What are the symptoms of allergies?

Veterinarians' often  even dogs that have never had an issue with allergies before can suddenly become allergic to something..

Caring for a dog with allergies is an ongoing struggle, depending upon the severity of your pet's allergies. Hopefully the information contained within my site will help you cope with your pet's allergy problems.

Here is a list of the Symptoms of allergy in Dogs which will help you identify the allergic reaction.

1. Licking feet
2. Rubbing face on carpet
3. Crawling on carpet so that they can scratch their belly
4. Scratching 
5. Ear infections
6. Hair loss
7. Fleas
8. Hot Spots
9. Scabs and sores
10. Skin Allergy
11. Sneezing from pollen
12. Ear infections
13. Dog food allergy
14. Sores around mouth area

If the dogs body is Inflamed by allergy they will rub their face against the carpet or the couch, trying to rub the sides of their body where it itches against furniture or anything that will relieve the itch.  If your dog has skin allergies read detailed information


Ear infections:

Ear infections are skin lesions caused by allergy in the wax glands and ears.  These can get serious very quickly.

usually occur because the dog bites or scratches. The skin may be dry, oily or red depending on the dog.  It is very common to have both ear infections and skin allergy occur at the same time if  bacterial infections exists.

Allergy to grass, pollen and fabrics

Pets are commonly allergic to trees, grass, pollen, fabrics such as wool or nylon, plastic or rubber materials, food additives, dairy products, mites and of course flea bites and insects.   The body responds to these allergens by becoming itchy, the dog scratches and then there is the perfect place for a bacterial infection to manifest itself.

The reason why these allergens cause itchy skin is that, allergens that are inhaled, eaten or gets on the body of the dog causes the immune systems to produce a protein called IGE.  This protein is in certain cells of the skin.  When these cells are combined with the protein IGE the dogs body releases histamines.

I am very allergic to spider bites.  I'm not afraid of spiders but if they bite me, my entire arm swells up and hurts really bad.  I called my family physician about this and he told me to take an over the counter antihistamine.  So in fact what an antihistamine does is prevent the histamines from causing the itch.

One trick I learned from living in Hawaii is if I am bitten by mosquitoes to get some clear nail polish and paint it right over the bite.  If air is able to reach the bite then they react with histamines and make you itch.

Dog Food allergy

If you think your dog is suffering from dog food allergy, please read the article on the ingredients in dog food.

It may surprise you that there is so much junk in dog food.

Most of our family pets are just that, family. We wouldn't feed unhealthy food to one of our family. So why do we buy into this multi-million dollar industry that produces extruded, rancid grease encrusted meat byproducts for our best friends

Use homemade pet food to stop the allergy from becoming infections.

I may have missed some so if you'd like to write in and tell me your story please feel free to tell me about your experience. 

Prevention of dog allergies

Now that you have an idea of what kind of allergy your dog has is the time for prevention of allergies.?

If your dog has food allergies then of course you must decide whether you want to make your own dog food or search for the right food for your pet. 

Remember your dog will have different needs as he grows older.

If your dog has skin allergies then you have to get rid of whatever it is in your home that is causing the problem.

This can sometimes take a lot of work but in the end you will find out what it is and then phase it out.

For instance my dogs get very sick after I give them a new toy.  That plush toy, even though bought at a pet shop, sometimes has dyes and stabilizers so that it looks good to you so that you will buy it. 

Your dog doesn't care what it is as long as he can play with it.

Ive started washing all the new toys before I give them to the dog.

This has really helped my dogs.

Copyright 2000 - 2012  All rights reserved www.thelittlefoxes.net

Please Read

Any information contained on this site relating to various medical, health, and fitness conditions of Westies and their treatment is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own veterinarian. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing dog allergies - you should always consult your own veterinarian.