Seasonal Allergies: What Things You would like to Know

Just a bit of change in a season and your pet is suffering from a cough, sneeze, an itch or a rash or sneezing constantly. A sudden health issue may seem very disturbing, and you wonder what has gone wrong with your Fido. These symptoms are nothing but seasonal allergies that your dog is facing.

To aid you in helping your pet to face the allergies and become healthier, here are a few questions that may help you find your own answer.

These are the most common questions on seasonal allergies in dogs that pet parents ask our vets during consultancy.

Here is an array of questions and answers about seasonal allergies that dogs suffer from.

What is an allergy?

A state of over-reactivity or hypersensitivity of the immune system to a particular substance called an allergen is termed as an allergy. Proteins are the most common allergens that affect pets.

The protein allergen may arise from any source – animal, plant or insect. Over exposure to allergen, usually multiple times, makes immune system sensitive and constant exposure to the same or related allergen will cause over-reaction.

What are the most prominent symptoms of allergies in dogs?

The most common signs are itching, scratching, and rubbing either localized (particular area) or generalized (all over body) body. Symptoms such as coughing, sneezing or wheezing are some involving respiratory system. Even running discharge from nose and eyes is common in pets due to allergy. In some cases, the allergens affect the digestive system resulting in vomiting and diarrhea.

How common are allergies in dogs?

Dogs normally suffer from allergies. They are quite common in all breeds and sizes of dogs. Most allergies appear after the dog is six months of age and majority of them have it when they are two.

Do dogs inherit allergies?

In some breeds, allergies are inherited. Atopy is the special term designated for the inherited trait.

What are the common substances that cause allergies in dogs?

Allergen group is wide. There are different substances that act as allergens. Most of the proteins of insect, plant or animal origin, apart from small chemical molecules known as haptens can cause allergy. Pollens, dust mites, shed skin cells, mold spores are some common allergens from plants, whereas insect proteins such as flea saliva and some medications are other allergens.

What are the different kinds of allergies that my dog can suffer from?

There are several types of allergies, which have been classified as below:

• Clinical signs: Flea allergy dermatitis or allergy bronchitis
• Precipitating allergen: Flea allergy
• Inherited forms: atopy or seasonal allergies
• Route the allergen takes into the body: inhalant allergy, skin contact allergy or food allergy
• Type of immune reaction: Types I through IV Hypersensitivity
• Time it takes for the immune reaction – Immediate type- hypersensitivity, also called as Anaphylaxis or Shock, and Delayed-type Hypersensitivity

What about contact allergy, I had rarely heard about it?

Contact allergy results from direct contact to allergens such as pesticides used on the lawn grass, pyrethrins found in flea collars, materials such as wool or synthetic used in beddings or carpets, etc.

If your dog is allergic to these substances, he develops skin irritation and itching at the places of contact, usually such areas are feet and stomach. On finding the cause about this, removing the allergens mostly solves the problem.

What is flea and tick bite allergy, I have heard a lot about it, do I have to be careful about these insects?

This is the most common type of allergy pet faces. Insect bite allergy is the inflammatory response that is due to sting or bite of an insect. Apart from ticks and fleas, other insects such as spiders, blackflies, deerflies, horseflies, mosquitoes, ants, bees, hornets and wasps can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive dogs.

Even flea can be a major cause for the allergy in your dog, it is essential for an effective flea control treatment. Considering the flea life cycle, it is quite difficult to protect your pet from flea infestation. Nevertheless, with the modern flea preventives, and home treatments, it can be possible to control fleas.

What is food allergy and how can I treat my dog if he is affected?

Generally, food hypersensitivity or food allergy sets in due to any protein or carbohydrate component of food.

Protein of certain food origin such as wheat gluten, chicken eggs, chicken, beef and dairy products are responsible. Food allergy can develop at any age, and therefore pet parents need to be active when feeding their Fidos.

No perfect medical treatment is available for food allergy. Proper understanding and recognizing which food products are causing allergy is essential to treat your dog. You need to eliminate such food items from your dog’s diet to help him recover from food allergy.

 Important Thing to Remember:

Various signs of allergies can often be confused with other diseases such as anxiety disorders or flea and tick infestation. Therefore, involving your veterinarian is essential. He can diagnose your dog properly and provide treatment accordingly depending on the type of allergy or other diseases.