At times you would see your dog scratching or chewing and might think of it as a common behavior among dogs. But in reality these actions may not be a common behavioral pattern for your dog. It can also be a symptom of some allergy. In order to detect whether your dog is having an allergy or not, you need to have a thorough knowledge about the symptoms of every dog allergy that can affect your dear pet. Causes and symptoms of dog allergies are very similar to those of human allergies.
Here are the five types of allergies that could affect your dog:
Food Allergy in Dog:
Your dog might be allergic to some of the ingredients in dog food. In some cases the dog might develop an allergy to food like Beef, Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Fish, Egg, Milk, Grains or Corn also.
Food allergy might make your dog scratch more. Apart from scratching, food allergy might also make your dog sneeze, cough, itch around the anus, lose appetite, paw at their ears, shake head frequently, vomit or breathe heavily. It might also lead to an excess of hair loss, diarrhea and eye and nose discharge in your dog.
Look out for any of these symptoms. If observed then take your dog to a veterinarian and get the check up done.
Atopy or Inhalant Allergy in Dogs:
Atopy is considered a common allergy among dogs. This is caused by environmental factors like dust mites, molds, house dust, human dander, feathers or pollen. Signs of atopy include excessive chewing, licking and scratching at the face, paws, abdomen, armpits and genital area.
It is difficult to distinguish this allergy from other dog allergies because the symptoms of this allergy are similar to those of other allergies. But if you observe your dog’s paws and armpits carefully you will notice Reddish-brown stains due to excessive licking. The most accurate method of testing for atopy is Intradermal Skin Testing.
Flea Allergy in Dogs:
Flea Allergy is caused not by fleas but by flea saliva. Scratching the tail area, which would cause excess of hair loss, is the usual symptom of flea allergy. Your dog’s veterinarian can easily diagnose a flea allergy by checking for the presence of fleas in the dog’s coat.
Bacterial Allergy in Dogs:
Dog’s skin harbors Staph bacteria. In usual cases this bacteria has no affect on your dog but at times your dog might develop allergy to this bacteria. When you find crusts on your dog’s skin or patches of hair loss due to scratching, then you should get your dog detected for Bacterial allergy.
Contact Allergies in Dogs:
Contact allergy is the least common allergy in dogs. Contact allergens from plastic food bowls, pet sweaters, plants, grass or wool bedding. This type of allergy produces swelling, redness, itching and hair loss.
If you observe a consistent annoying behavior in your dog, then it is highly likely that your dog is having an allergy. In such cases get medical help as early as possible.
