Skin Parasites Like Mites Cause Scabies
Scabies or sarcoptic mange is a serious skin condition that can affect dogs of any age and breed. The culprit is a tiny mite called the Sarcoptes scabiei mite. This is a skin parasite that is extremely contagious.
These mites will burrow under the dogs skin, which can lead to extreme itching, hair loss, and scabbing.
Signs Your Pet Has Seasonal Allergies And What You Can Do To Help
Some days it seems like you step outside into a thick cloud of pollen, ragweed, or even worse, mold. Hello, seasonal allergies!
Thankfully humans have remedies that let us enjoy the outdoors without itchy eyes and inflamed sinuses. But what about your pet? If you notice your pet is scratching themselves, sneezing more than normal, licking their paws, or shedding worse than before, they too could be suffering from seasonal allergies.
Are There Hypoallergenic Pets
All dogs and cats can cause allergy symptoms. People with dog or cat allergies may tolerate some breeds more than others. People may think those breeds are hypoallergenic, but a truly non-allergic dog or cat does not exist.
You can be allergic to the animals skin cells, urine, and/or saliva. These have different proteins your immune system may react to. Research is looking into if there is a way to change the proteins so that they dont trigger symptoms.
When choosing a pet, consider fostering one first to see if you have an allergic reaction. Another option is to choose pets that do not have fur or feathers. Fish, snakes, or turtles are some good choices.
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What Is Inhalant Allergy And How Is It Treated
The term inhalant allergy in the dog is often used as a synonym for atopy. The main inhalant allergens are tree pollens , grass pollens, weed pollens , molds, mildew, and house dust mites. Many of these allergies occur seasonally, such as ragweed, cedar, and grass pollens. However, others such as molds, mildew, and house dust mites occur year-round. When humans inhale these allergens, the resulting allergy primarily manifests with upper respiratory signs: runny eyes, runny nose, and sneezing . Although sometimes the symptoms of allergies include allergic rhinitis or bronchitis, in most dogs, inhalant allergy manifests with itchy skin . Due to these clinical signs, the condition is also called inhalant allergic dermatitis. The dog may rub its face, lick its feet and scratch the axillae .
“Symptoms of atopy can be controlled but a permanent cure is not usually possible.”
Most dogs that have inhalant allergy start showing signs between one and three years of age. Affected dogs will often react to several allergens and often experience concurrent flea or food allergies. If the offending allergens can be identified by intradermal skin tests or blood tests, the dog should be protected from exposure to them as much as possible. Because most of these allergens are environmental, this is difficult and recurrent bouts are likely. Symptoms of atopy can be controlled but a permanent cure is not usually possible.
Home Remedies For Dog Allergies Start With Change
If your dog suffers from allergies, your first port of call should always be to eliminate the allergens as much as possible. This could mean keeping an extra clean house to avoid house dust mites or switching to a hypoallergenic dog food diet.
Sometimes relatively small lifestyle changes can make a big difference to you and your dog.
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What Is Flea Or Insect Bite Allergy And How Is It Treated
Insect bite allergy is the exaggerated inflammatory response to the bite or sting of an insect. Arachnids such as spiders and ticks, and insects including fleas, blackflies, deerflies, horseflies, mosquitoes, ants, bees, hornets and wasps, can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive dogs.
Flea saliva is by far the most common insect allergen in dogs, causing flea allergy dermatitis . Most dogs experience minor local irritation from flea bites. The FAD dog will react to a single bite with severe local itching. A dog with FAD will bite and scratch itself and may remove large amounts of hair, especially in the tail-base region. A secondary bacterial infection may develop in the areas of broken skin.
“Because one flea can be a problem for a dog with FAD, strict flea control is essential.”
Why Is My Dog Itching So Much And Losing Hair
Itching and scratching is a common response to several allergens. If your pet is allergic to flea bites and saliva, your dog will become acutely itchy. They will scratch themselves so much that there is potential for them to pull their own hair out.
If you suspect any evidence of a flea bite, take your dog in for a visit. To help heal dog skin allergies, treatment may include medication to help kill fleas or provide relief against the irritant.
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Groom Your Pet Regularly
Let`s face it, most dog owners do not bathe their dogs as required, usually due to a lack of time, or not enjoying the chore of grooming.
Either way failing to bathe your dog will contribute to the build-up of allergens in your dogs coat.
Regular brushing can also be great to loosen and remove dead skin cells, but if you already have allergy symptoms then breathing the loosened particles can give you a nasty reaction so wear a mask while you brush.
According to the Humane Society, bathing your dog at least once a week is sufficient to reduce the number of allergens in your dog by 84%.
Though a simple dip and scrubbing with plain water can do, it`s recommended that you bathe your dog using the a good dander shampoo.
Shampoo is not only essential for removing dander, but some have ingredients to improve your dogs skin, which in turn lowers the amount of dander produced.
Read our article about anti-itch shampoos for dogs to find out more.
