Puppy Pitbull Allergies
Allergy is a very common condition in dogs. This can be a result of poor breeding in Pit Bulls. It may be the result of breeding only for skin color for example. Symptoms may include itching and chewing on the skin, irritation and inflammation of the skin, hair loss, sores on the skin, and sometimes sneezing, or irritated eyes.
Affected animals may have a genetic or inherited cause behind the development of allergies. There are four different types of allergies and they all affect dogs in different ways.
Food Allergies
Dog food allergies are caused by one or more ingredients in the dog food given to the pet. These can consist of meat products, dairy, soy or wheat, carbohydrate sources, or additives found in various dog foods.
Symptoms of food allergy usually include non-specific itching anywhere on the body, with or without sores, irritation, or hair loss. Tests for food allergies include blood tests and skin testing.
One of our rescue dogs suffers from allergies and she was itching constantly. We found a vet that was able to test for food allergies and at the end not only did we get a print out of all the ingredients that would cause her symptoms but we also received a list of all the dog foods and treats that she could eat, all the foods that did not contain ingredients she was allergic to.
Inhalant Allergies
Inhalant allergies are common in dogs, and are caused by inhaling plant pollens, molds, house dust, and house dust mites.
Itching usually occurs about the face and the feet, but can also occur in other areas of the body. Sores, irritation, and hair loss may or may not be seen. Your pet may have pollen allergies if he/she seems to be bothered during certain seasons of the year. Diagnosis is made by skin testing.
One treatment would be to remove the offending agents from the pet's environment although this is often quite difficult to do. Anti-itch medications by mouth or applied directly on the pet are another treatment option. In some cases desensitizing the pet to the offending agents through an allergy shot is helpful.
Flea Allergies
Flea allergies are caused by the saliva of fleas. Affected pets react to the flea saliva after being bitten, and can exhibit signs of itch, sores, irritation, and hair loss.
Fleas are very irritating to dogs, and can result in a dog that itches and scratches constantly. Dogs will commonly display flea allergy symptoms of hair loss, sores, and irritation over the back end, down the hind legs, in the groin region, and along the tail.
Dogs can be diagnosed if you are able to see the parasite on your pet. Fleas are tiny, black, fast moving insects, which like to stay close to the skin. A heavy coat can make visual diagnosis difficult. It may be helpful in those situations to purchase a flea comb from a pet supply store or from your vet. These combs will pick out the fleas and their waste from your dog’s hair.
Once you have determined that your dog has fleas it is time to decide on a treatment. One option is called a Flea Bath where you bathe your dog with an approved detergent. This bath will result in the death of the fleas; they will then be seen in the bath water. Another treatment option involves removing fleas from the pet and environment with medications applied directly on the pet or given by mouth. It may be necessary to apply anti flea products to the environment in order to get rid of them all.
Contact allergies
Contact allergies can be caused by a number of substances in the environment which your pet comes in contact with. Grass, weeds, carpet fibers, and shampoos or dips are some of the substances which can cause contact allergies.
Most pets are affected by itching and irritation in the area which contact was made. Diagnosis is sometimes made by looking at the dog’s history and evaluating common contacts at the time of symptoms or by reducing or eliminating the pet's contact to suspected substances.
An obvious treatment would be to avoid a known allergen. This may not be possible for example with grass. In that case you would try to avoid as much exposure as possible and use either oral or topical anti-itch medications when necessary.
Allergies can be tricky to identify and then to treat. With our dog we were able to eliminate the food allergies which decreased her reaction to the other allergens in the environment. We continued to need sporadic cortisone shots for her during certain seasons |
