What are the top 3 dog allergens

Dog Allergies: What You Need to Know

Allergies are quite common in dogs of all breeds and backgrounds. They occur when a dogs immune system has a hyper-reaction to a foreign substance, such as pollen, flea saliva, vaccines, spider bites, bee stings, or even certain foods that normally would cause little or no reaction in most dogs.

We suspect certain dog allergies, such as atopy or allergies to pollens and plants, are primarily hereditary in basis. Most of these dogs begin to show allergic signs between 1-3 years of age, often after they have previously been exposed to the underlying cause. While most allergies cant be cured, the goal is to manage them with treatments that can help relieve or control a dogs allergic symptoms.

Signs That Your Pet Might Have Dog Allergies

The signs of allergies vary depending on the type of allergic reaction a dog is experiencing and can vary from dog to dog. Most allergic signs in are dermatologic, which can range from itching and inflammation of the skin, feet and ears, to hives and possibly swelling of the face. Some allergic dogs can have clear watery eyes and nose, as well as sneezing.

Gastrointestinal signs can also occur such as vomiting and/or diarrhea with or without blood. In rarer cases, a much more severe and different allergic reaction called an anaphylactic reaction can occur. This is an immediate type of hypersensitivity and leads to a potentially life-threatening situation where a dog can acutely collapse due to shock and a severe drop in blood pressure.

Types Of Allergies Your Dog Might Have

There are several common types of allergies in dogs, including:

• Fleas: Reaction to the protein in flea saliva, not the actual fleas. Therefore, a dog with only one flea can still have an extensive systemic allergic reaction due to their bodys reaction to just that one fleas saliva.
• Canine Atopic Dermatitis: Also known as atopy or atopic dermatitis (AD), this is a very common canine allergy. This is usually an inherited predisposition to develop allergic symptoms after exposure to relatively common substances or allergens in the air such as pollens, grasses, weeds, molds, or fungi. Common signs of atopy are itching and inflammation in a dog often seen in the underarms, groin, face and feet. Atopy is often seasonal.
• Food Allergies: Allergies to food can manifest with a chronic skin condition such as flaky, itching skin, chronic licking or biting of the paws, or chronic ear infections (often with secondary opportunistic bacterial or yeast infections). Dogs can develop allergies to a food or substance over a period of time, even if they may have had no previous issues with that food substance or protein.
• Contact Allergies: Contact allergies are found when a dog has direct contact with a caustic surface or chemical, causing severe irritation to the skin. Household cleaners, carpet cleaners, fertilizers, topical medication, and essential oils may all potentially cause a contact allergy.
• Bacterial Hypersensitivity: Bacterial hypersensitivity occurs when a dogs immune system overreacts to the normal bacterial flora on their skin. This often occurs when other health conditions are present, such as hypothyroidism, inhalant allergy, and/or flea allergy.

Diagnosis And Treatment of Your Dogs Allergies

The best method of controlling allergies is to know what the allergen is and to avoid it or control it. Your veterinarian can perform an extensive examination with history to try to help determine the most likely cause and formulate a practical treatment plan. The gold standard for diagnosing allergies in dogs is immunotherapy or allergy testing to determine the actual cause of the allergic response and to tailor an allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT).

There are several options for treating your dogs allergies, including:

• Flea Prevention: Flea prevention is obvious, relatively easy, and will help dogs who suffer from allergies to fleas. Flea eradication through an extensive anti-parasitic protocol may be necessary to improve the allergy sufferer.
• Antihistamines: This treatment is generally inexpensive and safe with few side effects, but different types can have variable effects and dont work on all dogs.
• Medications: Cortisone products have been commonly used in the past with good effects on allergy sufferers, but these types of medications are not without side effects, so they need to be used judiciously and only for shorter periods of time. Newer medications such as cyclosporines (Atopica), Apoquel (an immunomodulatory), and Cytopoint (an immunotherapeutic) are currently being used extensively by clinicians with good results to minimalize the severe itching response the dog gets from allergies.
• Dietary Changes/Hypoallergenic Diets: Dairy, beef, and wheat can be responsible for up to 80% of food allergies in dogs. Hypoallergenic diets utilize one novel protein (or only one new protein in a diet) as the protein source. Most pets with food allergies respond well when switched to a store-bought hypoallergenic diet, but occasionally an animal suffers from such extreme allergies that a homemade diet is the only option. In this case, the diet should be customized with the aid of a veterinarian, veterinary dermatologist, or veterinary nutritionist.
• Environmental and External Aids: Air purifiers can help reduce certain molds. Dust and pollens are best controlled by using an air cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Air conditioning can also reduce circulating amounts of airborne allergens because windows are then kept closed.
• Medicated Baths and Supplements: Many medicated dog shampoos have compounds in them that are aimed at soothing the injured skin and skin barrier and calming inflammation. In addition, frequent bathing (weekly to every other week) can remove allergens from the coat, which may contribute to skin allergy flare-ups. These shampoos are often prescribed by your veterinarian, and directions for use should always be read completely and followed explicitly.
• Supplements: Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acid supplements can be considered by your veterinarian. These fatty acids are naturally anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative agents.
• Antibiotics and Antifungal Medications: Antibiotics are frequently needed to treat secondary skin infections. Anti-fungal medications are frequently needed to treat secondary yeast infections.

