Sunday, August 21, 2011

Dog Skin Allergy

Have you started to see your dog itching and scratching excessively? Is the itching creating open cuts and disappearance of fur on your canine pal? If so, this is a possible warning sign that your pet might be distressed by a dog skin allergy. Dogs don't get the characteristic reddened eyes and a runny nose similar to what humans do when we are dealing with an allergy. Other warning signs might involve unordinary licking of a specific area, or gnawing their paws until they bleed.

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What Causes A Dog Skin Allergy?

An allergy occurs when a dog's immune system overreacts to particular allergens. The body will then produce antibodies as a type of defense when the trigger of the dog's allergy comes into the body. The antibodies will subsequently connect to immune cells in the skin and different body organs. Thus, while the allergens steadily invade the tissue, the antibodies cause immune cells to release powerful chemicals (named histamines) into the nearby tissue. This will then lead to inflammation and itching in the dog.

There are certain factors to investigate when locating the cause of a dog skin allergy. An allergy that affects a dog's skin is typically caused by at least one of the following: food, airborne particles, and fleas.

Flea Allergy sometimes referred to as Flea Dermatitis is generally caused by saliva from a flea. That is why it's extremely important to rid your dog of fleas frequently.

Atopic allergy is triggered by the breathing in of airborne particles in the natural environment, such as dust, tobacco smoke, pollen and mold spores, activate atopic allergies. If a dog is allergic to pollen, the dog will exhibit symptoms, even if you keep it in the house as the particles will move inside. Coughing, sneezing and wheezing frequently go along with this kind of allergy.

Food allergies are the next most frequent variety of allergy in dogs. The most likely culprits for food allergies in dogs consist of: milk, chicken, soy, corn, wheat, beef and eggs. Queasiness and diarrhea in dogs usually accompany this type of allergy.

Contact allergies are the least seen sort of pet allergy and is brought on by contacting something. Triggers may include wool, grass and plastic. A few dogs may suffer from allergic reactions to particular chemicals in the household, however, it is less common.

How Diagnosis for a Dog Skin Allergy is Made

A veterinarian may be able to identify the cause, but it could call for a process of elimination to find the cause of the dog’s allergy and may even refer the dog to a veterinarian dermatologist. In the case where fleas are ruled out, the animal may be put on an elimination diet for ten weeks. Your pet is given food he or she hasn’t eaten in the past, for instance, chicken, venison, and potatoes, with the past food being brought back slowly until the allergy reemerges.

The allergen is believed to be one or more ingredients if the animals scratching lessens by about half of what it was before. When testing for contact and atopic skin allergies, dermatology specialists utilize an intradermal allergy test that operates by mildly anesthetizing the dog with small quantities of potential allergens that are injected into the shaved region of the skin. If your dog is allergic to a certain substance, the skin surrounding the area of the injection will become inflamed.

Treatments for a Dog Skin Allergy

Keeping the dog away from allergens and treating the symptoms of a dog skin allergy are the soundest treatment procedures. Remedies like antihistamines and steroids are frequently suggested to ease effects of scratching and inflammation in pets, although like all medications they could be accompanied by harmful side effects and the lasting effects are unknown.

Continued usage steroids is not recommended for these medicines work by restraining the immune system. Extensive steroid use could eventually leave your dog vulnerable to infections, diabetes and further conditions.

Holistic Treatments for a Dog Skin Allergy

Although there is no cure for skin allergies in dogs, there are plenty of nontoxic and natural remedies to combat the symptoms of a dog skin allergy. Althaea officinalis root is an excellent and well known remedy for soothing the skin while Melaleuca alternifolia is often used externally to stimulate healthy skin and keeping the dog’s skin clear. Homeopathic remedies like Apis and Ledum have exceptional healing qualities and are remarkably helpful in soothing swollen and chafed skin, or small irritations and sores.

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