Allergy season has started, I as many others spend a great deal of time with watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and good grief itching, the list goes on. I began wondering if Dogs have allergies or are they immune? In this article, I answer this question.
Little old Skunkpuppy started sneezing this morning, it seems most of the dogs that I have raised and lived with will take on some of my conditions. Like a lot of people, I'd like to say most, but I don't know, suffer from allergies this time of year. She and I sat outside sneezing, it was kind of comical actually, but I suspect a more serious situation is affecting her. I suspect a foxtail may have taken up residence just inside her nose, I looked but I did not see anything clearly, she will go to the Vet if it continues. Everything is drying out, what isn't is blooming, it's a double-edged sword, dryness creates dust, blooming creates pollen. Our chances of escaping the allergy season with no symptoms is a rarity for most families. I started to wonder if maybe my little buddy has allergies, are dogs event susceptible to them? It didn't take much research to find the answer to that question. Yes, dogs can be affected by allergens which are common in the air this time of year. It is different when a dog has allergies when we compare the symptoms to those we humans suffer from. A dog with allergies (Link) generally has an extreme reaction to the pollen, dust, and other allergens in our environment. Some of these symptoms may look familiar, others may be a surprise:
1) Scratching has increased, a quick check for fleas is prudent.
2) Just like humans their eyes will water and itch.
3) The base of their tail itches, they are constantly biting that area, a check for fleas is in order as well. A bald spot around the base of the tail will sometimes become evident, fleas, scratching, or both may be the cause.
4) Ear infections and itchy ears, lopped ear dogs such as Labrador retrievers suffer from ear infections due to their love of water.
5) Sneezing, their sneezes are for the record books, unlike us they don't care where everything flies off to.
6) Vomiting, enough said.
7) Diarrhea, sign allergies do affect dogs differently and more severely.
8) A sore throat evident by snoring, skunk-puppy snores, barks, howls, and growls in her sleep. (She is a mean little dog)
9) Swollen Paws which causes them to chew on their pads.
10) Constant licking, dogs do a lot of this anyway.
It is possible for dogs to have secondary yeast infections on the skin, or bacterial infections causing loss of hair, crust on the skin, and scabs, all not necessarily occurring at the same time. I remember when I was young a few houses down from my Grandma's house lived a family with a black lab. The dog was losing it's fur, constantly licked, chewed, and scratched itself. I was no older than six years old, she died when I was seven, I asked the man why the dog did that all the time, even though it was in the late 1950's he knew the dog had allergies. the poor dog suffered, I don't think there was a cure for it during those years, we humans had a handkerchief.
What allergens can affect dogs, are they the same as those that affect humans? Let's take a look:
* Tree, grass and weed pollen,
* Mold
* Dust mites in a house, and dust as well
* Dander, this is a surprise to me, I thought dander came from them.
* Feathers, it deserves a question mark with the word, "really"?
* Cigarette smoke, it's not good for any living creature. (can they get asthma?)
* Additives and ingredients that make up their food, there is so many foods dogs should not eat, the two that surprise me are fish, and Turkey.
* Prescription Drugs, that's logical.
* Flea control products, and fleas, just a few flea bites is capable of causing very intense itching for a few weeks.
* Perfumes, and Cleaning products
* Fabrics may be an allergen
* Flea shampoo, it is an insecticide
* Rubber and plastic substances.
When I take a look at it there are not very many surprises, but I'm relating that to those which affect humans. It doesn't surprise me that there are food allergies, or Prescription drugs, Flea shampoo is a surprise. Their immunity may change over the course of their lives, making discovering which allergen is responsible more difficult. Food allergies may start at any age from puppy to the late adulthood.
If allergies are suspected what should I do? Take her to the vet, she will perform a physical exam to determine the cause of the reaction, she may take skin or blood tests. An elimination diet may be in line to determine if the cause is food related. There is just one way to diagnose a canine for a food allergy, that is to place the animal on a prescription or hydrolyzed protein diet for three months. When placed on that diet treats, table scraps, or flavored medication are not allowed to be fed to the animal. A Hydrolyzed Protein diet is free of allergy-causing ingredients, it is made up hopefully of ingredients the pet has never eaten prior to beginning the diet. At the end of the 12 weeks the symptoms should go away, if they do not the vet may keep the dog on the diet for an extended period until they do go away. When the dog is allergy free the old diet will resume slowly, introducing foods one at a time monitoring which causes symptoms. Some dogs cannot return to their past diet, instead, home cooked meals will be prescribed. Skunkpuppy was on a Cottage Cheese, Green Bean, and Rice diet after she was run over by a car. Ironically I was as well around the same time due to an intestinal infection, the coincidence was unbelievable to me.
