Dogs have been around since the evolution of wolves in the animal kingdom. Dogs were kept as pets in Europe 20,000 to 40,000 years ago. More than 78 million households and people in the United States have a dog as their preferred pet. These cute, pesky pups are fast, relentless and playful. With that, playfulness also comes to the risks of getting skin allergy from the environment around them. In this article, we discuss dog skin allergy causes, treatment, and home remedies.
Dog Skin Allergy: Causes and Remedies
Skin allergies in animals aren’t uncommon. The polluted air around us has many airborne allergens. This can make all kinds of skins, irritated and itchy. Dogs are no exception.
Skin allergies in dogs are also known as atopic dermatitis. This is an inflammatory, recurring disease caused by dust particles and pollen in the air. This is extremely difficult to avoid dogs because most dogs are inevitably coming in contact with the outside world.
Causes
Sensitivity issues are normal for dogs. Food allergies, sensitivity to environmental elements, fleas, and other bugs are significant causes.
Signs that your pooch has hypersensitivities incorporate:
- Tingling,
- Face scouring, and
- Paw licking.
After some time, crusting, scabbing, wounds, and bleeding may happen. Yeast or bacterial contaminations are likewise normal in hypersensitive pooches. Numerous dogs with incessant ear contaminations also experience the ill effects of hidden allergies.
Some of the many types of skin allergies are mentioned below:
Atopic Dermatitis
The table below presents some causes and reactants of Atopic Dermatitis
| Causes of Atopic Dermatitis | Reactants |
| Food allergies | Beef, dairy, and wheat |
| Sensitivity to environmental elements | Pollens of grasses, trees, and weeds, Dust mites, and molds, depending on the timing of the allergy. |
| Flea Allergies | Flea bites. Proteins in flea saliva can cause an allergic reaction that can stay up to 7 days! |
| Bacterial hypersensitivity | Staphylococcus Hypersensitivity Can occur when the skin is in contact with Staphylococcus (Staph) bacteria |
Food allergies
Food items of all ranges, qualities and price points can cause allergies. Usually, in the human body, the signs of allergic reactions are visible in their skin. But allergy in dogs sometimes affects their immune and gastrointestinal system too. Symptoms can build over long periods of time. So it is unsure what in their diet might’ve caused this.
Sensitivity to environmental elements or inhalant/ contact sensitivities
Careful assessment of your pooch’s hair, including insect brushing, will often show bug bite sensitivities. Regular tingling, particularly if the zones included are your canine’s feet, face, and ears, most of the time indicate inhalant/contact sensitivities.
Flea Allergies
Fleas are regularly the reason when the itching is focused on the lower half of your pooch’s body, including close to the tail, lower legs, and crotch. The deadly proteins in their saliva can cause an extreme reaction.
Bacterial Hypersensitivity
Staphylococcus Hypersensitivity occurs when the skin comes in touch with Staphylococcus (Staph) bacteria. This causes an immune system overreaction. This is more likely to happen when flea allergy and/or inhalant allergy and hypothyroidism are concurrently present in your pup.
Yeast Infection
Uncontrollable scratching their ears, licking and chewing their toes points towards a yeast infection.
Symptoms include discolored skin patches, itchiness usually in the paws or ears, where the yeast had a nice, warm, bacteria-infested area to procreate.
Folliculitis
A bacterial infection that forms scabs, red bumps, and scarring on the skin. This usually occurs with other skin issues such as injuries, allergies, and mange.
Seborrhea
It’s when the skin becomes greasy and creates scale-like flakes. In some cases, if this is genetic, it can last forever.
Ringworm
These fungi form ‘ring-like’ patches on random areas on their body and are often seen in the head, ears and around limb area.
Less than a year old puppies are most vulnerable to this infection. Various anti-fungal treatments are available.
Alopecia
Extreme shedding caused by stress, malnutrition. Medication varies on the type, breed and what illness they already have.
