Dog Allergies Symptoms | How to Treat Dog Allergies

Does your furry friend itch, scratch, lick or chew themselves excessively? If they do, these could all be signs that your dog suffers from allergies. Allergies are fairly common in dogs and affect their skin and ears the most. Humans often outgrow their allergies, but when it comes to dogs, the allergies tend to get worse as they age. So, what exactly are allergies?
An allergy is a state of hypersensitivity or over-reactivity of the immune system to a specific substance known as an allergen. Allergies are a reaction to foreign substances in the immune system, which pets and people can both suffer from. Most allergens come from foods, animals, insects, or plants.
How common are allergies in dogs?
Unfortunately, allergies are common in dogs of all sizes, breeds, and backgrounds. Most allergies develop after six months, with dogs being mostly affected over the age of one or two. This means you might not know your dog has an allergy until they are a little older.
Can Dogs Inherit Allergies?
The short answer is yes; your dog can inherit an allergy from their parents. The most commonly inherited allergy is allergies to pollen and plants or atopy, which is an issue with the immune system that makes the dog more likely to develop allergic disease. In some cases, food allergies can be passed down from parent to pup. If the parent dog had an allergy to a specific food, and their pup eats that food, that could also have an allergic reaction.
Types of Allergies in Dogs
Dogs can suffer from quite a few different allergies like food allergies, skin allergies, contact allergies, and environmental allergies. These all pose a challenge for the pup and their owner, and to make things even trickier, the symptoms of these various allergies often overlap with each other and other conditions.
Here is everything you need to know about dog allergies and how to relieve them if your precious pooch suffers from any of them.
Skin Allergies
Skin allergies are the most common kind of allergic reaction. Skin allergies, also known as dermatitis, can be caused by fleas, food, or environmental allergens. Let’s have a look at these in more detail.
Flea allergy dermatitis is caused by fleabites. Some pups are allergic to flea saliva, which makes them very itchy. The itching often occurs at the base of their tail and causes the skin to become inflamed, red, and scabby.
Allergies to certain food could also result in itchy skin. Food allergies affect the pup’s ears and paws and are often followed by gastrointestinal issues.
Environmental allergens like mold, dust, and pollen may cause atopic dermatitis. Environmental allergies are seasonal, so your dog will only be affected at certain times of the year. Just like with food allergies, the ears and paws are most commonly affected. However, environmental allergies could also affect the muzzle, ankles, groin, underarms, and eyes.
All skin allergies could potentially cause a secondary infection. As the dog scratches, licks, or bites their skin, it could cause a lesion exposed to bacterial and yeast infections. This will require additional treatment.
Food Allergies
True food allergies are not as common as people think. However, if your dog suffers from a food allergy, it can result in an immune response that ranges in symptoms from hives, itchiness, facial swelling, diarrhea, vomiting, or a combination of all of them. In rare cases, a severe food allergy could cause anaphylaxis. You may be wondering about the dogs that eat hypoallergenic food. Typically when people say that their dog has an allergy, they are talking about a food sensitivity or food intolerance. Food sensitivities and food allergies are not the same. Food intolerance does not involve an immune response and is a gradual reaction to an ingredient in their food like beef, chicken, eggs, wheat, milk, or corn. If your dog has a food intolerance, they may experience symptoms like itchiness, ear and foot infections, or a dull coat and flaky skin. If you suspect a food allergy, you should check with your vet to assess the symptoms and find the ingredient causing the reaction.
Contact Allergies
Contact allergies are the least common type of allergy in dogs and typically result from direct contact with an allergen. For example, your dog might have a reaction to pesticides used on the lawn, pyrethrins found in flea collars, grasses, or materials like wool or synthetics used in bedding and carpets. Contact allergies can develop at any age to practically anything. Symptoms of contact allergies will be itching and irritated skin at the point of contact.