How To Live With Allergies And Pets
Millions of people enjoy sharing their homes and their lives with pets, even those who are allergic to animals. Unfortunately, some people believe that once they are diagnosed with a pet allergy, they have no choice but to remove their pets from their family.
Thankfully, there are many solutions that can be explored that would allow an allergy sufferer to keep their beloved pets while successfully managing their allergies. You’d be surprised to know how many people with allergies that aren’t life-threatening are able to live happily with their pets.
In many cases, the benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks of pet allergies.
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Try A Hypoallergenic Dog Shampoo
Autri Taheri / Unsplash
Baths help to control the amount of allergens on your dogs skin. Vets Best Allergy Itch Relief Shampoo for Dogs ranks high on our list of favorite shampoos for dogs with skin allergies. The formula was guided by veterinarians, and it contains essential skin-soothing ingredients like aloe, oatmeal, and tea tree oil.
How Veterinarians Diagnose Grass Allergies In Dogs
Your veterinarian will obtain a complete history regarding the symptoms present in your dog, including symptom duration, severity, seasonality, and treatment .
The next step would be a thorough examination of the haircoat and skin. The distribution of hair loss, any lesions on the skin such as pimples, rashes, dry or oily skin scratches due to itching, redness, or skin irritation will help determine the diagnosis.
Treatment can be initiated based on clinical symptoms alone, without any testing needed, depending on the case. If topical or conservative treatments are not effective, further testing may be needed.
Your primary veterinarian can perform serum blood testing for allergies. However, the gold standard of allergy testing and the one test that provides the most accurate result is called an Intradermal Skin Test, which is performed by a veterinary dermatologist. The intradermal test is usually performed under mild sedation. One side of the dogs abdomen is shaved, and specific allergens are injected.
The area is monitored for the presence of hives, indicating an allergic reaction to the specific allergen injected in that location. If the allergens are identified, treatment is designed specifically for the individual pet.
Another option is hyposensitization therapy, which consists of micro-dosing the pet with the allergen to build up resistance over time.
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Pet Allergy: Are You Allergic To Dogs Cats Or Other Animals
About 7 out of 10 of households in the United States have a pet.1 But many people have animal allergies, especially people who have other allergies or asthma. Allergies to cats and dogs affect 10 to 20% of the worlds population.2
Allergies to pets with fur, such as cats and dogs, are common. Even rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, and horses can cause allergy symptoms. People can also be allergic to animals with feathers .
When you have a pet allergy, you are not allergic to the pets hair, fur, or feathers. You are allergic to the protein that is found in the pets dander saliva, and urine. The hair, fur, or feathers collect the dander. It can also carry other allergens like dust mites, mold, and pollen. When those proteins get into your airways, eyes, nose, mouth, or on your skin, it triggers allergy symptoms.
Treatment For Food Allergies
The treatment for food allergies in dogs is to feed a hypoallergenic diet for 8-12 weeks. This is the only way to determine if your dog has a food allergy.
Hypoallergenic diets either have limited ingredients with an uncommon protein source or are processed in a special way to be less likely to cause allergic reactions. The concept is that a dog cannot be allergic to a food that it has not been exposed to before.
Consult your veterinarian to choose the proper diet. Over-the-counter foods are not recommended for a proper food trial. Treats, flavored medications, and human foods may also have to be eliminated during this trial period.
Other allergy treatment for dogs are aimed at reducing the symptoms while waiting to see if the diet change is helpful. Cytopoint, Apoquel, or steroids may be used to help control itching while waiting to see if a hypoallergenic food trial results in improvement of your dogs allergy symptoms.
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Pet Seasonal Allergy Symptoms To Look For
Dogs and cats show similar allergy symptoms as humans, yet they experience them most through their skin. Excessive scratching likely means itchy, irritated skin. Here are a few more symptoms to watch out for:
- Scratching and biting their coat or skin
- Red, inflamed, or infected skin
- Excessive shedding
- Compulsive paw licking in dogs
- Chronic ear infections or red, waxy ears
- Respiratory issues, such as difficulty breathing, coughing, or wheezing
Treatment Of Allergic Reactions
Your veterinarian will threat most allergic reactions the same regardless of the allergen. They might use an injection of an antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine as well as an injection of a corticosteroid, such as dexamethasone. In rarer, more severe cases, additional therapeutics, such as oxygen supplementation and epinephrine, and additional monitoring of blood pressure as well as heart rate and rhythm may be warranted.
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Dog Skin Allergies: From Ringworm In Dogs To Canine Atopic Dermatitis
The majority of allergies in dogs manifest on the skin, whether or not the allergen has come into direct contact with the skin. This can make it tricky to diagnose the cause of the dog skin allergy.
It is important to pay close attention to the allergic reaction, especially when and where it occurs.
