20% of Dogs Suffer from a Dog Allergy: Could Yours be One?
Think your pet could have a dog allergy? Is he losing fur and scratching nonstop? You may be right.
Some readers have told me their dogs break out in hives when they eat certain foods. 
If you have a suspicion that your dog is sick,you're probably right. Your vet can run some tests for you. But there's a lot you can do yourself.
7 Symptoms of a Dog Allergy
•loss of hair,
Now these are pretty generic symptoms. They could mean one of five different types of dog allergies or they could mean nothing. You know your dog better than anyone so you know if Max is showing unusual behaviors or not. You can track your pet's behavior by taking detailed notes. Write down anything that seems to bring on the symptoms--food that's eaten, change in environment--everything you can think of. Date them. Then, you'll have solid info for the vet. Food allergies affect about 20% of dogs. And they're becoming more common. In fact, Veterinarian Dr. Andrew Jones says dog allergies are one of the most common reasons he sees pets.
It's not only food allergies that can bother Lucy.
The 5 Types of Dog Allergies
Some common food culprits for dog food allergies are
Corn and Wheat are often, but not always, the culprits in a food allergy. Your pet can also be allergic to the beef, chicken or other protein source. But corn and wheat allergies are showing up as common allergens the same way they're showing up for people. They're cheap fillers in pet food and a build up of them in your pet's body can cause an allergic reaction. It's the same if you develop a wheat allergy or some other food allergy. Check the label on your pet's food. If corn or wheat is listed as one of the first ingredients in the list, that means they are primary ingredients. Change the food and go for one with a high quality meat source as a primary ingredient. Look for one without corn or wheat and feed it for two weeks and see if your pet improves. Take Notes! If you change food, list the dates you started feeding the new food, ingredients, brand names and if you noticed any changes in your pet's behavior or appearance. Tracking down a dog allergy will take some work. But it's worth it for your best friend's health!
If your dog has a food allergy, once you isolate the cause you'll be amazed at the difference in your pet! On the other hand, if you change food a couple of times and your pet is still scratching her leg off or having tummy issues, you may not have a food allergy on your hands.
Who woulda thought? One of the most common dog allergies is to fleas? Hmm...Actually, the dog isn’t allergic to the fleas, he’s allergic to the flea’s saliva. Symptoms can be similar to food allergies, they include itching, redness and swelling. But it’s the dog scratching himself that is likely to cause the hair loss and scratches to the skin rather than the allergy itself. Hot spots can also form, these are red, round sores where the fur has fallen out and your dog is chewing nonstop. There is a skin allergy test your vet can do that can test your dog (or cat) for a flea allergy. If Fido has a flea allergy, he and his home will have to be treated de-flea’ed. Easier said than done. Anyone who has ever had to deal with fleas knows the challenge of thoroughly cleaning everything over and over. Including your pet.
Dogs have varying species of Staphylococcus (Staph) bacteria on them normally. Usually, this doesn’t cause a problem for the dog but occasionally, some will develop an allergy to it. The symptom is hair loss and you'll see patterns that look like ringworm on their skin. This is a dog allergy that needs to be treated with antibiotics. It's an infection.
Just like it sounds, this is a dog allergy that is caused by something touching the skin.
Anything that touches your dog's skin can be the culprit. Collars or bedding, topical medicines, or anything else that touches your dog regularly. You might see this as reddened, itchy skin on your dog. Small, pus-filled welts are not uncommon. Once you've determined what's causing the problem. Get rid of it. But, like the food allergies, you may have to experiment a bit to isolate the problem. If you dog has his own bed you might try covering it with a towel (duct tape it on the bottom so it actually stays covering the dog bed). Take off her collar when you can, don't apply any medication to her skin. Try this for two-three weeks and observe. See what happens. Take notes so you'll have something to share with the vet.
Your dog is breathing something that is making him sick. It could be dust or mold or something else. This is harder to figure out but if you've tested for the other allergies and your pup is still having problems, you can work with your vet to determine the cause to this one.
Your Dog Doesn't Have to Suffer.Allergies ARE treatable.Most dogs exhibit allergic symptoms if at all, when they’re young (up to four) so if your pup is older and you haven’t seen any symptoms, hopefully they’ve been spared this discomfort. If you think your dog has a dog allergy, the hard part is diagnosing it. Observing, taking notes and going to your vet well informed is the best thing you can do. Once the diagnosis is made you can help your pet have a happier, allergy-free life!
If you want to know more about preventing a dog allergy, please sign up for Dr. Jones fr*ee ebook about vaccines. Veterinarians are starting to believe these could be contributing factors.
For More Information on a Dog Allergy to Wheat Please Click Here Good luck!
P.S. Please remember, this website is not meant to provide a diagnosis to your pet but merely to provide some general information. Jennifer Phillips April is not a veterinarian or other medical professional. Please see your medical professional for a professional opinion.
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