How do I know if my dog has environmental allergies
Allergies in Dogs and Puppies: Signs, Causes, and Treatment
Does your dog or puppy itch, scratch, chew, or lick themselves excessively? These are all signs that your dog may have allergies.
Allergies are common in dogsin fact, they are one of the top reasons for veterinary appointments. Dog allergy symptoms most commonly affect the skin and ears.
While humans often outgrow allergies, allergies in dogs tend to worsen as they get older. So how do you know if your dog has allergies, and whats causing them? Whats the best allergy treatment for dogs?
Heres what you need to know about dog allergies signs and what you can do to relieve your dogs allergies.
Key Takeaways
- Dogs can be allergic to many different triggers, including fleas, food, and items in their environment.
- Common signs of dog allergies include itching, licking, hair loss, and rashes.
- Treatment for dog allergies depends on what your dog is allergic to.
Types of Allergies in Dogs
Here are a few of the different types of allergies a dog can have.
Flea Allergies
An allergy to fleasis the most common skin disease seen in dogs. The bite of just one or two fleas per week is enough to make affected dogs itch. Flea saliva is believed to be the allergen that causes the itchiness.
Seasonal/Environmental Allergies
Also known as atopy,seasonal or environmental allergiesare caused by substances that exist in your home, backyard, and anywhere else your dog spends time.
These allergens can be inhaled, as with pollen, or absorbed through the skin when your dog touches them. Common triggers (allergens) for these allergic reactions include pollens, plant or animal fibers, dust mites, and mold spores.
Food Allergies
These are also known as adverse food reactions. Dogs can develop an allergy to a particular food at any point during their life, regardless of whether they have eaten these brands or types of foods in the past.
The most common food allergy for dogs is to a protein source in the diet, but sometimes the allergy is to grains and/or other ingredients.
Dog Allergies Signs
Dog allergies signs can include:
The type and severity of these signs depend partly on the type of allergy your dog has.
Signs of Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Dogs
The most common symptom of flea allergy dermatitis is itchy skin and irritation at the base of the tail, although other areas of the body may also be affected.
Seasonal/Environmental Allergy Signs in Dogs
Common symptoms include scratching/itchy skin, licking (especially the paws), and face rubbing. Affected dogs may also experience red skin, loss of fur, and recurrent skin and/or ear infections. You may see red skin or fur loss on your dogs paws and lower legs, face, ears, armpits, and belly.
Signs of Food Allergies in Dogs
The symptoms of food allergies are often the same as for seasonal/environmental allergies. There may also be GI signs, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or an increased number of bowel movements per day.
Is There an Allergy Test for Dogs?
Yes, but allergy testing in dogs is done for seasonal/environmental allergies only. Studies have shown thatblood testing and skin testing for food allergiesare not accurate in dogs. Studies have also shown that hair and saliva testing for seasonal or environmental allergies in dogs are not accurate.
Prior to performing allergy testing, your veterinarian should rule out other causes for your dogs allergy symptoms. Allergy testing should not be used to confirm that your pet has seasonal/environmental allergies, but to determine the specific things to which your dog is allergic.
Seasonal/environmental allergy testing can be performed in dogs by either skin testing or blood testing. Skin testing is the most accurate type of allergy test, and its generally performed by board-certified veterinary dermatologists.
Allergy testing should not be used to confirm that your pet has seasonal/environmental allergies, but to determine the specific things to which your dog is allergic.
For skin testing, mild sedation is required. The fur is clipped in a small area, and a series of very small amounts of allergens are injected into your dogs skin. The degree of the allergic reaction to each allergen determines whether your dog is allergic to it. The cost of these tests can range from $300$700.
Dog Allergy Treatment by Type
Treatment will depend on what the vet determines your dog is allergic to. Here are a few examples of how your vet might approach treating allergies.
Treatment for Flea Allergies
Treatment for flea allergy dermatitis is aimed at reducing the symptoms of itchy skin and irritation until the fleas are eliminated. To eliminate allergy symptoms in a flea-allergic dog, strict flea control is required.
