Should I be worried if my dog is itching

Is your dog sneezing all the time? Vet lays out possible causes and when to be concerned

Dog sneezing now and then is generally nothing to worry about. So when should you be concerned about your dog sneezing? This will be determined by how often its happening and if your pup has any other symptoms.

Frequent or chronic sneezing can sometimes be a sign of something more serious going on. For example, if your dog is sneezing due to allergies, it may be worth investing in the best dog food for allergies.

If dog sneezing has you worried, keep reading. Vet Catherine Barnette lays out four possible reasons your dog is sneezing, and the last one surprised us!

Causes of dog sneezing

Allergies

In the case of allergies, your vet will first identify the cause of your dogs allergies.

There are four common allergies in dogs: grain/dust mite allergy, inhalant allergy, flea allergy, and food allergy. Food trials are typically used to rule out common food allergies in pets, while allergy testing can assess your pets response to mites and environmental triggers.

Based on these tests, your vet will characterize your dogs allergies and recommend an appropriate treatment. Allergies are managed, not cured. Your dog will likely require long-term use of a hypoallergenic diet, oral medications such as apoquel for dogs, and/or other lifestyle changes to control allergies.

Dental problems

Canine dental diseases are best addressed with a comprehensive dental cleaning, performed under general anesthesia. Your veterinarian will examine your dog's teeth closely and take radiographs (x-rays) of each tooth.

Diseased teeth will be extracted, and your dog will likely be treated with antibiotics. In many dogs, addressing dental disease alleviates recurrent sneezing.

Nasal problems

A nasal foreign body, in contrast, is typically addressed surgically. Your vet will sedate your dog, and then attempt to flush or extract any foreign material from the nose. Removal of a nasal foreign body is curative; no further treatment is usually needed, once the object has been removed from the nose.

Nasal tumors are relatively uncommon, but they do occur. Treatment may require a combination of therapies. Depending on the tumor and its location, your vet may recommend surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.

Sneezing can also be due to excitement

While some sneezing has a medical cause, this isn't always the case. Dogs also use sneezing to communicate with other dogs and their human companions.

Sneezing is often associated with excitement, indicating a desire to play or interact. In fact, many dogs use sneezing to get their owners' attention. Sneezing may be used as a sign of submission in some contexts, or it may be used as a way to de-escalate rough play. Behavioral sneezing usually does not indicate an underlying medical problem.

If you found this article helpful, you may want to check out What causes reverse sneezing in dogs? Vet explains

Catherine Barnette DVM

Dr. Barnette is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she received both her B.S. in Zoology and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). She has 15 years of clinical experience as a small animal veterinarian, treating dogs, cats, and occasional exotic patients. She now works as a freelance veterinary writer, creating educational content for veterinarians, veterinary team members, and dedicated pet owners.

Why Is My Dog Constantly Itching? Should I Be Worried?

Why is my dog constantly itching?

The most common causes of itchiness in dogs can be split into two main categories: parasites and allergies. External dog parasites include fleas, ticks, lice or mites. Dog skin allergies can be caused by a variety of different allergens, often seasonal, such as pollen. However, there are other allergens, such as dust, which can be irritable on your dogs skin.

Less commonly, some dogs can have certain food allergies causing skin flare-ups. In cases where a dog has been excessively scratching, skin infections can occur.You may also notice your dog licking or biting their paws.

Some signs that may suggest a more serious underlying problem include excessive scratching, discharge, ulcers on the body, hair loss and open wounds from scratching and biting.

Breeds like the Labrador Retriever and French Bulldog are predisposed to acquiring allergic skin disease. Being the two most popular breeds in the UK, allergic skin disease should be on everyones radar, as it is most likely that you will meet an unfortunate dog affected with this disease!

What should I do while waiting for my appointment?

Most importantly, try to stop your dog biting or scratching their skin, if possible. Keep your dogs living area and bedding clean and try not to expose them to possible allergens such as dust, detergents, and any other household chemicals. If you think it might be a seasonal problem, it may be a good idea to keep them inside until youve seen a vet.

Remember, some conditions such as ringworm can be passed to humans, so in these cases, it would be recommended to wear gloves when handling your dog.

You may also choose to use Felcana's soon to be launched online chat-basedSymptom Checker, where you can get free advice on what to do next.

If your dog is very itchy and begins to scratch much more frequently, this may start to cause wounding to their skin. You should call your vet and they may be able to see you more urgently.

How should I prepare for my appointment?

It may not be possible for the vet to immediately diagnose the underlying issue, but if youre able to provide them with a good history, it can help them decide the best treatment option to start with. You could also bring in some photos to show any changes in the affected areas.

