Canine Allergies - Does Your Dog Have An Allergy?
By Matthew Seigneur, Fri Dec 9th

Canine - Does your dog have an Allergy? Did you knowthat your dog can have allergies, just like you?

The most common dog allergy is itching of the skin. Theirrespiratory tract can also be affected causing them to wheeze,sneeze, and/or cough. You may even notice a discharge from theireyes and nose. In some cases, the digestive system can beaffected which will cause them to vomit or have diarrhea.

In the United States around 20 percent of the dogs suffer fromsome type of allergy. Some of the might be allergic tofleas, atopic dermatitis, to food, to something in the air, to some thing they come in contactwith or a bacterial allergy.

Atopic Dermatitis

This canine allergy is caused by the dog’s immune systemhypersensitivity to common substance around them, such as dustmites or mold. Atopic Dermatitis is an allergic skin diseasethat usually appears within the first two years of a dog’s life.

Watch your dog for grooming excessively, by licking or chewinghis back legs, paws, and abdomen, these are signs that he maysuffer from atopic dermatitis. Another way to check is to see ifhis ears are reddened and hot to the touch.

There are signs that are not as noticeable like in the armpits,groin, and between the toes of his paws. Saliva staining isanother sign of atopic dermatitis. It appears as a reddish brownstain. If the case becomes severe, the skin may change color,especially the abdomen, from a pink to a dark red to a very darkblack.

It can be difficult to diagnose because flea allergy, foodallergy and parasitic infections have some of the same signs.After you have ruled out the three above from you listyou may then need to have your dogs skin tested for allergiessuch as dust mites, pollens, and mold. After your vet hasdetermined the cause of the atopic dermatitis he can recommendtreatment. Flea Allergy

No the flea is not the real allergy here, it is the fleassaliva. Your vet can perform a skin allergy test to determine ifyour dog is allergic to flea saliva. If he is then a regularstrict flea control regimen is required to reduce your dog’ssymptoms. But, be sure to use the chemicals with caution, assome can harm your dog. Inhalant Allergy (allergies to something in the air)

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are caused by the same things that causeallergies in humans, tree, grass, weed, dust mites, molds, andchemicals.

Any dog is susceptible to inhalant allergies, but the mostcommon dogs affected are terriers, golden retrievers, poodles,dalmations, German shepherds, Chinese Shar-peis, shih tzus,lhasa apsos, pugs, Irish setters, and minature schnauzers.

If you notice your dog chewing at his feet and constantlylicking then he may have inhalant allergies. Other commonsymptoms include biting, and scratching. The worst itching willbe on his feet, hind legs, groin and armpits.

Inhalant are often associated with recurring earinfections in you dog. Food Allergy

Food that your dog may have eaten for years may become a foodallergy. So, this type of allergy is often overlooked.

Dogs usually cannot tolerate fish, eggs, whey, milk, chicken,pork, beef, corn, wheat, soy products, chemical preservatives,and artificial sugars in their meal.

It may take a long while to determine the food allergen. A wayto find the allergen is to put your dog on a diet that consistsof protein and starch that your dog has not eaten before.

Start adding back the ingredients of the dog food you have beenfeeding him, spreading this out over a week. If the symptomsreturn then you should be able to determine the food allergen.

Then look for a dog food that does not contain the allergen.Symptoms of food in your dog may be scratching atears, shaking of the head, itchy skin, licking and biting theirback legs, rubbing their face on carpet, inflammation in theirears, coughing and in rare cases vomiting, sneezing, anddiarrhea. Contact Allergy (allergies to some thing they come incontact with)

This is the least common type of in dogs. Some of thecommon items that may cause a reaction are wood bedding, grass,plants, and flea collars. Bacterial Allergy

There are several different types of Staphylococcus (Staph)living on your dog’s skin. That is normal! Most dogs do notdevelop an allergy to them, but some dogs might.

Bacterial will cause hair loss that looks similar toring worm. The areas that are infected need to be treated withantibiotics.

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