What Is Food Allergy And How Is It Treated
Food allergy or food hypersensitivity can develop to almost any protein or carbohydrate component of food. It most commonly develops in response to protein of the food dairy products, beef, wheat gluten, chicken, chicken eggs, lamb, and soy are commonly associated with food allergies in dogs. Food allergy can develop at almost any age. Food allergy may produce any of the clinical signs previously discussed including itching, digestive disorders, and respiratory distress. A dog may have multiple types of allergy, such as both food allergy and atopy making the exact diagnosis of a dogâs itching quite challenging.
“Food allergy typically does not respond well to corticosteroids or other medical treatments.”
Food allergy typically does not respond well to corticosteroids or other medical treatments. Treatment requires identifying the offending component of the diet and eliminating them. The most accurate way of testing for food allergies is with an elimination diet trial using a hypoallergenic diet. Because it takes at least eight weeks for all other food products to be eliminated from the body, the dog must eat the special diet exclusively for eight to twelve weeks. If a positive response and improvement of your pet’s clinical signs occurs, your veterinarian will advise you on how to proceed.
“If the diet is not fed exclusively, it will not be a valid test.”
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Food Allergies In Dogs
Food allergies are not nearly as common in dogs as most pet parents think they are in fact, food allergies only account for 10% of allergy-afflicted pets.
However, its still important to consider food allergies when figuring out whats causing your dogs symptoms. Your pup may be have an allergic reaction to just one ingredient, or several and new food allergies can develop over time. This is similar to humans who are allergic to peanuts or shellfish theres nothing inherently wrong with the foods, its just that some individuals develop an allergy.
Common food allergens include proteins found in beef, lamb, chicken, soy, or wheat.
Dog food allergy symptoms often show up as digestive problems, but they also commonly cause skin issues that mimic environmental allergens.
Its also important to note your pet may have symptoms due to a food intolerance. This is different from a true allergy because the immune system is not involved, so some allergy treatments wont work for food intolerance. Instead, difficulty digesting or processing a certain ingredient may be to blame.
Use Dander Removal Spray
For whatever reasons, you might find that bathing your dog is a grueling task.
If that`s so, using a dander spray remover is your next best option, they are extremely easy to use, and are recommended by vets and allergists.
Dander spray contains natural enzymes, which are responsible for fighting pet dander as well as reducing the pet odors.
The spray is handy, especially for pet owners who are expecting visitors who are allergic to dogs, and studies have found vastly reduced dander loads in homes where the spray is used weekly.
Most sprays come with a set of grooming gloves, so you just spray your dogs coat and brush them over with the gloves once a week easy!
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Dog Allergies Caused By Food
Dogs can develop a food allergy or food hypersensitivity at any age, and to any carbohydrate or protein component of their food. Antihistamines and steroids are usually not effective in treating a food allergy in dogs.
Instead, to identify and treat food allergies in dogs, most veterinarians recommend an elimination diet that will cut out specific ingredients, one at a time.
Once you identify the allergen, you can then eliminate that specific component from your dogs diet for good.
Your vet will advise you of the best way to carry out this diet. It is essential that you stick to the diet all the way through, even if your dogs symptoms subside. Treats and supplements are also components of the exclusion diet.
Dog Allergy Testing Worth It
If youre considering getting a dog, but are worried about allergies, you may be wondering if dog allergy testing is worth it. The short answer is yes! Dog allergy testing can provide valuable information that can help you make an informed decision about whether or not to get a specific breed of dog. Heres how it works:
A small amount of the allergen is injected into your skin. If youre allergic to the allergen, youll experience redness, swelling, and itching at the injection site within 15 minutes. If theres no reaction, its unlikely that youre allergic to that particular allergen. Dog allergy testing isnt foolproof, but it can give you a good idea of which breeds of dogs are likely to cause an allergic reaction. And even if you do have an allergic reaction to a certain breed of dog, there are ways to manage your allergies .
So dont let allergies stand in your way of getting a furry friend talk to your doctor about dog allergy testing today!
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How To Treat Allergic Reactions In Dogs
Dr. Bartley Harrison is a veterinarian with more than 15 years of professional veterinary experience treating dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, birds, and small mammals, with a specific focus on Emergency Medicine. Dr. Harrison is part of The Spruce Pets veterinary review board.
Getty Images – kozorog
Just like people, dogs can have allergies to a variety of things. This means that their immune system can be extra sensitive to various types of allergens. Usually when people speak about allergies in dogs, they are referring to a food allergy or something called canine atopic dermatitis. Unfortunately, dogs can also experience acute allergic reactions. Often, when your dog has an allergic reaction to something you won’t know what caused the reactionjust that there is one.
Managing Dog Seasonal Allergies With Nutrition
Another option for treating your dog’s seasonal allergies is through nutrition. Certain therapeutic dog foods are specially formulated to help manage your dog’s skin allergies. These can be an excellent option to supplement or even replace the need for more expensive medications. The best part? It’s as easy as feeding your dog as you normally would! Be sure to talk to your veterinarian if there are nutritional options for your dog. Make sure to properly transition your dog’s food if a therapeutic food is recommended by your veterinarian.
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