Skin allergies are a common skin problem in dogs; they can occur at any time and usually appear suddenly.
Common symptoms of a skin allergy include severe itching and licking which can result in red and inflamed skin and dog hair loss, eye and nasal discharge and sneezing. Continual dog scratching can lead to broken skin where infection can set in.
Ensure that flea and worming treatment is up to date to rule out this as a causal factor. It is important that you use brands recommended by your vet as cheap brands are often ineffective.
Food allergies have similar symptoms too so this would also need to be ruled out. This usually requires food allergy tests where a special diet is fed to help determine the problem food. However seek veterinary advice before attempting to drastically change your dog’s diet as it is important to ensure that your dog is fed a nutritionally balanced diet.
Skin allergies are often caused by dust mites, insects, pollen or chemical agents. Allergy skin tests or blood tests may be conducted to determine the possible allergens.
As with all allergies, skin allergies cannot be cured but effective treatments can help to control and reduce dog scratching and other symptoms. Antihistamines may be prescribed and essential fatty acid dog supplements can also help to control the irritation such as Yumega Dog. Steroids may also be given, however it is important that you understand the serious side effects that can occur with long term use of this drug.
Immunotherapy is also an option which should be discussed with your vet. This involves injecting the allergen into the skin in small doses which are gradually increased to build a resistance. However this treatment can be required for a year and is only recommended in severe cases.
Helping to reduce the allergen from the environment is also very effective, therefore regularly vacuum and clean dog bedding. Use anti dust mite sprays, reduce the temperature of the rooms as dust mites thrive in warm heat and keep dogs out of bedrooms. If you use certain household products on or around areas your dog regularly spends time then stop using the product to see if there is an improvement in dog hair loss and other symptoms.
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