Dog Allergic Dermatitis

Allergies are the most common kind of ailments that your pets can suffer. Often, it is the most lingering and the most irritating problem for you as well as your pet. In general, they can be categorised in three kinds.

1. Food allergy

Very often, the preservatives used in the food items may not suit your dog though it may not have anything which is not prescribed. So, it may be absolutely fine for some other dog to eat it, but not for your dog. Here are some common allergens which have proteins not easily digestible by a few dogs. These may cause allergy to your dog for instance, food items such as horse meat, eggs, beef, fish, poultry products preservatives and dyes and sometimes it can also be as common as milk and milk products.

2. Flea allergy Dermatitis (FAD)

Flea bites are also very common cause of allergy in dogs. Whenever a flea bites into a dog, the blood will automatically clot if it does not injects an anticoagulant into the blood of the host. If there are allergens present inside the saliva of the parasite , then your dog will get an allergic attack. But now there are a number of products availabler in the market to hel[p your pet come out of this problem. You simply need to visit your vet and he will administer a dose of the anti allergen.

3. Atopy or Allergic Inhaled Dermatitis

Canine atopy is a genetically determined situation in which the body of the pet automatically produces IgE antibodies whenever it comes in contact with that specific allergen. Ragweed, pollen, house dust, house dust mites, mold, animal dander, feathers and plant products are the common allergens. The most hampering limitation is that these allergens are found almost everywhere and it is practically impossible to tie your dog to a place where these allergens will not travel. Some of the breeds of dogs which commonly suffer from Atopy are Terriers Beagle, Retrievers Setters, Lhasa apso Miniature, schnauzer, Shih Tzu Pug and Cocker spaniel Boxer.

Symptoms of allergy

The most common condition in allergic dermatitis is that your pet will have excessive itching. This is also called as Pruritis. This may lead to chewing, biting, or/and licking. Commonly, they are affected in their face, feet, and armpit areas. If the condition becomes acute and is not traeted , the dog may have rashes in the whole body. If your pet has an allergy to fleas, you may also see some small red droplets on the floor where your pet had been sitting. This is flea drop and mostly consists of blood.

Diagnosis

Since the symptoms of allergic skin disease mimic those of other skin diseases, a thorough approach is needed to differentiate them. In every disease we encounter we follow the tenets of the "diagnostic process" to ensure that we make an accurate diagnosis, and that we do not overlook some of the diseases that are also encountered in conjunction with skin diseases.

Diagnostic Tests

Most of the times, we confuse allergy with some other skin infection and vice versa. Sine, the end result as well as the symptoms of both allergic dermatitis and skin infection is similar, it is essential to distinguish between the two.

Skin Scraping is the technique that may help in distinguishing between them. The symptoms of ring worms can be easily confused with allergy. So, before going to any conclusion, one should have Fungal Tests completed. Sometimes Hypothyroidism may also lead to skin rashes and allergy like symptoms, so it will be a wise option to get Thyroid Tests done. In cases where it is difficult to reach any specific conclusion, it is recommended to have a Skin Biopsy done.

Allergy Testing

allergy tests are performed in cases where we already have a diagnosis of allergy. The main purpose of allergy testing is to find exactly what your pet is allergic to, and also to set up a protocol for allergy injections. If giving allergy shots is not contemplated then this test is of less value, although it will let us know what allergens we want to avoid. Trying to avoid these allergens though is almost impossible. There are two main types of allergy tests that are performed. Neither one is perfect, and they can have false positives and false negatives.

The two main types of tests are Intradermal (skin) Test and RAST (in vitro test). Usually, Routine Blood Panels are also taken to help identify the cause of the disease.

Treatment

One gets allergic because of exposure to various elements. The best option will be to limit the exposure to that allergen. You may limit the exposure to some of these allergens like pollen grains etc by limiting the number of household plants. If you have a allergic dog as well as a beautiful garden, you may have to sacrifice your garden a bit, in order to save your pet. Cut down the grasses to the lowest and whenever you do that, make sure that your pet is out of reach. Your motto should be to limit the number of pollens as much as you can. And that amounts to reducing the number of flowering plants.

It is also important to that your pets are not infested with fleas and if they are, take proper steps and have them removed. One can also use one of the many effective options available in the market for flea control.

Mold allergies can be significantly reduced by dusting and cleaning the house at regular intervals. Indoor plants should be frequently washed. The furnishing of the house should be as simple as possible. Care should be taken to remove carpets and other dust attracting objects from the house. Clean your Air Conditions frequently using clorine.

For treating Atopy, we commonly use steroids/Cortisone. These is given in small doses for only a limited period of time since it's prolonged use can lead to other side effects such as hair loss, liver dysfunction etc. It stops your dog from scratching too much.

Antihistamines stop the release of histamines and thereby controls the allergy. They do not have harmful side effects like steroids and are safe to use ven for long term basis. Sometimes, dogs do consistent scratching on their in and this might lead to secondary infections on their skin. Antibiotics are the most useful treatments in such case.

They are the last resolve if all other ways have failed. Initially, they need to be given in quick succession but after a year or so the frequency will significantly reduce.