There are many highly effective flea control products and medications available. Some are topical and come in the form of a liquid that you squeeze onto your dogs skin, such as Advantage, Revolution, or Vectra. Others are given orally in the form of chews, such as Simparica, NexGard, or Comfortis. Consult with your veterinarian to determine your best option.Oral preventions tend to be more effective than topical, but use cautionsome of the oral preventions have flavorings your dog might be allergic to.
In severe cases, a dogs environment must be treated for fleas as well. Vacuum thoroughly to remove eggs, larvae, and pupae, and discard the vacuum bag. You can use insecticides inside and outside your home to treat allflea life stages.
It is important to use an insecticide containing an insect growth regulator, such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen, to halt the development of flea eggs and larvae. You can hire a professional exterminator, but you should specify that the treatment is for fleas.
Treatment for Food Allergies
The treatment for food allergies in dogs is to feed a hypoallergenic diet for at least 12 weeks. This is the only way to determine if your dog has a food allergy.
Hypoallergenic diets either have limited ingredients with an uncommon protein source or are processed in a special way (hydrolyzed) to be less likely to cause allergic reactions. The concept is that a dog cannot be allergic to a food that they have not been exposed to before.
Consult your veterinarian to choose the proper diet. Over-the-counter foods are not recommended for a proper food trial. Treats, flavored medications, and human foods will also have to be eliminated during this trial period.
Other allergy treatment for dogs are aimed at reducing the symptoms while waiting to see if the diet change is helpful. Cytopoint, Apoquel, or steroids may be used to help control itching while waiting to see if a hypoallergenic food trial results in improvement of your dogs allergy symptoms.
Treatment for Seasonal/Environmental Allergies
If allergy testing has not been performed, then the treatment is symptomatic, meaning that it aims to reduce or eliminate your dogs symptoms. Treatments can include:
Oral medications, such as Apoquel, Atopica, or antihistamines
Injectable medications, such as Cytopoint
Fatty acids
Steroids
Frequent bathing and other topical therapies, such as sprays, wipes, or a mousse
Steroids should not be used long-term in the management of allergies due to the risk of significant side effects.
If an allergy test has been performed, then the ideal allergy treatment for dogs is avoidance of the allergen. This is possible in a few, select circumstances, but most dogs are allergic to a variety of substances that can be difficult to avoid completely.
Most dogs are allergic to a variety of substances that can be difficult to avoid completely.
Other treatment can include an allergy vaccine, also known as immunotherapy, which is given either by injection under the skin (allergy shots) or by mouth. The goal of immunotherapy is to make the immune system less reactive to the allergy-causing substances.
The success rate of immunotherapy is 6070%. This is the best long-term approach to allergy control, especially in younger pets that experience symptoms most of the year. Symptomatic treatment can and should be given while starting immunotherapy. It may be many months before any improvement in symptoms is seen from immunotherapy alone.
Featured Image: iStock.com/bruev
WRITTEN BY
Leigh Burkett, DVMVeterinarian
Dr. Leigh Burkett was born and raised in Northeast Tennessee. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Wake Forest University...
Food vs environmental dog allergies: signs, symptoms and how to get a diagnosis
Knowing the difference between food vs environmental dog allergies will help you determine the best way to help your pup if theyre showing signs of an allergy. While the majority of dogs wont suffer from an allergy in their lifetime, there is an unfortunate percentage that will develop either a food or environmental allergy. Some breeds are more predisposed to this than others, but allergies can be seen in any type of dog making the best dog food for allergies in high demand.
Whether youve seen your dog obsessively lick at its paws, scratch its belly more often than it should, or even experience long-term gastrointestinal problems, it might be that theyve developed an allergy. Weve rounded up everything you need to know, from what symptoms you might see to how you can get an allergy diagnosed. However, the best person to ask about your dogs health will always be your veterinarian, so wed recommend a vet visit if youre concerned about your pup.If you're wondering how to help a dog with allergies, this feature has the answers you need.
