Dog Skin Allergies: A Few Quick Pointers
Dog skin allergies can be really uncomfortable for your favorite pet, so it’s good to know when they are being affected, and also good to know about a few of the other skin conditions that might look like allergies but actually aren’t, including some pretty nasty conditions that are even more trouble.
Because you have to remember that just like humans, dogs are affected by allergies similarly. It’s an itch that you want to scratch like no other, but that’s really probably not something you want to do, because that just makes the feeling worse. Unfortunately, dogs don’t really have that kind of self-control.
Be aware though, that it isn’t just allergies that cause skin issues in dogs. There are also environmental and physical conditions like hot spots or ulcers caused by compulsive like, as well as parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses that can created underlying damage to tissue that cause dogs to scratch at the areas affected.
Hot spots in particular are something that all dog owners should be aware of. Indeed, they can start as allergies, but when a dog chews at the spot, the area can quickly become infected, and when the pus gets caught in the dogs fur, it can spread rapidly and be more difficult to contain and recover from.
Fleas or ticks can also leave behind red, bumpy areas that can be mistaken for allergies. And these little bugs can come from just about anywhere – from another animal, from someone else’s house, from a walk out in the woods or in the park, or even in your own home for reasons that can’t totally be explained.
Hair loss or excessive shedding is a symptom that something is wrong in your dog as well, and may either accompany an allergic reaction or may be a side effect of something more severe, so make sure to check for other signs and look closely at the situation at hand before making further decisions.
Treatment for allergies and other skin conditions varies, but may include shaving the affected area and applying creams or ointments, the use of antibiotics, and shampooing the dog thoroughly to get rid of any dirt of potential allergens in the dog’s coat, as well as making it so that you can see everything on the skin clearly.
So if you can tell that you dog has irritated skin from something, do some quick checking to see if it is an allergy of some sort and then look up dog skin allergies to determine what your best course of action is. If you are unsure about anything, call you local vet and they will step you through the process of making sure your pooch gets better quickly.
Jennifer is a family pet health practitioner who specializes in alopecia x.
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