Allergies in dogs

Allergies are one of the most common complaints among dogowners. Truly, not too many puppies have allergies their firstyear but many are already becoming sensitized to things in theirenvironment. If your puppy already shows signs of allergies, andsome do, don't hesitate to get it treated. You may head off alifetime of trouble if you get a handle on it early. Allergiesget worse every year if left untreated.Allergies usually materialize in the form of small skineruptions, rashes, hair loss, itching, moist or oozingdermatitis, and ear infections. Dogs will over wash themselves,chew, scratch, and rub to alleviate the sensations which in turnmakes them worse. HOW ALLERGIES DEVELOP Allergies are suchthat your dog may be exposed to a pathogen one year and show nooutward signs of ailment...this time. Next time he comes incontact, it will create a reaction, maybe small at first, buteach time he is getting more sensitized and each time thereaction will be a little, or a lot worse. We often hear ownerssaying, "he never had this problem before". Yeah, we know,that's how it works.Dogs can develop allergies to any number of things such asgrass, trees, shrubs, dust mites, molds, and mostcommonly...fleas. If your dog has an allergy to something, itwill take very little to set of a histamine reaction in hisbody. Dogs are most commonly allergic to things their skintouches rather than something they inhale. They may be allergicto pollen but it is usually a contact problem, not an inhalantone like with people.MOST COMMON CAUSE Fleas are the most common cause of allergiesby far. You may not even think your dog has fleas but it couldonly take one bite to set him off. One of the most importantthings you can do is protect him against fleas. Protect himaggressively and often. There are excellent products on themarket now such as Advantage, Frontline, Revolution, andSentinel. A couple of these require simple blood tests beforethey can be used because they also protect against heartworms.You must always make sure your dog is not infected beforestarting on heartworm medication.TREATING FOR FLEAS It is also vital that you treat not only yourpet but also his environment as best you can. Fleas can liveanywhere. They reside quite nicely in your yard, grass, sand,dirt, carpet, bedding and anywhere else you can think of. Andthe are resilient. Persistence is a must. One study showed fleasthat were found in Arctic Turns nests which were thawed out andfound to be still viable after having been frozen for a longtime. The fleas life cycle must be broken to gain any sort ofadvantage at depleting their population. Treat the house, theyard, and your pets. Make sure you use products that are safefor all your pets. Cats and other small animals can be verysensitive to toxins. Please NEVER use over the counter productsunless they are recommended by your veterinarian. Many of theproducts sold in stores are very dangerous and can be deadly,especially to cats.TREATING THE ALLERGY There are many ways to treat your dog if hedevelops allergies. If it is not too bad you may only have minorflare ups in the summer which can be treated with oatmeal bathsand antihistamines. The dogs who really suffer often requireyear round treatment, or at least aggressive treatment throughtheir sensitive times of the year. A regimen may includeinjections of steroids, antihistamine and steroid tablets, aspecial diet, flea products, and frequent soothing baths. FOOD ALLERGIES Less that 10% of dogs who have allergies areallergic to what they eat. We often make that leap on our ownbecause there are so many allergies with the human population.Not so with your dog. While it is quite possible. It is notusually the best place to start looking for solutions. Many dogfood companies have created diets for those dogs who aresensitive to their diets however. Hills and Nature's Recipe areamong the leaders. They make a variety of foods with ingredientsthat your dog won't have come in contact with. They may includevenison, duck, whitefish, lamb, rice and potato. The trick to ruling out a food allergy is to eliminateeverything else they may put in their mouths and it will take upto 60 days to clear everything from their system. You must onlychange their diet but also eliminate treats unless they are justhand outs of the same biscuits he gets at meals. You must havehim eat from stainless bowls. You must remove any chew toys,like rawhides, and cows hooves. This sounds easy but it must bemaintained without hesitation or fail or else it will all be fornot. Any contact will set you back to the beginning. ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGIES Dogs and usually allergic to more thanone antigen. Most will react to varying degrees to a number ofdifferent things the come in contact with. While dogs are oftenallergic to pollens, it is not usually due to inhalation, butdue to contact with the skin. If your dog has a severesensitivity to grass for instance, you may need to wash off hisfeet every time he comes in from outside. Even just rinsing themwill help prevent further involvement. He may need baths severaltimes a week but only with specific types of treatments anddirection from the veterinarian. The wrong things couldaggravate instead of help the problem.Dog allergies usually come in the form of dermatitis, some formof skin inflamation, itching, redness, hair loss, scratching,oozing, and ear infections. The animals are truly miserable andinconsolable. If you can get by with a few treatments in aseason you should consider yourself lucky as allergies go. Ifyou have a dog who is sensitive to something all year or hypersensitive at certain times of the year you may need to exploreallergy testing and injections.ALLERGY TESTING Allergy testing is the best way to determinewhat exactly you are battling and how best to handle it. Thetests are done either in the form of skin testing where part ofthe dog is shaved and tiny amounts of possible allergens areinjected under or applied to the skin to see what he might reactto. The areas are checked regularly for signs of reaction.Another is a blood test where the dogs blood is drawn and sentto a special laboratory who just does this type of blood work.The results can take a week or two but the answers come withoutfurther insult to the dogs skin. An blood test will tell you not only what they are allergic to,but HOW allergic they are. It will show a titer, or a number outof normal range to help you and the vet understand how severe itis. The test will cover 20 or more different possible pathogenswhich are prominent in your part of the country and test theblood to all of them. You can also test for food allergies thisway. One other benefit of blood testing is that you have not only thevet and his experience but you also have the laboratory to helpguide him with their vast and focused expertise. The labs willguide you through the many types of treatments that may be doneat home and by the vet. ANTIGEN THERAPY Once the blood work has determined what the dogis allergic to, the lab can make an antigen therapy which thedog will undergo to begin de-sensitizing him. The antigen vialwill contain an injectable and sterile form of what the dog isallergic to. Tiny amounts are injected under the skin andregular intervals and strengths to allow the dogs body to startto build a tolerance to it. This can take months and may have tobe done every so often to maintain the effect but it is the mostpromising form of treatment.If your dog has severe allergies you and your vet will becomewell acquainted so make sure you and your dog are comfortablewith them and their office. Allergies can be expensive,infuriating, frustrating, and time consuming but they can almostalways be alleviated.For more information about dogs http://puppys-place.com/