Children with horrendous allergies are featured in the Press from time to time and most of us know someone suffering from assorted allergies varying from the seasonal variety, like hay fever in the summer to the more depressing dust allergy in winter. The wintery dust usually starts flying when the heating goes on and the windows stay shut.
But what about animals? Don’t they suffer too?
The answer is that yes, they do, unfortunately.
Dog allergies, for example, can be related to food, fleas, shampoo, even the type of collar they are wearing.
Allergic to his owner?
In a more extreme case the dog allergy could be caused by you, his owner, or something you are wearing. Pollens, mold, dust and some of the ingredients in food have been known to cause a dog problems.
Dogs with food allergies may need to go on a special diet until the nature of the problem has been detected and resolved. It is important to point out that dogs with allergies, or suspected allergies, need professional help.
Signs and symptoms
How can you tell if your dog is allergic to something? What are the signs and symptoms?
They vary from dog to dog, but if he has itchy eyes and a runny nose, if he’s sneezing, scratching himself until he bleeds (with no evidence of parasites in his fur) and if he keeps pulling his hair out trying to reach inaccessible parts of his body, then alarm bells should start ringing. Clearly, he is in some distress and needs to be sorted out.
Don’t try yours on the dog
Okay, so you were suffering from some sort of allergy yourself and the prescribed medication has worked a treat. There’s some left over, so why not try it on the dog? Can’t do any harm, surely? Might even make him better.
Wrong, on both counts. It is never, ever wise to offer human medication to pets. If you have a dog with allergies, it is vitally important that you take him along to the vet, who will then carry out skin sample tests to find the allergen causing the problem.
The dog will need careful monitoring. The end results might actually show that your pet isn’t suffering from an allergy at all, but something entirely different.
Always check it out
Dog health information is available from many sources on line. ‘Your trusted resource for veterinary information (www.vetinfo.com) is an excellent site, with a wealth of information on tap but it cannot be over-emphasised that nothing should take the place of professional help.
Indeed, it is advisable to check any suspected dog allergies or other problems with your own personal vet, whatever their nature. Just to be sure.
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