Each possible allergy treatment has its advantages and drawbacks. Finding the source of your dogs allergy and discussing a specific treatment plan with your veterinarian is recommended.

Seasonal Allergies in Dogs

What Are Seasonal Allergies in Dogs?

Dogs can be allergic to various things in the environment, such as pollen from trees and grass. If a dog displays allergy symptoms only during certain seasons, such as spring and fall, a seasonal allergy rather than a year-round allergy is suspected. This means that the dog is allergic to allergens that are in the environment only during certain times of the year.

Dogs with seasonal allergies can be itchy in specific areas, such as their paws, or be itchy all over. They can also have recurring ear infections and skin infections when they are exposed to various environmental allergens at certain times during the year.

Seasonal allergies are different from year-round environmental allergies and food allergies because symptoms are observed only during specific times of the year, depending on what the dog is allergic to and when the specific allergens are prevalent in the environment. In contrast, dogs with year-round allergies will have skin issues all year long.

Most dogs with seasonal allergies have symptoms during the spring (March through May) and fall (September through November), but this can vary based on weather and location.

Types of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs

The following allergens commonly cause seasonal allergies in dogs:

Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs

Symptoms will vary depending upon the dog, but may include:

• Excessive licking, usually of the paws, but the licking can be anywhere on the body

• Saliva staining of the fur where the dog is licking the skin excessively

• Chewing/gnawing

• Scratching

• Hair loss

• Redness of the skin

• Crusts

• Moist skin

• Darkening of the skin (black pigmented skin)

• Thickening of the skin (elephant skin)

• Odor to the skin or ears

• Head shaking

• Pawing at the ears, eyes, or face

• Recurring scooting or licking of the anus due to anal sacs becoming problematic secondary to allergies

• Watery eyes

• Reverse sneezing

The most common areas of a dogs body that are affected by seasonal allergies are the paws (especially between the digits), limbs, mouth, ears, abdomen, groin, armpits, tail, and around the eyes.

Causes of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs

A dog that suffers from seasonal allergies has an immune system that is hypersensitive to specific allergens in the environment. When the levels of the allergens become high, the dogs immune system becomes triggered, leading to an allergic response and the development of symptoms.

How Veterinarians Diagnose Seasonal Allergies in Dogs

Seasonal allergies are diagnosed based on physical exam findings, symptoms, and a history of having recurring symptoms and infections during the same seasons annually.

Other skin conditions that can cause similar symptoms must also be ruled out, such as skin mites, fleas, or a food allergy, to reach a diagnosis of seasonal allergies. If fleas are found on a dog with symptoms of severe itchiness, redness, and hair loss, then a flea allergy is diagnosed and the dog is started on effective flea and tick prevention and anti-itch medication to see if symptoms resolve.

Treatment of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs

Seasonal allergies are a chronic condition, which means there is no cure. However, there are ways to treat and manage symptoms to keep your dog comfortable, including:

• Year-round flea and tick prevention such as NexGard, Simparica, Bravecto, Seresto collar,and K9 Advantix II

• Anti-itch medications such as Apoquel, Cytopoint, and prednisone are prescribed to alleviate any current itchiness and to manage the itch during flare-ups. If the itch can be controlled, the dog will remain comfortable and be at less risk for secondary skin infections.

• Once the allergy seasons are determined for a dog based on prior history, the anti-itch medication is started one month prior to the start of the allergy season and continued one month past when the allergy season ends.

• An omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplement, such as Welactin, Vetoquinol, or Dermaquin, will protect the skin barrier and minimize allergy symptoms.

