Dog Healthcare: Skin Allergies

Dog Healthcare: Skin Allergies
The last type of cause for your dog's skin irritation is allergies. This can be the most frustrating issue to diagnose because you need to identify if the problem originates from environmental, food, or flea allergies.


Environmental allergies will often have your dog chewing his side, back, or belly creating bald inflamed patches of skin called hot spots. Does your dog like swimming in ponds, or lakes, or hang out in the rain? The frequent moisture can be a contributor, especially with dense coated dogs. A type of hot spot is moist eczema, where the skin lesions occur from moisture on the skin that remained long enough to allow bacteria to reproduce.


Different types of grass and thistles have been a common cause of flare-ups for dogs with an environmental allergy. Dust mites, or pollen could be the root of the problem. Is the lawn at the dog park sprayed with pesticides?


Environmental allergies are hard to identify without the help of proper testing. If you have ruled out any patterns of hot spots coinciding with your dog's daily activities and are still at a loss of the cause, then you can get a VARL blood test done at the vet. The VARL test results will give you the break down of the environmental distresses to your dog. It gives a ranking of 1-10 on how allergic your dog is to each plant in your area. VARL then offers specialized allergy shots customized to the results.


If it turns out your dog is allergic to sun exposure (common in white purebreds), or grass, then there are companies who design special dog sweaters, sunscreen, and boots to protect him. You can spray Betegen Spray directly on his hot spots to alleviate the burn sensation. Betegen Spray can sometimes be found without a prescription at pet stores or sold over the counter at vet hospitals.

Dog Food allergies will have your puppy chewing at the center of his paws, shaking his head due to chronic ear infections, and scratching wildly at his whiskers. Identify what kind of kibble you are feeding him. What type of treats does he eat? Is he receiving any food scraps?


Most food allergy skin irritations are derived from a hypersensitivity to the protein in the diet. To run a food trial you need to completely switch him from the protein he is currently eating to a kibble of an entirely different protein. The new food should be fed consistently for 10 to 16 weeks to see the full effect. NO treats, bones, or scraps should be given during this process because even the smallest amount of conflicting protein will totally eradicate the effects of the food trial.

Meanwhile, you should be rinsing out his ears with Chlorhexiderm Flush. You can find this at every pet store. It is always a good idea to flush his ears out before and after he goes swimming or gets bathed. Dogs have L-shaped ear canals that go beyond the reach of the common Q-tip. Water gets trapped in the lower part of the canal and this is how bacteria and yeast infections develop. Dogs with food allergies get an overgrowth of their body's normal yeast growth so they are exceptionally prone to yeast infections in their ears. You can tell by the distinct chalky smell.

Spray the inside of his paws with Betegen Spray as often as once a day to clear up the pink inflammation. Elizabethan collars and baby socks make it harder for your dog to gnaw at his paws.


If the food allergy is out of your control, then the vet may prescribe Prednisolone, which is an anti-inflammatory steroid medication used to control the side effects of the allergy. Most are given in tapering doses. You will notice your dog having to urinate much more frequently on this med. Steroids are very powerful and can have lasting negative effects on his internal organs, especially if they are given frequently over long periods of time. If you give him Prednisolone only a few times while he is young, then the lasting effects are less risky. The vet will also give you Mometamax to drop into his ears to alleviate the inflammation and irritation. You may get some antibiotics as well. A cortisone shot will eliminate your dog's symptoms for nearly a month at a time but can be extremely harsh on his liver.

Flea Allergies can look like a rash, hot spots, or small red scabs and welts. Your dog may act obsessive with chewing and itching even if no fleas are living in his fur. Your dog's whole reaction can be ignited by only one fleabite if he has flea allergies.


It is best to use the preventative measures mentioned earlier to ensure that your dog will not have to worry about a single flea affecting him. If you have ruled out the other two allergies and are certain your dog has a flea allergy then there is no need to set up an appointment at the vet. The vet would just sell you a prescription flea shampoo but a soothing aloe and oatmeal shampoo will work just as well.

If your dog's skin and coat are not in optimal condition then the right measures should be taken to relieve your pets annoying Dermatitis inflammation. Discomfort causes stress and unease, which can lead to many other health issues. If left untreated, any skin irritation can become dangerous if it gets infected. He will thank you when he can finally sleep through the night again without having to scratch himself to shreds! End of - Dog Healthcare: Skin Allergies