Dog Allergy Information

Dog Itches Nonstop

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:39:11 +0000

Poor Annie

In the latest round of skin issues we went to the vet with another flare up of her skin.

Her belly was bright red and she was miserable. And so were we, since she would lick all night long.

The vet decided that it was time to take a culture of the infected area and see what would grow in a petri dish.

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Does My Dog Have A Skin Allergy, Cushing’s Disease, Or Worse?

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:26:04 +0000

Over the last 6 months Annie (pictured at right) has been in, what we thought, was a simple aggravating battle with skin allergies. Just another annoying case of dog allergies that often plague our pets, right?

Her symptoms at various times were:

chewing herself, primarily around her rump
dandruff which would not be washed away
skin pustules: small round spots all over her back that would flake, turn red, and then potentially bleed and get infected
increased water intake
increased food intake
abdominal enlargement

We explored solutions that included: (more…)

Hypoallergenic Dogs - Good Dogs For People With Allergies

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 17:02:24 +0000

My cousin Carl had a really difficult decision.

His 8 year old, Bethany, was ready for the responsibility of a pet. After lots of discussion and research he and Bethany agreed that a dog would be a welcomed addition to the family.

The problem was that Carl was allergic to dogs.

Growing up in a household that loved dogs during his childhood, Carl was plagued with runny nose, eye itching and symptoms that resembled asthma. He thought he was never going to be able to own a dog again.

Was Carl’s issue with dog allergies going to force him to disappoint Bethany?

Thankfully, no.

Prospective dog owners who suffer from allergies, but who can’t do without the joy of a canine companion, and want to keep their allergies at bay do have choices. In fact the AKC suggests they consider the following breeds:

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Dog Allergy Shots - Hyposensitization

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:15:05 +0000

Years ago when I was a kid my parents send me to an allergist to get allergy shots. This was an effort to cure mold, mildew and ragweed allergies.

Now as a ‘parent’ of Annie I am tempted to try allergy shots to cure her dog allergies. So just as people have this treatment, so can pets. The process, however, is not without difficulty and one should not expect hypo-sensitization to end all itchy skin concerns.

Allergy shots take time to work. It is not uncommon for results to take 6 to 12 months
Not all dogs will respond. In fact 25% of atopic dogs will not - they are frequently the gogs that are allergic to multiple allergens
Up to 25% of dogs will require the steroid prednisone at some point during the course of treatment
You will have to be prepared to administer the allergy shot yourself

Is Your Pet A Viable Candidate?
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Vegetarian Dog Food

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:01:50 +0000

Recently, as in the last 12 month or so, our dog has developed really painful and annoying itching, scratching, chewing and skin rash issues. During this time we have tried medicated shampoos, endless courses of antibiotic treatments, steroid therapy, and now vegetarian dog food.

We arrived at this new food experiment during research in traditional dog food. As you are likely aware dog food contains any number of left over animal parts that are not appropriate for human consumption. As well, manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on their packaging so there is simply no way to know what you are feeding your beloved pet.

The home made food choice was not recommended by our vet as the exclusive nutrition source, even when supplemented by Pet Tabs. Although the combination of ground turkey, whole grain rice and eggs proved delicious to our dog, we remained concerned about her overall health.

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Where Do These Skin Irritations Come From?

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 22:05:45 +0000

You might be thinking that your dog is unique with regards the his skin issues. You wonder if there can’t possibly be another animal that has the same issues of flaking, itching, scratching and pain. The fact is that dermatological issues are very common in the dogs.

In fact, a recent survey among veterinarians found that dermatological conditions are the single most frequently seen problem on an everyday basis.

In companion animals, parasites, allergies and hormone disorders are most commonly brought on as dermatological conditions. In our dogs, allergic conditions are the most common cause of chronic skin problems.

These require (more…)

Dust Mites, Dogs And Allergies

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 21:57:41 +0000

Did you know that almost 25% of the more than 54 million dogs in the U.S. that have received professional vet care are found to have some form of an allergy or other immunological disorder? One of the most common types of dog allergies is the inhalant type. This known as atopy. Included in the list of these allergens are:

pollens
molds
mildew
the common dust mite

Dust mites are tiny, microscopic creatures that belong to the family of eight-legged creatures called arachnids. Also included in this family are other familiar household pests:

spiders
chiggers
ticks

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Dog Elimination Diet

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:28:19 +0000

Annie had been scratching like crazy. She was trying so hard to get to the base of her tail that she was spinning around in circles!

We had heard that there was a process called an elimination diet that would help determine if the food she was eating currently would be causing her allergies. During our research we learned that one of the problems with trying to determine if food allergies are present is that dogs are usually allergic to only one ingredient, or to a small number of ingredients and not to the whole diet.

This means that the real challenge becomes isolating the food that is really causing the problem.

Historically the way to determine the root cause, which ingredient, was to (more…)

Dangerous Foods For Dogs

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:37:55 +0000

Annie loves treats and like most people with dogs we enjoy giving them to her. We have cooked her dog food when we thought she was suffering from allergies and needed to get her away from store bought cans. We couldn’t help but think that there were foods that we should not be feeding her. In fact there is the risk of your dog not getting the proper nutrition from the home cooked meal.

Worse though is that some foods we as humans love are in fact dangerous to dogs.

Unfortunately dogs love the flavor of chocolate, just like so many humans. The reason this is unfortunate is that in sufficient doses it is lethally toxic to dogs. Chocolate contains the chemical stimulant theobromine that together with caffeine and theophylline, belongs to the group of methylxanthine alkaloids. Dogs are unable to metabolize theobromine effectively. If dogs eat chocolate the theobromine can remain in their bloodstreams for up to 20 hours and can result in: (more…)

Home Remedy Or Vet Visit

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:52:16 +0000

When a dog owner is first aware of the incessant scratching and licking that their pet is enduring there is a tendency to ignore the situation.

Don’t feel bad, but it is true.

You watch your best friend going slightly nuts from being uncomfortable and choose to do nothing. The reasons for this are not usually based on owners that do not care. Rather many owners will believe that the symptoms will disappear on their own. As an example fleas are most prevalent in the spring and summer so they think “hey, if I wait until the Fall this problem with Fluffy will go away”.

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