How can I improve my dogs skin allergies
Skin allergies in dogs: Vet's guide to signs and treatment
Is your pup incessantly itchy and scratchy? The presence of skin allergies in dogs is an uncommon but certainly uncomfortable condition that can occur at any age and in any breed.
While it may be tempting to try home remedies or over the counter medications to treat your dogs itching, these treatments rarely work and may even be harmful in some cases. Instead, its best to see your veterinarian to have the problem appropriately diagnosed and treated. From the selection of appropriate dog food for allergies to tackling environmental causes, read on to learn more about skin allergies in dogs and what you can do to help get your dog feeling better quickly.
What causes skin allergies in dogs?
Like humans, dogs can have allergies to foods, environmental allergens, or both. Both food and environmental allergies can result in cutaneous (skin) reactions.
Food allergies
A food allergy, better defined as an adverse food reaction, is an abnormal response to the ingestion of a particular food or food additive. The body incorrectly identifies the food molecules as an antigen, or a threat, and mounts an immune response against them, leading to symptoms like itchy skin or diarrhea.
Food allergies most often develop after prolonged exposure to one type of food. In dogs, the most common food allergens are beef, chicken, lamb, and wheat. Allergies to soybean, milk, eggs, corn, walnuts, and possibly peanuts have also been reported. Dogs that have developed an allergy to one type of food may also develop allergies to additional foods in the future.
Environmental allergies
Environmental allergies results from a defect in the skins epidermal barrier, which is thought to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. These epidermal barrier defects allow allergens such as pollen to penetrate the skin surface and bind to immune cells, triggering an inappropriate immune response.
This results in an inflammatory process that leaves the dog itchy, red, and uncomfortable. Common allergens in dogs include pollens, grasses, dust mites, molds, and dander.
Symptoms of skin allergies in dogs
Food and environmental allergies look very similar and are impossible to distinguish by symptoms alone. The common symptoms of allergies in dogs include:
- Chronic itching
- Recurrent skin or ear infections
- Hair loss, redness, and crusting of the skin
- Self-trauma such as scabbing, hair loss, and saliva staining
- Frequent scratching or licking
Other skin conditions can also cause similar symptoms, so if you suspect your dog may have allergies, its important to see your veterinarian first for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Your veterinarian will perform a full head to tail physical examination and may recommend some additional testing such as a skin scraping or sampling from your pets skin. Once the underlying cause of your pets itching and discomfort has been diagnosed, your vet will be able to develop an appropriate treatment plan to help get your pup feeling better.
How are skin allergies in dogs treated?
Treating food allergies
Food allergies are both diagnosed and treated using an elimination diet trial. Your dog will be put on a special diet for a minimum of eight weeks. This diet may be a limited ingredient diet, a novel protein diet, or a prescription hydrolyzed diet. Your dog must eat this food and no other food, treats, table scraps, or flavored medications for a minimum of eight weeks.
If your dogs skin symptoms resolve during the eight week trial, then this is diagnostic for food allergies. Your dog will need to stay on a special diet for life to avoid the ingredients that he or she is allergic to.
Managing environmental allergies
Environmental allergies are more difficult to manage because your dog cant avoid pollens or dust. Environmental allergies are typically managed with prescription allergy medications.
These may be given in the form of daily pills or monthly injections. Some dogs with environmental allergies may also benefit from immunotherapy injections, where they are exposed to low levels of the allergens they are allergic to and thus slowly desensitized to them.
Your dog first must have an allergy test to determine which environmental allergens he or she is sensitive to, and then your veterinarian can special order the injections for your dog.
In both cases, your dog may also need to be treated for any skin or ear infections that have arisen secondary to the allergies. Ear infections are typically treated with topical medications, such as medicated ear cleaners or topical ointments. Skin infections typically require oral antibiotics to treat.
Your dog may also need a course of steroids or prescription allergy medication to help reduce the itching and inflammation associated with these skin infections. Treating the underlying infection will help improve your dogs itching and also make your dogs allergies more responsive to treatment.
Can skin allergies in dogs be prevented?
Unfortunately, because allergies are caused by genetic and environmental factors, they cannot be prevented. We can only manage allergies as they occur. We can prevent flare-ups of allergies by avoiding the offending allergens, such as by feeding a prescription diet to prevent food allergy flare-ups or minimizing dust in the home to reduce environmental allergies.
