People have allergies. Dogs have them, too. Both myself and my dog, Roxie suffers from the seasonal variety. When spring is blooming, we're hurting and it's not fun for either of us. Only last year, I found out that Roxie had allergies. Her skin had been flaking and on the underside of her belly, she had a wicked looking rash. Her paws were all red and swollen as well. I finally took her to the vet when I realized it wasn't going away. The vet put her on medication that I had to administer twice a day and gave me a special medicated shampoo to wash her in twice a week for a minimum of ten minutes. Because of this, I did a lot of research into the remedies for dog allergies. We all know there is no magic cure, so when I found out that Roxie suffered from allergies, I knew this would be a yearly cost and time issue.
WebMD has a good article summarizing the issue at hand. They said that while people suffer from upper respiratory issues, dog allergies usually manifest themselves as a skin reaction. Allergic contact dermatitis is the medical term for this skin reaction. It is caused by a chemical or irritant on the skin and can be caused from soaps, synthetic fibers, grass, pollen, insecticides, etc. My veterinarian recommended the use of Dreft laundry detergent, which is used for baby's clothes as it is very gentle on the skin. She also suggested that we use unscented baby wipes to wipe the paws and belly of our dog to help remove some of the pollen. The other recommendations are similar to that of humans. Vacuum the house frequently, wash bedding and clothing in hot water to remove allergens, etc.
Food Allergies are another common allergy in dogs. If the dog is allergic to an ingredient in the food, they can suffer from severe itching. The way to pinpoint the cause of the food allergy is to put the dog on a hypoallergenic test diet, which has a limited number of ingredients. Simply switching dog food brands proves inadequate to test as dog food contains many ingredients and you will have trouble locating the source of the issue.
Allergies represent one of the many health issues dogs can suffer, and in my own experience, it is costly and time-consuming. It is important to be pro-active about the health of your dog as it can prevent complications. Allergic reactions of the skin can turn into infections if left untreated. Allergies in dogs can make them feel just as miserable as people, so it is important to seek treatment if you notice skin problems on your dog.
I never really thought about dogs being ones to have allergies, but now that I think about it, why not? It is sad that your dog had such a bad reaction and that now you will have to continually provide extra care and money to make sure your dog is comfortable. I can't imagine a poor dog having such bad allergies as yours and the owner not being able to provide the extra care that would need. Out of curiosity, are there any other symptoms that your are aware of that a dog may contain during an allergic reaction. Usually during an allergic reaction with people their skin becomes blotchy but this may be hard to see on pet dog.
ReplyDeleteDogs mostly have skin issues and other allergy related symptoms are related to the skin issues, such as scabbing and excessive licking of the paws. They can experience wheezing, ear infections, and lethargy though. While I can see it being hard to identify skin issues on extremely hairy dogs, you can usually see skin problems on the belly of the dog as they have less hair in this area. On my dog, her back also gets bumpy appearance but she is short-haired so it's easy to tell. It is sad that this is something we will have to deal with for the rest of her life, but I wouldn't have it any other way! I love her to death and am glad that I am able to do it for her.
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