  • An omega-3 fatty acid supplement can also help with anal gland issues for dogs that tend to need their anal glands expressed more frequently during allergy season. It takes four to sixweeks for an omega-3 fatty acid supplement to become effective, so it is best for a dog with seasonal allergies to be on this supplement year-round.

• Routine ear cleaning can help clear a current ear infection and reduce the frequency of future ear infections. If an ear infection is present, treat the infection and clean the ears based on recommendations from your veterinarian. When there is no infection, clean the dogs ears with a routine ear cleaner, like EpiOtic Advanced, on a routine basis throughout the year (typically every two to threeweeks for maintenance).

• Ear medications, such as Mometamax, Posatex, and Tresaderm, are prescribed to treat bacterial and/or yeast infections in a dogs ears. After treatment, make sure to schedule a follow-up appointment with your veterinarian to recheck that the infection has resolved.

• Oral medications are often needed when a dog has a skin infection on multiple areas of the body. Antibiotics, such as clindamycin and cephalexin, are prescribed to treat bacterial skin infections, and anti-fungal medication, such as ketoconazole, is prescribed to treat fungal skin infections, such as yeast infections.

• Topical therapy can be used to soothe the skin and help with treatment of skin infections. There are many topical therapy options, including anti-bacterial and anti-fungal ointments, shampoos, conditioners, mousses, sprays, and wipes. Ask your veterinarian which topical therapy would work best based on your dogs allergy symptoms and current skin condition.

Immunotherapy for Dogs With Seasonal Allergies

Immunotherapy consists of either allergy shots or allergy oral drops that are formulated based on allergy test results. To determine what environmental allergens a dog is most allergic to based on where the dog lives, a blood test can be performed by your veterinarian using a specific blood test (Heskas Allercept or Nextmunes Pet Allergy Xplorer) to screen a dog for environmental allergies.

In addition to the allergy blood test, a veterinary dermatologist will also perform intradermal testing, which involves injecting small amounts of various environmental allergens into a dogs skin in specific locations. The injection sites are then monitored over a period of time for signs of a skin reaction. If a reaction is seen, then the dog is likely allergic to the allergen that was injected at that site.

It is important to note that the allergy (blood) testing and the intradermal testing are not performed to provide a diagnosis of seasonal allergies. Rather, they are used to aid in creating immunotherapy treatment for a dog that has been diagnosed with seasonal allergies. The goal with immunotherapy is to desensitize a dog to the environmental allergens that trigger the allergy symptoms. Immunotherapy is usually given long-term at a maintenance dose.

It is difficult to limit a dogs exposure to certain allergens. Pollen from trees, grass, or weeds can be tracked into the house easily. Wiping a pups paws when they come inside can sometimes be helpful.

Recovery and Management of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs

Seasonal allergies are not only frustrating for dogs but also for pet parents, because they are not curable. Fortunately, though, with seasonal allergies, symptoms can be managed by knowing what seasons trigger a dogs symptoms and initiating treatment prior to the start of each allergy season. Anti-itch medication should manage the itch throughout each season so that the dog is not scratching, licking, or chewing at the skin, which can lead to secondary skin infections.

Cleaning your dogs ears every two to three weeks year-round with a routine ear cleaner is important to minimize the risk of an ear infection to develop. The ears should also be cleaned after your dog has a bath or partakes in a water activity, such as swimming, to remove any water from within the ear canals. Giving an omega-3 fatty acid supplement daily year-round can provide skin support as well. Management of seasonal allergies is usually lifelong unless a dog is able to move to an area where the allergen that is causing the reaction is no longer present.

Monitor your pet for the following symptoms throughout the year:

• Itchiness (scratching, licking, gnawing, chewing)

• Head shaking or pawing at the ears or eyes

• Any skin lesions (such as redness, crusts, thickened or black pigmented skin)

• Odor to the skin or ears

If you see any of these symptoms, schedule a vet appointment as soon as possible. Your dogs skin condition can worsen quickly if allergy symptoms are not controlled. If your dog is licking or chewing, have them wear an e-collar until the appointment to prevent further worsening of the skin. Your veterinarian will prescribe treatment to make your dog more comfortable and treat for any skin or ear infection, if present. Managing a dogs allergy symptoms with therapy and reporting to your veterinarian any skin issues as they arise are the most effective ways to help a dog with seasonal allergies.

WRITTEN BY

Michelle Diener, DVM

Veterinarian

I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I obtained by BS degree in Biology at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2000 and my DVM degree at NCSU in 2006. I have...