Food vs environmental dog allergies: What are they?
Just like humans, dogs can develop an exaggerated immune response to something that shouldnt actually trigger one, whether thats a type of food that theyre eating or something in their environment. However, allergies can affect dogs differently than humans. For example, humans with an allergy to pollen or dust might develop respiratory symptoms, such as sneezing or runny noses. However, a dog with an allergy is much more likely to experience skin problems instead, including itchy skin, ear infections, hair loss, hives, face rubbing, and more.
One of the main differences between food vs environmental dog allergies is that food allergies can also cause gastrointestinal issues as well. With the rise in popularity of grain-free dog food, many dog owners assume that if a dog is allergic to their food, its because of the presence of rice, wheat, or other fillers. However, the most common food allergen is actually chicken. In fact, if your dog is allergic to their food, its overwhelmingly likely to be caused by the protein rather than the filler.
The MSD Veterinary Manual states that certain dog breeds have a higher chance of developing an environmental dog allergy than others. These include Chinese Shar-Peis, Wirehaired Fox Terriers, Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians, Boxers, Boston Terriers, Labrador Retrievers, Lhasa Apsos, Scottish Terriers, Shih Tzus, and West Highland White Terriers. Meanwhile, if you own a Labrador Retriever, West Highland White Terrier, or Cocker Spaniel, then there may be an increased risk that your dog could develop a food allergy.
Food vs environmental dog allergies: Symptoms
We spoke to veterinarian Jo Woodnutt about the type of symptoms you could expect to see in food vs environmental dog allergies. She said, Environmental allergies (atopy) and food allergies are similar in dogs and have many of the same symptoms. In both, you can expect to see itchy skin (especially paws), sore, itchy, and infected ears, and increased skin infections.
Although dogs with food allergies sometimes have soft stools, abdominal discomfort, and other signs of IBD, this is not the case for all dogs. This means its very hard to distinguish between these allergies on signs alone, and some dogs will have both food allergies and atopy, meaning your vet will recommend you test for both regardless of their symptoms.
Weve put together a non-exhaustive list of potential allergy symptoms to help you determine whether you think your dog might have developed an allergy. If your dog is displaying any of these symptoms, wed recommend taking them to the vet as soon as possible.
Food vs environmental dog allergies: Diagnosis
Unfortunately, as is also the case with human allergies, diagnosing your dogs allergy isnt always simple. Itll likely take you at least a few months to figure out what the root cause of the issue is, so its time to don your detective hat!
If youre wondering whats the best way to determine whether your dog is allergic to their food, then Jo advises that an elimination diet is the answer. The only way to test for a food allergy is to do an elimination diet trial. Although blood, fur, and saliva tests are available, these are inaccurate for food allergies. Your dog will need to eat a novel protein diet - a food with a protein your dog has never tried before.
Unfortunately, the use of meat and animal derivatives on ingredient labels and contamination with other proteins in the factory means its hard to be sure of a protein your dog has never contacted before. In these cases, a hydrolyzed protein diet is best. These diets have proteins that are too small for the body to recognize as allergens.
To be accurate, your dog must not eat anything other than their diet for the duration of the trial. This means no treats, tidbits, or snuffling something on a walk. You will need to talk to everyone in the family and your dog walkers and groomers to make sure everybody is on board.
However, what if you think your dog has an environmental allergy? How can you determine whats causing the issue? Jo says that Unfortunately, its not possible to do an elimination trial for environmental allergens. These allergens are invisible and present everywhere - avoiding grass pollen, dust mites, or common weeds that sit on every park and lawn just isnt practical.
However, while it might be more difficult to determine the cause of an environmental allergy, you can still take notice of when your dog has a flare-up. Does it occur when theres a high pollen count? Or after youve done a spot of dusting? See if you can find potential patterns and this might help you unveil the culprit of your dogs allergy.
For more on this, found out everything you need to know about dog food allergy tests or learn to spot the signs of skin allergies in dogs.