If you want to know more about what to expect when you go to the vets, check out this article from Felcana.

Some of the questions the vet might ask include:

• Where are the worst affected areas of skin? This can indicate to the vet what might be the most likely cause, as different allergies/parasites can more commonly affect certain areas.
• Do the symptoms get better/worse depending on the season? This may indicate if an allergy or parasite is more likely.
• What sort of soap/shampoo do you use to wash your dog? Some soaps may cause irritation on your dogs skin, so if you are using a certain soap to wash your dog, you could try changing this to see if it is the cause of itchiness.
• Has your dog been treated for fleas/ticks/mites? This information can allow the vet to either rule out or consider parasites as a potential cause.

What will the vet do next?

Your vet will perform a clinical exam on your dog to look for possible causes, such as parasites, and to examine the condition of the skin so they can decide which course of treatment is best. If your vet finds any fleas, they can provide a treatment to apply to your dogs skin and will advise how regularly this needs to be repeated.

They may also provide itch-relief medication, such as soothing creams, medicated dog shampoo for itchy skin, or a steroid treatment if the skin is more severely inflamed. Investigation of dermatitis in dogs (allergies) can take much longer and your vet will discuss the plan for any further tests.

Allergic skin disease in dogs

Allergic skin disease can be treated but cannot be cured. They are lifelong diseases which are unpleasant for the animal and require substantial commitment from the owner.

Atopic dermatitisin dogs happens when the animals immune system overreacts to non-harmful allergens. The immune cells produce substances that cause an intense itch, which can sometimes be seasonal if the allergen is plant related or can be caused by allergens in your dogs diet. Most commonly, however, and what is frustrating for us pet owners and vets is that the cause is unidentified.

Therefore, management of this disease is aimed at controlling the symptoms without treating the underlying cause. Immunosuppressive drugs, such as prednisolone or ciclosporin, have been used by vets for a long time to control your dog itching. These drugs, while effective, have certain undesirable side effects if used long-term. More recently developed drugs, such as oclacitinib, target the itch directly and may be a safer option for your pet.

For food-related allergies, a diet trial is recommended. During this 6-8-week trial your dog will eat only (and absolutely nothing else) a novel protein or hypoallergenic diet. If the itching improves it is likely that the diet will be for life.

Whatever medication works best for you and your dog, it is important to have an objective measure of treatment efficacy.Felcana Gocan aid you and your vet in managing this disease.

Felcanassmart wearable device monitors sleep patterns in your dog and intelligently analyses activity data. It will alert you and your vet if it detects your pet scratching at night and give us a better idea of how well we are managing our pets condition.

How can I prevent this in the future?

We know it can be very worrying to see your dog constantly itching.Skin disease is very common in our companion animals and we have yet to find a definitive cure for this unpleasant condition.Make sure you are regularly using effective external parasite control on your pet, including all other animals in the household you can discuss with your vet which products are best to use. If the problem is an allergic reaction, take care to avoid allergens that cause irritation.

Why Is My Dog Losing Hair Around Their Eyes? Should I Be Worried?

Unlike humans, dogs dont generally suffer from male pattern balding. So when a dog starts losing hair, its usually a medical issue and cause for concern. So why is your dog losing hair around their eyes?

Dogs losing hair around their eyescan be caused by a variety of issues such as a skin infection, an allergic reaction, a parasitical infection, or even stress. Hair loss does not target a particular breed and can happen to any dog at any age.

Were going to look in-depth at the various causes of hair loss around the eyes, what may be causing your dogs hair loss, and what can be done to treat it. Of course, if the hair loss is concerning, we encourage you to seek the advice of your veterinarian.

Potential Causes of Hair Loss Around the Eyes

There are a number of possible causes of hair loss in dogs, and particularly hair loss around their eyes. Fortunately, most can be treated or managed, and once diagnosed, your vet can offer specific treatments.

Environmental Allergies That Cause Hair Loss in Dogs

Dogs are similar to humans in that they can suffer from environmental allergies as well. And many of the same allergens are common to humans and dogs.

There are lots of things that dogs can be allergic to, including pollen, dust, grasses, and their food. Like humans, every individual dog is different, and your dog will only show signs of allergies when it has been exposed to a certain environmental factor multiple times.

This is the same as humans dogs cannot be allergic to something the first time that they are exposed to it. It is a gradual process.

Hair loss is a common symptom of an allergic reaction, along with frequent itching and red spots. The reason why your dog will suffer from hair loss is because these patches on its face will become very itchy and a target of scratching.

In this case, hair loss is a result of your dog frequently itching their face, whether using their paws or rubbing their face along a carpet or rug.

