Here is a great Video and a guide to Dog Skin Allergies

Veterinary statisticians say that 14% of canines suffer from dog skin allergies – Allergic Dermatitis. A primary reason dogs are taken to a veterinarian is allergies. Some dog breeds are more allergy prone, but all breeds can be affected. Signs may include white flaky dandruff, patches of lost hair, patches raw from scratching, seeing your dog scratching or chewing on a particular spot or spots, loss of fur, breaking out in hives, etc. You can click on this link to see our entire category of articles on Dog illnesses and conditions.

First, check out this video on Dog Skin Allergies

Here is a brief review of Dog Allergies

The video above really does a better job then this, this is more of a review.

Most modern products are created with noxious chemicals that dogs are exposed to. This high incidence of allergies is therefore unsurprising. Harmful chemicals you didn’t know products contained can create misery for the dog you love.

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.

In humans, the most common allergic response is upper respatory symptoms. For dogs, allergies usually affect the skin.

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 simplest solution is removal of the allergen. If it is a food, for example, simply feed your dog something else. Insects can be more troublesome, but there are treatments such as sprays or creams. Irritants in the environment that cannot be removed are the most difficult to treat.

The most frequent allergy dogs experience is fleas. Some dogs are allergic to toxins in flea saliva. Fleas prefer to live on buttock and tail region of the dog, on the base of the legs, or the groin and belly. Allergic reactions focused in these areas are often fleas. Dogs will sometimes chew skin irritated by fleas until it becomes an open sore. Sometimes these sores become infected.

To determine if your dog is a host for fleas, have it stand on white paper, brush its coat repeatedly, and see if small dark and light particles fall from its coat. If they do, they are probably flea eggs and flee feces, and your dog probably has fleas.

An allergic reaction to fleas can also be confirmed via a test. Veterinarians can do this.

The best solution for a flea allergy is to get rid of fleas. A medicated bath and topical skin ointments are the best methods for eliminating fleas.

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.

A veterinarian is obviously the best person to treat dog skin allergies. If your beloved pet is living in anguish because of skin allergies, make an appointment with your vet

You can click on this link to go to our main web page for more Dog Skin Allergy Articles

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Filed under: Dog Health • Pet Illnesses & Conditions

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