In-depth Treatment Procedures for Allergic Dermatitis in Small Animals

Treatment for allergic dermatitis in dogs highly depends on the diagnosed cause of the allergy. The diagnostic procedures that may involve any of the following such as; skin scraping and skin cytology, complete blood count and biochemical profiling, allergy blood tests and allergy skin tests or intra-dermal skin tests, and dietary trials. Once the cause has been known, it is suggested that you ask and follow your dog抯 veterinarian抯 advice so that your dog could heal in a faster period of time.

Specific treatment procedures will have to be implemented and this may be in combination of two treatments or just a single procedure. Oral antibiotic treatment is one and this involves giving your dog antibiotics to fight the allergies. Specific antibiotic is prescribed depending on the type of bacteria affecting your dog based on the diagnosis. Oral antibiotic treatment is usually given alongside other treatment procedures since secondary bacterial infections usually arise.

Next kind of treatment is through dietary management. When food allergies are present, treatment for this should involve better food choices for your dog to avoid the ones that causes allergy. As time passes by, some ingredients are added to the dog抯 diet to test the dog抯 hypersensitivity or reaction to it. If this has been diligently complied, a normal diet may be given back to your dog.
Another treatment is fatty acid supplementation. Diet with fatty acids has been known to lessen the degree of inflammation on the skin. However, this kind of treatment just serves as a support to other kinds of treatment to better the condition of the dog since it cannot totally eradicate the allergic dermatitis being experienced by the dog. Third kind of treatment is immunotherapy that makes use of allergy vaccines administered to the dog especially when the specific case of allergy has been identified since it can only be given to a specific type that is mostly atopy. Administered alongside corticosteroids and antihistamines, immunotherapy attempts to mitigate dosages in drugs; however it may take months before positive results arise.

Meanwhile, corticosteroid therapy, another kind of treatment, is very effective in relieving itchiness and inflammation especially in cases where atopy and flea bites are the known cause. Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory drugs used very commonly in treating dog illnesses. Veterinarians have been using corticosteroid since its immediate relief is a comfort to the dog owner and the dog in cases where mites and inhalant allergies are present; however, they are not effective when treating food allergy. Utmost care and veterinary guidance should be executed when using corticosteroid since they can be very bad to the dog抯 health when taken in longer periods of time or when taken without the prescription of the animal doctor.

Anti-histamines, on one hand, may also be used for treatment but it should be implemented alongside other treatments since it only helps relieve itch and inflammation. Topical anti-inflammatory ointments, on the other hand, must be administered especially if the case is just mild allergy or in regional skin lesions.
Lastly, avoidance of offending allergens and use of anti-itch or anti-pruritic shampoos or soaps to your dog must be avoided since they carry harmful chemicals that may be considered agents of allergy.