There are a variety of ways to resolve allergy issues some methods are straightforward and some are pretty complex. Of course, we would advise that you take your dog to see the veterinarian first before attempting any methods yourself.

But, if you suspect that your dogs hair loss around their eyes is due to environmental allergies, the standard approach is to try to alleviate the itching in the dog so that they dont scratch their face. The common treatments include:

• Wiping pollen from your dogs fur and paws
• Bathing your dog with hypo-allergenic shampoo
• Aloe and oatmeal sprays on your dogs coat
• Fish oil supplements
• Antihistamines
• Corticosteroids
• Immunotherapy Injections

If your dog is losing hair around their eyes as a result of scratching the itch on their face, they are likely suffering from other symptoms related to the allergies, including:

• Scabbed, itchy, and red skin.
• Runny eyes.
• Itchy tail and back.
• Diarrhea.
• Vomiting.
• Sneezing.
• Snoring due to an inflamed throat.
• Swollen paws.
• Chewing of paws.

Treating the root cause, and even just treating some of the symptoms with topicals, can help alleviate other related symptoms as well.

Parasite Infections That Cause Hair Loss

If you and your dog regularly take walks outdoors, especially in the woods, you need to thoroughly check your dogs coat afterwards. This is to make sure that your dog has not picked up any kinds of parasitical infections.

This sounds pretty scary, and in some cases it can be especially because the insects that can cause these infections are by no means exotic. They are insects that can be encountered pretty regularly, such as mites, flies, mange mites, worms, fleas, ticks, and lice.

Similar to the environmental allergy reaction, the common symptoms of your dog having a parasitical infection are hair loss, itchiness and also red rashes. When it comes to parasitical infections, hair loss can occur around the eyes, but this is not necessarily the case for all dogs.

Demodectic mange (also known as red mange or demodex) is a very common mange found on dogs. Microscopic mites live in your dogs hair follicles and can cause hair loss. It can be found in dogs of all ages, but more often in senior dogs and puppies. This is because senior dogs often have a weakened immune system, and puppies have an immature immune system.

Demodectic mange is usually easily treated if properly diagnosed. It often clears up on its own. Your vet also may encourage you to use certain prescription flea and tick medications, which kill the mange mites. It is not contagious between dogs.

The best solution to this is prevention in the first place. After taking your dog out into the wilderness, keep a close eye on their coat for any insects. Be sure to check hidden spots for parasites, including skin folds, armpits and ears.

If you cant find any on your dog, but you are concerned that they are showing relevant symptoms, check their bedding as well as their favorite spots for resting around in the house.

Bathing your dog regularly is imperative, especially if you are taking them into areas where parasites are plentiful.

If you believe your dog is suffering from parasitical infection, have a vet examine them and provide appropriate treatment. Infection is nothing to take lightly, and early treatment can make it much easier to kill it quickly.

Bacterial and Fungal Infections That Cause Hair Loss

Bacterial and fungal infections can cause hair loss, too.

Bacterial Infections

Bacterial infections are caused when a dogs skin has a break or wound in it and bacteria is able to enter it. Left untreated, bacterial infections can worsen and become quite serious. As the tissue around the wound dies, hair loss can occur.

When it comes to treating bacterial infections, antiseptics and antibiotics are the most common methods. Topical antibiotics like Neosporin help kill the bacteria, while keeping the wound clean is imperative. For particularly bad bacterial infections, your vet may prescribe oral antibiotics.

Fungal infections are caused by a fungal growth. Fungal infections often occur in moist areas of the body that dont have access to sunlight. In humans, athletes foot a skin infection on the foot is a very common fungal infection.

Fungal Infections

In dogs, common locations for fungal infections are skin folds that overlap each other. The skin within these folds easily hold moisture and cannot get exposed to sunlight and fresh air so easily.

A type of fungal infection that commonly results in hair loss around the eyes in dogs is ringworm. Even though this is a skin disease that features the word worm in it, it does not mean that worms are actually involved. Its been said that ringworm was given its name because the fungal infection often causes hairless rings around a dogs eyes, and these rings can continue to grow larger.

To treat fungal infections, there are several topical medication, including sprays, ointments, and shampoos that are commonly used. Your vet will tell you which one is most likely to clear up your dogs specific issue. Many have the same active ingredient as those intended for humans, but its important that you check with your vet first before trying to use one of them on your dog.

With any topical medication, it is important to note that you should supervise your dog and make sure that they do not actually lick the medication. Certain ones can cause adverse effects if ingested, and even if they dont, your dog licking off the medication may make them less effective.