And although allergies cannot be truly prevented, we do know that there is a genetic component to the development of allergies. This means it is best to avoid breeding dogs with allergies to avoid passing on this condition to the next generation of puppies.
Conclusion
Allergies in dogs can cause a lot of itching and discomfort, but the good news is that they can be managed. If you suspect your dog has allergies, the first step is a visit to your veterinarian for appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Remember to follow your veterinarians instructions closely to ensure the best outcome for your dog.
Whether your dog has food allergies, environmental allergies, or a combination of the two, there are steps you can take to manage this condition and help get your dog back to feeling his or her best again.
Seasonal Allergies in Dogs
What Are Seasonal Allergies in Dogs?
Dogs can be allergic to various things in the environment, such as pollen from trees and grass. If a dog displays allergy symptoms only during certain seasons, such as spring and fall, a seasonal allergy rather than a year-round allergy is suspected. This means that the dog is allergic to allergens that are in the environment only during certain times of the year.
Dogs with seasonal allergies can be itchy in specific areas, such as their paws, or be itchy all over. They can also have recurring ear infections and skin infections when they are exposed to various environmental allergens at certain times during the year.
Seasonal allergies are different from year-round environmental allergies and food allergies because symptoms are observed only during specific times of the year, depending on what the dog is allergic to and when the specific allergens are prevalent in the environment. In contrast, dogs with year-round allergies will have skin issues all year long.
Most dogs with seasonal allergies have symptoms during the spring (March through May) and fall (September through November), but this can vary based on weather and location.
Types of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs
The following allergens commonly cause seasonal allergies in dogs:
Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs
Symptoms will vary depending upon the dog, but may include:
Excessive licking, usually of the paws, but the licking can be anywhere on the body
Saliva staining of the fur where the dog is licking the skin excessively
Chewing/gnawing
Scratching
Hair loss
Redness of the skin
Crusts
Moist skin
Darkening of the skin (black pigmented skin)
Thickening of the skin (elephant skin)
Odor to the skin or ears
Head shaking
Pawing at the ears, eyes, or face
Recurring scooting or licking of the anus due to anal sacs becoming problematic secondary to allergies
Watery eyes
Reverse sneezing
The most common areas of a dogs body that are affected by seasonal allergies are the paws (especially between the digits), limbs, mouth, ears, abdomen, groin, armpits, tail, and around the eyes.
Causes of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs
A dog that suffers from seasonal allergies has an immune system that is hypersensitive to specific allergens in the environment. When the levels of the allergens become high, the dogs immune system becomes triggered, leading to an allergic response and the development of symptoms.
How Veterinarians Diagnose Seasonal Allergies in Dogs
Seasonal allergies are diagnosed based on physical exam findings, symptoms, and a history of having recurring symptoms and infections during the same seasons annually.
Other skin conditions that can cause similar symptoms must also be ruled out, such as skin mites, fleas, or a food allergy, to reach a diagnosis of seasonal allergies. If fleas are found on a dog with symptoms of severe itchiness, redness, and hair loss, then a flea allergy is diagnosed and the dog is started on effective flea and tick prevention and anti-itch medication to see if symptoms resolve.
Treatment of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs
Seasonal allergies are a chronic condition, which means there is no cure. However, there are ways to treat and manage symptoms to keep your dog comfortable, including:
Year-round flea and tick prevention such as NexGard, Simparica, Bravecto, Seresto collar,and K9 Advantix II
Anti-itch medications such as Apoquel, Cytopoint, and prednisone are prescribed to alleviate any current itchiness and to manage the itch during flare-ups. If the itch can be controlled, the dog will remain comfortable and be at less risk for secondary skin infections.
Once the allergy seasons are determined for a dog based on prior history, the anti-itch medication is started one month prior to the start of the allergy season and continued one month past when the allergy season ends.
An omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplement, such as Welactin, Vetoquinol, or Dermaquin, will protect the skin barrier and minimize allergy symptoms.
An omega-3 fatty acid supplement can also help with anal gland issues for dogs that tend to need their anal glands expressed more frequently during allergy season. It takes four to sixweeks for an omega-3 fatty acid supplement to become effective, so it is best for a dog with seasonal allergies to be on this supplement year-round.
