

Once the fleas have been eliminated, your dog may need topical and oral antibiotics to clear up any secondary skin infections and natural grooming products to bring her coat and skin back to normal.įood allergiesoccur when some substance in your pet’s food causes her body to react in the way it does with airborne allergens. This type of reaction is at its worst in high summer when fleas most common, but can last all year round if you don’t have good flea control in your home. Often, just the bite of a single flea can cause a pup sensitive to certain substances in flea saliva to break out in red, inflamed bumps on the skin and severe itching. You may even notice signs of a runny nose and eyes and frequent ear infections.įlea allergy dermatitis is the most common skin allergy seen in dogs.

The constant itching and scratching can lead to hair loss, with her skin becoming flaky and thick. Eventually, your dog will show signs of allergic reactions to mold, dust, feathers, and wool – all of those same airborne allergens that can affect you. There are several types of skin allergies that can affect your dog and cause her pain and itching.Ītopic dermatitis, called canine atopy, is fairly common, affecting approximately 10 percent of all dogs, most particularly Golden and Labrador retrievers, Lhasa apsos, Dalmatians, poodles, boxers, bulldogs, West Highland white terriers, wire fox terriers, and Irish and English setters.ĭogs afflicted with atopy react first to air-borne pollens, which explains why your pooch may be itchier in the spring and fall months when pollen and ragweed are at their highest levels. What are the causes of the different types of canine skin allergies? This last is a particularly good reason to use shampoos and conditioners that contain only natural ingredients.

If your dog is showing signs of skin allergies, she may be sensitive to any number of things including her food, fleabites, allergens floating in the air, and the chemicals found in her grooming products. When that happens, the white blood cells proliferate in the different layers of her skin, releasing histamine, and causing the inflammation and intense itching that you witness in your dog’s skin. She is showing a hypersensitivity to a substance that is forcing her immune system to overreact and certain of her white blood cells – called mast cells and basophils – to overproduce in an effort to kill the irritant, known as an allergen. When a dog shows any type of allergic reaction, her body is reacting to some kind of stimulus at the cellular level. What happens in my dog’s body when she’s allergic?
