How To Deal With Flea Bite Hypersensitivity In Dogs?

The weather is getting warmer and in no time we may have to deal with the hottest days of the year. Being pet owners, we know that this is the most vulnerable time for our pets as the blood-sucking fleas hatch and multiply faster in warmer climate. It goes without saying that during this time of the year, hypersensitive pets may be the most threatened by fleas.

According to studies, there are 15 different antigens present in flea saliva. Coming in contact with any of these antigens through a flea bite may trigger allergic reactions in hypersensitive dogs. These reactions may include extreme itchiness, scratching, reddening of the skin, etc. This condition caused by a flea bite is called Flea Allergy Dermatitis or Flea Bite Hypersensitivity.

Flea Bite in Dogs

Invisible flea bites- How to know whether your dog has FAD?

It may happen that your pooch gets infected with fleas and it may go unnoticed. So how to know if your pet’s scratching is not his usual one and is the symptom of flea bite hypersensitivity? Let’s find out!

  • Observe the way your pet scratches himself. Common scratching doesn’t last long, so if your pooch is going crazy tearing off his skin then there is definitely something more to it.
  • Dogs having flea allergy will bite at the base if the tail and scratch it often.
  • You will observe a prominent hair loss on the affected area.
  • Your dog may have lesions and red inflamed skin wherever the flea saliva may have made contact.

These are the four major symptoms of Flea Allergy Dermatitis in dogs. There is one and only one way to protect your pets from it which is keeping fleas away from them. Here is how you can achieve that goal:

Ways to protect pets from Flea Allergy Dermatitis

  • The easiest way as we discussed earlier is to keep our pets protected from fleas. Using flea treatments is important, especially for hypersensitive pets. There are several flea preventives like Frontline Plus, Advantage and K9 Advantix may help you achieve this objective.
  • Keep your house clean. Vacuum the covers, beddings and your dog’s various spots to wipe off the fleas or its juvenile stages if carried by your pooch from outside.
  • Check your pet’s coat for external parasitic infestation regularly. Also make it a habit of combing the fur to make it possible to detect existence of fleas or the surfacing allergy as early as possible.
  • In case of multiple pets, treat them at the same time. That would be much convenient than missing on doses due to our forgetfulness.

In all, it all comes to eliminate fleas from the surroundings of your pooch. Spring has set in and this is the perfect time to restart treating your pets with flea control if you gave it a pass in colder days.