Dog Skin Allergies – Useful Facts for Dog Enthusiasts
Dog skin allergies can result from various reasons. Its major symptom is scratching. As a dog owner, it’s really painful and stressful to see your dog suffering from skin allergies. So it is mainly necessary that you must have a basic understanding on the reasons why skin allergies happen or why your dogs tend to have allergic reactions on their skin. As you read this article, you will know more about useful facts on dog skin allergies.
Basically, dogs are often exposed in environment that triggers their immune system to response from something that they rubbed against with, sniffed and eaten. The immune system is the one that sends out the histamines in the blood stream of the dog’s body enabling to attack the offending substance. However, histamines have some disadvantages and side-effect reactions on dog’s skin resulting to itchiness and scratching.
Dog skin allergies and infections are often results from intense scratching and skin irritation or inflammation. Here are some useful facts about types of skin allergies for dog enthusiasts out there:
- Parasitic/Flea Allergies – this allergy is resulted from flea saliva. One bite of one single flea is equal to 10 bites of 10 fleas. Once this allergy happens to your dog, he will then becomes the host of secondary skin infections.
- Food Allergies – this allergy may arise from food sources where dogs have allergic reactions once eaten. With today’s dog foods in the market, corn is one of the common food allergens. And generally corn is one of the food sources where dogs have allergic reactions once eaten. Dogs are also allergy to other food ingredients that contain chemical preservatives or additives.
- Atopic Allergies – this allergy is caused by factors inhaled by dogs within the surroundings such as dust mites, dandars, pollens, molds and countless others.
- Contact Allergies – this allergy is resulted from certain substances where dog’s skin may have allergic reactions. These substances may come from the dogs’ toys, beddings, and many more.
Dog skin allergies can be hidden beneath the beautiful coat covers of your dogs. Because of this, you may not know that your dog is already suffering from severe painful dog skin allergies or even life threatening conditions. Be reminded these allergies are also indications of a more serious condition.
Dog skin allergies may start as a dry skin or may appear like a dandruff. Other indications include rashes, mange, mite irritations, various fungus infections, and excessive shedding. In some cases of severe dog skin allergies, indications may involve infected sores, melanomas, seborrhea skin diseases, and tumors.
Some conditions of dog skin allergies can be prevented and treated just by identifying the causes as well as preventing your dog going near the factors or sources of possible allergies. As a dog owner, you should be highly aware of your role and responsibilities on giving adequate treatment and care.
Dog skin allergies can also be a result of climate conditions. Dogs that are living in rural areas have great risks of developing skin allergies because of further exposure to climate conditions.
Tags: Allergy