Allergy Symptoms in Dogs

An observant pet owner can notice allergy symptoms in dogs, especially, in his or her lovely pet and can save the dog from a lot of itchiness. To know more about the symptoms of allergy in dogs, read on...

The environment, in which your pet is living, can influence the quality of your pet's life. Constant chewing and scratching can indicate symptoms of allergy in dogs. It should warn you that something has drastically changed for your dog. Like human beings, dogs can also suffer from allergies of different kind because of the things they come in contact with. The following is a list of the allergy symptoms in dogs, which you may find informative:

Loss of hair in your dog, accompanied with lot of dandruff.

Dry itchy skin in your dog, which is the cause of its constant scratching.

Your pet's red and itchy ears which you may notice, while scratching them should warn you.

Dull and poor coat

Desperate chewing on self, in one particular spot, to the extent of causing sores in that place.

Vomiting or diarrhea due to upset stomach.

Causes of Allergies in Dogs

Your pet, if it is suffering from the allergy symptoms in dogs, may exhibit one or a combination of the symptoms listed above. There is no standalone cause for all of these symptoms of allergies in dogs, but rather there are a number of causes of allergies in dogs. You may be surprised to know that even food items, such as chicken can give your dog a hard time, by being one the causes of dog allergies. On the other hand, there are some causes such as airborne pollen etc., of which you can do nothing to help your dog in getting rid of the allergies. All of these things together make it difficult to spot the cause of your dog's problem. You may have to use a trial and error method to deduce and come to the conclusion of what is causing the allergy symptoms in your dog. The following is some information on the causes of allergies in dogs.

Food Allergy

The food contents that are part of your dog's daily diet may be the culprit. It is found that 10-15% of the skin allergy in dogs, have food allergies to blame. Like humans, your dog may be allergic to corn or wheat, which are added to the dog food, in order to provide the fiber part of the diet. Alternatively, food items such as proteins source: chicken, eggs, fish, pork and or beef have been identified, as the cause of food allergies in dogs. Dairy products, along with the oats or soy content of the food, are known to cause allergy symptoms in dogs. The most prominent symptoms due to food allergies are itching, redness and swelling.

Allergies Due to Pests

It is very common to find fleas on dogs. These fleas live off the dog's blood. While sucking your dog's blood, these parasites inject saliva into the dog's bloodstream, which functions as a anticoagulant and makes the fleas task easier. However, some of the dogs are allergic to the chemicals present in this saliva. The allergy symptoms that may appear because of this cause are itching, redness and swelling. Hair loss due to this reason is mostly because of your dog scratching to relieve itself of some of the itch.The red round patches may form in the areas, where the dog has lost its hairs to this type of allergies.

Allergy Causing Micro-organisms

One of the causes of allergy symptoms in dogs, include micro-organisms, such as bacteria. Generally, many species of bacterias, especially, staphylococcus species are present on the dogs. Sometimes, when the conditions are favorable, these bacteria proliferates and give your pet a cause to worry. The symptoms of allergy in dogs, in this case, are in the form of hair loss and ringworm-like patterns on the skin.

Other Causes of Allergies

The rest of the causes of allergy symptoms in dogs include inhalants which are almost impossible to control. These are present in the air your dog is breathing. These allergens may include mold, dust particles, pollens or chemicals your dog is allergic to. Allergies in dogs due to this cause is mostly seasonal and you may have to take the advice of a vet to help your dog. One other thing, which may trouble your dog is contact allergies. The cause may include a topical medicine you may be using to treat your dog for something entirely different. Your dog's collar, bedding or the new paint you have put in your house may also become the cause of his suffering. You may observe that because of this form of allergy, your dog's skin is itchy and there are small pus-filled welts along with the reddened skin. There are so many different types of objects, which can come in this category. Pests, such as fleas, are difficult to get rid of completely, but the task is not too impossible. While at it, take care of treating the kennel along with your dog.

It is important for you to provide dog care to alleviate the problems in your dog, by taking help of available treatment for allergies in dogs. If your dog is suffering due to bacterial infection, then the treatment for allergies in dogs is available in the form of antibiotics. In case of contact allergies, changing your dog's sleeping place or bedding or taking off its collar may help. Symptoms of allergy in dogs, if they are due to food, can only be tackled by trying different diets. As a first line of treatment against the allergy symptoms in dogs, you may like to use time-tested and trusted oatmeal shampoo to wash your dog using cool water. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may be used as anti-inflammatory agents. If these home remedies for dog allergies fails to provide relief to your pet, do consult the vet who may give your dog medicines to lessen and control the extent of reaction to the allergens.