From the time you got your Golden Retriever, you have loved the golden hair of your dog. But you don't love it falling all over your car, furniture, foods or clothes, right? And having to ask the veterinarian about the persistent itching and biting problem is not a very uncommon problem for Golden Retriever owners. There may be a wide variety of reasons including infection, parasitical intervention and allergies. Primarily there are four major forms of Golden Retriever allergies. These are flea allergies, atopy, food allergies and contact allergies.
Reaction to flea saliva may cause flea allergies, also known as skin inflammation, if the dog is sensitive to fleas. If this occurs, formation of small red papule is the most common symptom observed over different areas of the Golden Retriever like the lower back, back legs, hind legs, upper thighs and belly areas. When this occurs, the dog excessively scratches the affected region and itching is one of the most common symptoms Golden Retriever allergies.
One of the most common Golden Retriever allergies occurs as a result of reaction to flea' saliva. When it occurs, the affected area turns out to be dark in color and thickened. It only happens when the dog is allergic to fleabites. In such case, only one or two bites are enough to be a hazard. If controlling the flea population is possible, the dog can be effectively treated. Apart from that, you have to control flea population in the external environment as well. In modern days with the advancement of medical science, many new products are available to combat against flea allergies.
When a dog becomes sensitive to any particular substance in the environment, atopy occurs. The harmful substances are either inhaled or soaked up by the skin of the dog. This is one of the major forms of Golden Retriever allergies, which may affect different body parts including groin, feet, underarm and face. Atopy also affects areas close to ear. Cat dander, fungal spores, weeds, pollen and grasses are the most common factors of atopy. Common interventions may involve antihistamines, antibiotics, cortisone administered either by shampooing or spraying.
Like any other dogs, the Golden Retriever may experience food allergies as well. Although the symptoms are more or less similar to atopy, the treatment largely varies for food allergies. Beef, wheat, dairy, soy and in some cases poultry are the reasons for food allergies in dogs like the Golden Retriever.
In order to diagnose whether your dog has food allergies or not, you need to change the diet completely. Feed the dog with an alternative diet that contains sufficient among of nutrients. It needs to be continued for at least eight weeks without interruption. Meanwhile you need to observe whether there is any significant reduction in allergic symptoms.
Contact allergy is another form of Golden Retriever allergies, however, it is not as common. This occurs only when any other form of allergy like atopy affects the dog or a flea reaction causes the area to become hairless and the dog becomes vulnerable towards contact allergies.
Paw, underarms and the belly are mostly affected by contact allergy. Different chemicals used in carpet cleaning, grasses, polishes, waxes, and pollens are the common contributors of contact allergy.
