, corn, beef, eggs and wheat. Diarrhea and Queasiness usually are symptoms of this form  of dog allergy.

Contact allergy is the least frequently seen kind of pet allergy and is brought about by touching something. Triggers may include plastic, grass and wool. A few pets could develop allergic reactions to some chemicals in the home, but this is not very common.

How to Identify Dog Allergies

A vet might be able to diagnose the cause, however,although it might take a system of elimination to detect the cause of the dog’s allergy and could even refer the animal to a veterinarian who’s a skin specialist. In the case where fleas are ruled out, your dog could be put on an elimination food regimen for a few months. The animal is fed food he or she has not had before, for example, duck, venison, and potatoes, with the previous food being brought back in stages until the allergy resurfaces.

The allergen is believed to be one or more ingredients if the animals itching lessens by about 50 percent of what it was before. To test for atopic and contact skin allergies, veterinary dermatologists use an intradermal allergy examination that works by mildly anesthetizing the dog with minute quantities of prospective allergens which are injected into the shaved region. If the animal is allergic to a specific substance, the skin in the area of the injection will become inflamed.

Treating Allergies in Dogs

Keeping the pet away from allergens and treating the symptoms of allergies in dogs are the most beneficial treatment procedures. Remedies like steroids and antihistamines may be prescribed to relieve symptoms of itching and swelling in dogs, though like all drugs they might be accompanied by unwanted side effects and the long-term effects are not known.

Extended treatment using steroids is discouraged for these drugs function by repressing the immune system. Prolonged steroid use may eventually leave your pet vulnerable to infections, diabetes and other ailments.

All Natural Treatments

Fortunately for pet lovers, there are many non-toxic and natural herbal and homeopathic cures for pets suffering from skin conditions.

Althaea officinalis root is a great and commonly accepted treatment for repairing the skin while Melaleuca alternifolia is frequently used externally to encourage skin health and keeping your pet’s skin sterile. Homeopathic treatments like Ledum and Apis have great soothing qualities and are especially helpful in healing inflamed and chafed skin, or minute bites and wounds.