Routine ear cleaning can help clear a current ear infection and reduce the frequency of future ear infections. If an ear infection is present, treat the infection and clean the ears based on recommendations from your veterinarian. When there is no infection, clean the dogs ears with a routine ear cleaner, like EpiOtic Advanced, on a routine basis throughout the year (typically every two to threeweeks for maintenance).
Ear medications, such as Mometamax, Posatex, and Tresaderm, are prescribed to treat bacterial and/or yeast infections in a dogs ears. After treatment, make sure to schedule a follow-up appointment with your veterinarian to recheck that the infection has resolved.
Oral medications are often needed when a dog has a skin infection on multiple areas of the body. Antibiotics, such as clindamycin and cephalexin, are prescribed to treat bacterial skin infections, and anti-fungal medication, such as ketoconazole, is prescribed to treat fungal skin infections, such as yeast infections.
Topical therapy can be used to soothe the skin and help with treatment of skin infections. There are many topical therapy options, including anti-bacterial and anti-fungal ointments, shampoos, conditioners, mousses, sprays, and wipes. Ask your veterinarian which topical therapy would work best based on your dogs allergy symptoms and current skin condition.
Immunotherapy for Dogs With Seasonal Allergies
Immunotherapy consists of either allergy shots or allergy oral drops that are formulated based on allergy test results. To determine what environmental allergens a dog is most allergic to based on where the dog lives, a blood test can be performed by your veterinarian using a specific blood test (Heskas Allercept or Nextmunes Pet Allergy Xplorer) to screen a dog for environmental allergies.
In addition to the allergy blood test, a veterinary dermatologist will also perform intradermal testing, which involves injecting small amounts of various environmental allergens into a dogs skin in specific locations. The injection sites are then monitored over a period of time for signs of a skin reaction. If a reaction is seen, then the dog is likely allergic to the allergen that was injected at that site.
It is important to note that the allergy (blood) testing and the intradermal testing are not performed to provide a diagnosis of seasonal allergies. Rather, they are used to aid in creating immunotherapy treatment for a dog that has been diagnosed with seasonal allergies. The goal with immunotherapy is to desensitize a dog to the environmental allergens that trigger the allergy symptoms. Immunotherapy is usually given long-term at a maintenance dose.
It is difficult to limit a dogs exposure to certain allergens. Pollen from trees, grass, or weeds can be tracked into the house easily. Wiping a pups paws when they come inside can sometimes be helpful.
Recovery and Management of Seasonal Allergies in Dogs
Seasonal allergies are not only frustrating for dogs but also for pet parents, because they are not curable. Fortunately, though, with seasonal allergies, symptoms can be managed by knowing what seasons trigger a dogs symptoms and initiating treatment prior to the start of each allergy season. Anti-itch medication should manage the itch throughout each season so that the dog is not scratching, licking, or chewing at the skin, which can lead to secondary skin infections.
Cleaning your dogs ears every two to three weeks year-round with a routine ear cleaner is important to minimize the risk of an ear infection to develop. The ears should also be cleaned after your dog has a bath or partakes in a water activity, such as swimming, to remove any water from within the ear canals. Giving an omega-3 fatty acid supplement daily year-round can provide skin support as well. Management of seasonal allergies is usually lifelong unless a dog is able to move to an area where the allergen that is causing the reaction is no longer present.
Monitor your pet for the following symptoms throughout the year:
Itchiness (scratching, licking, gnawing, chewing)
Head shaking or pawing at the ears or eyes
Any skin lesions (such as redness, crusts, thickened or black pigmented skin)
Odor to the skin or ears
If you see any of these symptoms, schedule a vet appointment as soon as possible. Your dogs skin condition can worsen quickly if allergy symptoms are not controlled. If your dog is licking or chewing, have them wear an e-collar until the appointment to prevent further worsening of the skin. Your veterinarian will prescribe treatment to make your dog more comfortable and treat for any skin or ear infection, if present. Managing a dogs allergy symptoms with therapy and reporting to your veterinarian any skin issues as they arise are the most effective ways to help a dog with seasonal allergies.
WRITTEN BY
Michelle Diener, DVMVeterinarian
I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I obtained by BS degree in Biology at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2000 and my DVM degree at NCSU in 2006. I have...
