Have you begun to see your dog itching and scratching excessively? Is the itching creating exposed wounds and loss of fur on your best friend? If so, this is a good sign that your dog may well be suffering from dog allergies. Dogs do not show the standard blotchy eyes and a runny nose like people do when we are dealing with an allergy. Other warning signs could involve extreme licking of a given area, or gnawing their paws until they bleed.

What Are The Causes of Skin Allergies in Dogs?

An allergy can occur when a dog's immune system excessively reacts to particular substances. The body will then manufacture antibodies as a form of protection when the cause of an allergy enters the body. The antibodies will then join to immune cells in the skin and other organs of the body. As a result, when the allergens progressively breach tissue surfaces, the antibodies incite the immune cells to discharge virulent chemicals (called histamines) into the surrounding tissue. This will then lead to irritation and itching in the dog.

There are several factors to investigate when trying to locate the cause of allergies in dogs. An allergy which affects a dog's skin is generally triggered by at least one of these: airborne allergens, fleas, and food.

Flea Dermatitis sometimes referred to as Flea Allergy is normally caused by saliva from a flea. That's the reason it's so important to rid your dog of fleas frequently.

Atopic allergy is triggered by the inhaling of airborne allergens in the environment, like mold spores, pollen, cigarette smoke and dust, instigate atopic allergies. If a pet has pollen allergies, it will show symptoms, even if you keep it in the house as the particles will migrate inside. Coughing, wheezing and sneezing generally are symptoms of this form of allergy.

Food allergies are the third most frequent variety of dog allergy. The most probable causes for food allergies in dogs consist of: soy, milk, chicken, corn, beef, eggs and wheat. Diarrhea and Vomiting generally go along with this sort of allergy.

Contact allergy is the least seen variety of dog allergy and is brought about by contacting something. Triggers may include plastic, wool and grass. A few pets may suffer from allergic reactions to certain chemicals in the household, but this is less common.

How to Diagnose Dog Allergies

A veterinarian might be able to diagnose the problem, however,although it may take a process of elimination to uncover the root of the dog’s allergy and might perhaps refer the dog to a veterinarian dermatologist. In the case where fleas are ruled out, your pet may be put on an elimination food regimen for 10 weeks. Your dog is given food it hasn’t had in the past, for instance, poultry, lamb, and potatoes, with the past food being brought back in stages until the allergy returns.

The allergen is believed to be at least one ingredient if the dogs scratching drops by about fifty percent of what it was before. When testing for atopic and contact skin allergies, vets use an intradermal allergy test that works by slightly sedating the animal with slight quantities of potential allergens that are injected into the skin on the shaved section. If your pet is allergic to a certain substance, the skin will become inflamed surrounding the area of injection.

Treatments for Dog Allergies

Keeping your pet away from allergens and treating the symptoms of dog allergies are the top methods of treatment. Treatments that include steroids and antihistamines may be prescribed to ease symptoms of scratching and swelling in dogs, although like all drugs they might come with unwanted side effects and the lasting effects are still undetermined.

Extensive use of steroids is not advocated as these treatments function by restraining the immune system. Extensive steroid use over time could leave your dog defenseless against diabetes, infections and other conditions.

Natural Remedies

Luckily for dog owners, there are many non-toxic and all natural herbal and homeopathic remedies for dogs afflicted with skin problems.

Althaea officinalis root is an excellent and commonly accepted remedy for reinvigorating the skin while Melaleuca alternifolia commonly used externally to stimulate healthy skin and keeping your pet’s skin clean. Homeopathic remedies such as Apis and Ledum have great healing characteristics and are particularly useful in healing reddened and itchy skin, or minor bites and wounds.