Are Flea Allergies Causing My Dog to Itch?

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     Flea allergy, commonly referred to as flea dermatitis, is the most frequently detected form of allergy observed in dogs and is brought on by a flea bite. It is the chief reason for itchiness in dogs, and it merely takes the bite of one lone flea to induce an allergy on your dog's skin. Flea dermatitis might cause itchiness in a dog for anywhere from a few hours to a number of days and might take up to 3 to 7 days to show up after the first bite of a flea.

How Does Flea Dermatitis In Dogs Occur?

Fleas are only found on an animal when they're feeding. Similar to mosquitoes, fleas will bite a canine and take in blood for nourishment. As a flea does this, they will inject a trace amount of saliva into the animal's skin which could contain approximately 15 separate allergy causing substances. If the canine is sensitive to any one of the allergens which have been injected by the flea, it will trigger an allergic response that leads to the animal scratching and itching. Just about half of all canines will suffer through flea dermatitis, and though the allergies are more frequently seen in mature animals, pups could also develop dermatitis.

Diagnosing Flea Bites and Recognition of Its Signs

Dog owners generally don't know that their dog has fleas because of their relatively miniscule size and because of how hard they often are to eliminate. What makes diagnosis of flea allergies particularly difficult is the fact that it merely takes one individual flea to bring on a flea allergy and signs might not be observable for nearly seven days following when the flea bite occurred. There doesn't have to be an infestation of fleas to induce a flea allergy in dogs. The symptoms of flea dermatitis can include intense itching and scratching or biting of the fur and skin, inflaming of the skin, hot spots, and reddening of the skin. Because of the continuous itching and scratching, loss of fur across their posterior, particularly near the region commencing in the middle section along the backbone to the start of the tail and in the hind legs region, can also be a very solid indicator of flea dermatitis in dogs. The veterinarian can also find flea allergies in canines employing sophisticated skin and blood screening to look for specific allergy causing substances and to rule out other possibilities like yeast, bacterial and fungal infections.

Flea Treatment Starts With a Suitable Flea Eradication Plan

The first phase to any projected sort of flea treatment takes into consideration getting rid of the fleas both on your dog and in the pet's nearby environment. Even if there's a perfect flea eradication plan established, it's not uncommon for dog's to still get an occasional flea bite. Dogs that are often outside may be a tougher challenge.

Desensitization and Traditional Drugs as Flea Allergy Treatments

A veterinarian may suggest using desensitization as a method of dog allergy treatment. This necessitates injecting the animal with small measures of flea antigen over a certain time period, potentially even the rest of the dog's lifetime. This type of treatment is typically a success in nearly half of the patients, but could possibly become really costly in the end. Antihistamines and traditional medicines, such as cortisone, are also usually administered by the vet to treat flea dermatitis in canines. These forms of treatment can normally grant relief for flea dermatitis; with that said, it's been demonstrated that there are negative side effects when taking corticosteroids. As an end result, this type of treatment could be more harmful than beneficial.

Natural Remedies for Flea Allergies

Due to the side effects found with using steroids, a lot of dog owners are turning to herbal treatments when attempting to battle flea dermatitis. There are many all natural ingredients found in these herbal treatments that are both safe and effective for your pet. German Chamomile has been utilized for many centuries to clean and soothe the skin. A few other herbs have also been shown to help promote improving overall skin health and provide restoration and soothing benefits to the skin, and include Witchhazel, Cleavers and Marigold.