What Do Dog Skin Allergies Mean

 

As much as the typical reaction to dog skin allergies can annoy the humans in the household, imagine how much it interferes with your pup's daily life. The constant itching and scratching or licking can easily irritate the human members of the family.

So often the easy solution becomes to move the dog into another area of the house where he is confined to a small, usually less valued room than he was originally sitting in. Bathrooms, offices, and even large closets end up being dedicated space for dog that itches and scratches for the entire night.

When you put a dog into a situation that is both physically and emotionally uncomfortable the results can actually be tragic. The typical allergic reaction that a pup will experience will be a lot like the ones their favorite human feels. The most common cause of allergies in canines is dog food.

Low quality food tends to be loaded with grains and fillers that can either be the cause of or exacerbate the allergies. Even mid to upper quality foods can have just enough grain in them to create allergy attacks of the area. One of the first things to look into is the quality of the meals he has been eating. Try a raw diet for him or offer him a top quality premium brand food. The food should be totally grain free.

If your dog is allergic to an ingredient in the food he will most likely react by initially scratching. Of course, since humans often find this dog trait unpleasant, he's probably been asked to stop from time to time. Since he really wants to take care of his discomfort he may go off and try to sneak in a little extra "alone time." For every scratch he has there is certainly a sense of relief, but it's only temporary as the histamine responds quite quickly to being stimulated in such a manner. The body overproduces the histamine and the skin becomes intensely itchy at the site. It might take quite awhile to break the cycle.

Food allergies are so common that some vets will tell you to go change his food, recommend a few alternatives, and only come in if the situation doesn't improve. Depending on other things throughout the transition from one food to another your dog may very well be just one of the canines that has to let his body catch up.

Skin tends to heal rather slowly and you will want spend some time hearing about the alternatives should that be necessary for your pup's health. Alternatives can include a raw diet for him, home cooked diets which are really not commonly nutritionally sound, supplements, and medication in the event or as a preventative.

Dog skin allergies can be narrowed down in most cases by the breaking out, washing, scratching, and standard breathing rate if evaluated by a vet. However, many vets actually do prefer to to do skin testing only after changes have been made for her dog food. Living with this kind of problem is difficult, but it is much more difficult for your dog.