Dog Skin Allergy
If your large breed dog has a
dog skin allergy
you will most likelysee her licking and scratching herself incessantly. In fact, one of the most disconcerting things for a pet owner to see is this constantscratching. The first thing you must do when you begin to noticethis irregular behavior is first determine if your dog does in facthave any
dog skin allergies
. There are, of course, a host of otherproblems that might be causing your dog discomfort includingsome type of parasite or a dog food allergy. Additionally, somedogs scratch and bite themselves when they are unnerved orstressed for some reason. Once you have determined that your dog does have a dog skinallergy, there are a host of treatments that you can administer to help alleviate your dog'sdiscomfort and get the allergy under control.
A dog skin allergy is caused from a host of different sources and may also manifest itself in different ways. One of the more common skin allergies in dogs is atopic dermatitis oratopy. This is caused from allergens in the air such as mold, pollen, dust or dust mitesand becomes problematic as your dog's immune system becomes overly sensitive to theoffending particles. Evidence of atopy will develop early in your dog's life and willbecome evident if your dog grooms herself excessively, focusing on her paws, stomachand hind area.Another common dog skin allergy is created by the presence of parasites such as fleas.The fleas themselves are not so much the problem in this case as their saliva, and thissaliva may produce an allergic reaction on your dog's skin. If you determine that yourdog does in fact have fleas and is allergic to their saliva, you will simply treat the fleaproblem to eradicate the symptoms and discomfort of the skin allergy.Finally, your dog may develop a dog skin allergy through contact with some offensivesubstance or plant. This type of allergy is not as common as other dog skin allergies andis generally easier to solve. Contact dermatitis can be caused by some plants, flea collars,grass, pet bedding, chemicals or sometime plastics. The best cure for this type of skinallergy is to make sure your dog avoids contact with this offender in the future.
If you determine that your dog does have a skin allergy there are a host of treatmentssuch as an anti-inflammatory and special shampoos you can administer to alleviate theproblem. To accurately determine the skin allergy, your vet can do an intradermal skintest or a blood test to identify the allergen that is bothering your dog. After you locate theallergen, the best solution is to avoid it in the future if possible. If this is not a practical
Leave a Comment