Intrusion of Foreign Objects That Cause Hair Loss

Like humans, dogs can inadvertently get small objects like dust or dirt in their eyes which irritate them. But unlike humans, they dont have the ability to look in the mirror, wash their eye with water, or put drops in their eye to clean it out.

They will often roll around frantically and try to scratch their face to get rid of the offending irritant. You might notice your dogs eyes watering as a reaction to the intrusion of the foreign object. Repeated scratching at this irritation can cause hair loss.

If your dog isnt able to dislodge the foreign debris on their own in a reasonable amount of time, you or your vet will have to help. Dust or dirt lodged in your dogs eye can cause your dog a fair amount of irritation and, in some cases, pain.

Start by trying to calm your dog and check their eye for any visible dust.

If its something you can clearly see, you can attempt to gently flush it out by pouring room temperature water over the eye. Some suggest using a tweezers to grab the debris, but that often isnt practical and can endanger the dog by putting sharp metal so close to their eyeball. This would be good time to visit your vet, who is more experienced and capable than you.

And if you are unable to see anything in the eye, thats reason to have your vet examine the dog. Something else may be causing the irritation.

Inner Eye Problems That Can Cause Hair Loss in Dogs

Inner eye problems can also cause hair loss around dogs eyes. Because the problem is on the inner eye, this is not something you can identify or diagnose. Inner eye issues include glaucoma, which is a build up of fluids inside the eyes, or conjunctivitis (commonly known as pink eye) which is a form of eye infection. Both of these issues can make your dog scratch their eyes persistently.

If these infections are prolonged, your dogs constant scratching can lead to hair loss around the eyes. Also, if you leave an eye infection untreated, the eye condition can worsen and develop into worse infection. This can result in further eye damage such as vision loss.

Conjunctivitis is usually treated with antibiotic ointment and/or eye drop medication, while glaucoma involves medication and sometimes surgery, depending on how developed the disease has become.

All of these conditions have hair loss as a symptom, so it can be tricky to differentiate between them and work out what is wrong with your dog on your own. Your vet will be able to diagnose these medical issues and offer appropriate treatment.

Cushings Disease as a Cause of Hair Loss

Cushings disease is named for the human neurosurgeon (Harvey Cushing) who first described this endocrine disorder in 1912. Dogs who suffer from Cushings disease will have a problem with their adrenal glands, which are two smaller glands that are nestled in front of each of their kidneys.

The function of these glands is to produce vital hormones that ensure important bodily functions are regulated, however, Cushings disease is where these glands produce too much cortisol.

When too much of a certain hormone is being produced, your dogs body will become unbalanced. One of the most noticeable symptoms of this disease is that your dog will urinate excessively, but along with this, your dogs intake of water will have increased pretty drastically.

When too much cortisol is being produced over an elongated period of time, your dog will become a lot weaker through muscle loss. Additionally you may notice that your dogs skin will thin, and they might also suffer from hair loss.

The areas where they will suffer from hair loss in particular are on their neck, around the rib cage or hip area, or the perineum. Your dog might also pant frequently, or they will have a much more increased appetite than usual, or they might even look pot-bellied.

This disease is more common in senior dogs. Cushings disease in dogs can be caused by one of the following: a tumor residing on the pituitary gland (at the base of the brain), a tumor on the adrenal gland, or by an overuse of steroid medications.

It is important to note that Cushings disease can be difficult to diagnose in dogs, in fact it requires a lot of complex tests to be able to do this.

Cushings disease might not be so severe on your dog. In fact, over 90% of dogs have benign tumors, and these are usually pretty small and do not have a tendency to spread. They might not even end up causing your dog physical or mobility issues.

If your dog has an adrenal tumor, your vet will liekly want to run tests on your dog just to confirm if the tumor is benign or cancerous. Surgery to remove an adrenal tumor could be an option for your dog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will hair grow back around dogs eyes?

If your dog is losing hair around its eyes, it is likely being caused by an underlying issue, as described above. If the underlying issue is treated successfully, the hair loss around the dogs eyes will generally grow back. If

Should I be worried about my dog losing hair around its eyes?

Hair loss around a dogs eyes is usually a symptom of something else affecting the dog, so its seriousness depends on what is causing it. If your dog is experiencing hair loss around their eyes, its best to get a diagnosis in order to determine how serious the matter is.

How can I keep my dog from scratching at its eyes while waiting for the cause of the irritation to be treated?

You can manage a dogs persistent scratching at its face by using an Elizabethan collar, a plastic cone that fits around their head. Usually used to prevent a dog from chewing at vulnerable areas of its body such as post-surgery, it can also keep a dog from getting its paws to its face to scratch. It may be a good idea to use an E-collar until you diagnose the cause for the itching and then successfully treat it.