Mange (Mites)
Disease caused by mites. Sarcoptic mange, aka canine scabies, transmits easing amongst dogs. This results in extreme itchiness, reddening, and loss of hair.
Dog Skin Allergy Diagnosis
Your pooch’s medical history and a physical assessment will provide ample information about their specific allergy.
- It is often assumed that bugs are the reason when the tingling is focused on the dog’s lower half, including areas close to the tail, lower legs, and crotch. However, a careful examination of the body hair, including insect brushing, will help diagnose them with flea or other insect bite sensitivities.
- Signs of inhalant/contact sensitivities include seasonal itching, especially if the itchy areas are your canine’s feet, face, and ears.
- There is a chance that the itchy sensation is available all year, and is less receptive to cortisone or antihistamines. Food allergies are considered a possibility at that point.
- Blood and additionally, skins testing are necessary to draw to such conclusions. To identify the offending antigen, tests including intradermal skin testing can also be performed.
Dog Skin Allergy: Treatment and Natural Remedies
Many treatments and home remedies are available for treating dog skin allergies.
Food allergies
Once you’ve found out the food behind its allergies, simply cut it out of their diet. If symptoms still seem to stay, take them in for a check-up at your trusted pet clinic/hospital.
Medicated baths
These medicated shampoos contain soothing and anti-inflammatory agents. Frequent baths using these recommended shampoos can help in removing allergens. These also contain ingredients that fight against microbial fungi, which clear the infection while keeping the skin and hair coat silky.
We recommend Curaseb Antifungal & Antibacterial Chlorhexidine Shampoo for Dog & Cats, for treating a broad range of infections.
Administering antihistamines
Antihistamines might be useful in up to 30% of pooches with inhalant/contact hypersensitivities (or ecological sensitivities). At the point when incorporated with fatty acids, this rate may increase by up to 50%.
Antihistamines, for example, Diphenhydramine (Generic Benadryl), Chlorpheniramine 4 mg and Hydroxyzine HCl (Atarax) are best in assisting with dealing with your pup’s allergies related to their environment.
It is important to attempt each antihistamine in turn for a preliminary period of 7 to 10 days until one is discovered that mitigates clinical side effects.
We recommend Zesty Paws Allergy Immune Supplement for Dogs.
Pros
- It has Omega 3 Wild Alaskan Salmon Fish Oil & EpiCor
- Digestive Prebiotics & Probiotics
- Anti Itch & Skin Hot Spots
- Seasonal Allergies
Natural remedies
You can use oat-soaked water for a medicated bath. The oat bath can soothe allergy reactions. DO NOT USE IF YOUR DOG HAS A YEAST INFECTION, FOR IT’LL ONLY AGGRAVATE THE INFECTION.
Aloe gel can also be used as it has anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial elements. The aloe gel is a perfect medicine for treating hot spots, itchy patches, and burns.
Air purifiers
It is quite hard to keep dogs separated from the outside world so that they could be away from pollen. There are ways you can protect your indoor by keeping the air clean and fresh. Air purifiers work the best in times your dog has a skin pollen allergy.
We recommend LEVOIT Air Purifier for Home Allergies and Pets.
Supplements
Fatty acid supplements containing Omega-3 and Omega-6 work on fixing the overall condition of their skin. These supplements contain all-natural anti-inflammatory and medicinal agents. These reportedly help 20% of dogs with their allergies. Omega-3 and 6 are found in fish oils and plants containing GLA, gamma-linolenic acid.
Hypoallergic diets
Through diagnostic allergy testing, you can quickly determine which food is causing these allergic reactions. Beef, wheat, and dairy trigger 80% of food-related allergies. Other novel items include duck, venison, eggs, kangaroo and types of fishes oftentimes not found in dog food. Potato, yams, canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes, etc. carbohydrate sources can also trigger these allergy reactions.
Other treatments include Immunotherapy (Hypo-sensitization) and Thyroid Medication. These depend totally on the disease your dog has. It is recommended to consult with your preferred vet/doctor, before implementing any over-the-counter medication that can have side effects,