What is the treatment for a dog suffering from allergies?
# Remove the allergens from the environment or the dog from the compromised area.
# Continue or start a flea control regime for your dog prior to the start of the flea season. (I am writing this in May, the beginning is now). Fleas live in dry grass and weeds directing us to keep lawns mowed and weeds cut down in empty spaces and lots. I have an empty space next door trimmed on my nickel due to fleas affect Skunkpuppy terribly. We must realize also outdoor pets do bring fleas indoors, which may cling to causing the little lap dog to suffer as well. Ask your Veterinarian for recommendations on how to begin a flea program and which flea control product she would recommend for your dog.
# If your dog like mine sleeps on a big cedar filled pillow clean and vacuum it three times a week, while we are at it the rugs, window coverings, and furniture that can gather dust should be attended to also.
# Ask your Vet for input for the best prescription shampoo, weekly baths will help relieve itching by removing allergens and pollens from the animals fur and skin. In the event the wrong product is used the dogs' skin may dry out, exasperating the condition.
# Follow the diet religiously if the pet is diagnosed with a food allergy, your Vet will recommend the exact foods to include in home-cooked meals if need be.
There are medications available to control allergies, your Vet may prescribe one or more to combat the discomfort your pet is experiencing.
* Allergy injections may be included in the plan, they help to develop a resistance to the allergen causing the discomfort, versus merely hiding the itching.
* Like us, humans, Antihistamines such as Benadryl may be prescribed, most dogs will not benefit from them, your Vet will advise you if she believes it will be effective with your pet.
* Sprays containing Aloe, Oatmeal, or other natural ingredients may be used to relieve itchy skin. Some shampoos containing these substances are also effective, the shampoo will also assist in preventing skin infections.
* Monthly flea treatment applied directly to the dogs' skin is effective as well.
* Cortisone is used to control the allergy, care needs to be taken when they are used because they are powerful drugs and should be administered only under the watchful guidance of your Veterinarian.
* Cigarette smoke is capable of causing Bronchitis, a persistent cough because the airway is inflamed and a lot of mucus is generated. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs may be employed. The best course of action is to not expose them to the smoke, they are in many ways more fragile than humans. Many of my relatives have passed due to smoking cigarettes, I do not want to witness a dog suffering a prolonged death due to a humans habit. (Link to cigarette smoke and pets, it's an interesting article.)
Wow, there's a lot of information here, hopefully, your pet does not suffer this time of year from them, I don't think little old Skunkpuppy does, her reaction is most likely due to the number of fleas, dust, foxtails, as well as plant pollen she encounters during her daily runabouts. She does suffer from seizures, the cause of which has not been discovered, and most likely never will be known. Her treatment is Phenobarbital twice a day, she still has them but I have found if she and I take a Siesta from noon until 4 pm each day it helps reduce them. I mention this because once an allergy or other condition is discovered we pay a very important part of the treatment. Dogs will not show symptoms and they work to hide them, it is instinct, you know why, the strong rule and weak and sick animals in the wild generally meet an unfortunate end. It is very important for us to observe them with a suspicious eye because of them masking pain and injury.
The season is upon us, our pets rely on us to recognize their masked symptoms. Thanks for reading and sharing this article, I hope it has raised your awareness a notch, I think I will check Skunkpuppy for fleas tonight, oh and I will take a look at her pads as well, also what's with the sneezing? Thank you again, please leave a comment.
I have good news, and bad news, I will comment on the good and ignore the bad, that's my M.O., We have 20 grandkids, one more will be here tomorrow. My daughter is beginning to foster a newborn baby, he is a little boy born to a drug-addicted mother, I will not hyphenate my relationship to him, I will call him my "grandson", it may be temporary, it may not be. I hope the mother turns out OK until then the little boy will thrive with my daughter, I wish I lived closer.
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