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Dog Owner's Manual › Chapter 9: Emergency Care For Your Dog › Allergies in Dogs ›Allergies in Dogs
Allergies are a malfunction of the canine’s immune system that triggers an over-response to specific environmental factors (called allergens). They are as common among dogs as they are among people (and particularly troubling among purebreds, who may be genetically predisposed to react to specific allergens). Common triggers include everything from flea saliva and ordinary grass to a particular ingredient in a commercially produced dog food. Canine reactions to allergies can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening emergencies (including allergen-induced swelling and constriction of the airway). In most cases, the symptoms will manifest themselves in the skin. Itchiness of the paws, ears, abdomen, face, and rectal area are most common. Other problems include hair loss, hives, and gastrointestinal distress. Allergic reactions triggered by insect bites can be very serious and may lead to a life-threatening condition called anaphylactic shock. If you suspect your dog is allergic to something in its environment, consult your veterinarian. Chapter 9: Emergency Care For Your Dog
Comments for This Page (8) | Post a CommentWell, after owning Panzer for these last six months, my wife and I have studied up on every skin disease, irritation, and allergy we could find trying to help the vets out. So i hope i can be of help. First things first, If you find Hot Spots (Moist Ecxema) TAKE HER/HIM TO THE VET ASAP! Hot Sots are usually serious and require immediate vet attention due to the fact that they can can become quite severe in just 24 hours. Sometimes, depending on severity they may need to be shaved and cleaned in such large areas that the dog needs to be placed under light anesthesia to prevent excessive stress and pain during the process. The doc will thoroughly clean and examine the legions (making sure there are no additional spots). He will most likely give you some sort of antibiotics (systemic) to combat the deep skin infection and a single, short acting corticosteroid to stop the inflammatory reaction. Daily cleaning of the Hot Spot, every two hours for the first day or two, will speed up the healing. Also, any topical anti-bacterial ointment (if doc did not supply/prescribe some for you) will arrest the growth of the bacteria. These skin lesions can take a week to finally dry and look like they are going to heal. Once they are no longer oozing, simply keeping the Hot Spot area clean will be all that's needed. The fur begins to grow back (sometimes a different color!) within two weeks. Hot Spots are usually (well pretty much always) the result of a tick bite but every bite does not result in Hot Spots. So don't panic when a tick is found. Although not 100% preventable, Always always always keep your pets' flea and tick treatments up to date (Im not saying you dont Jewell, i just live in country and I am fanatical about it) Even if you dont believe that your dog is suceptable, remember indoor animals can get fleas too. I now swear by a product called Revolution because it is the only one out there that protects your animal from mites as well (mites cause mange!). It also kills on contact before the bite can even happen! Hope that was helpfull! msg me sometime i would love to know the strory and how it went. Paul II Owner/Dad of Panzer and Rocko In the past i have treated my dog (not panzer, a previous shepherd) myself which is normally a big no no but i have some experience with treating dogs and even some goats and i already had the necesary meds (i did have to get a prescription for the anti-biotics. If the skin is merely redish and irrated but not bright red and oozy (youll know trust me), You need to act fast and re-treat and check your dog over and over for next few hours after treating applying some sort of ointment whether it is a specialized ointment found at tractor supply (check instructions for smaller animals dosage) First thing first, check for more because you could have found a new one when there are worse around. if there are more take to vet asap If just the minor one then you should shave roughly 1-2 inches of fur around the area. Check for black spotting of any kind (this is skin that has already died). If you see these spots go to vet. I suspected the dog had mites the vet recommended a bath once aweek with a microbial wash vet didn't know why she got skin rash, itchy and would eventually chew the ithcy spots raw! My American Bulldog suffers from severe HIVES. We are trying to rule out a food allergin but its very stressful and I feel helpless. We were told a blood panel would not be so helpful to determine what is causing his hives. Im trying to keep a log of what he does and for now he is on a limited ingredient diet and h2o. Any suggestions would be helpful . We give Benedryl for his hives twice a day. Raven/Bull Dog owner. My peke has severe allergies since a puppy. He's 10 yrs now & benadyl became useless over time. He scratched him self raw . Our Vet switched him to Zrytec,unbelievable difference. 2 a day literally stopped all itching/scratching. Maybe in time .it also will become immune,but the benadryl simply never stopped his scratching entirely & now this product has. Good luck I have 2 dogs that have allergic reactions during the summer months. One is a lab/hound mix--5 yrs old and the other is a Pit Bull/God only knows mix--9mo old.. Strangely, both females. I go to my vet once a month and she gives me a shot that I give them in the hip. This keeps their allergies in check until it cools off and the symptoms go away. If I DONT do this--they lose their hair from the tips of their back feet to their front shoulders--ALL of it. Since its not a year round condition, this works well for us. I have a 3 yr old Beagle/German Shorthair Pointer mix. When we got her as a pup we feed her puppy food. As she got older she lost fur; then her ears flared up and haven't been clear and clean since. We saw the vet, changed her food to lamb, then turkey, then salmon, then veggies; finally putting her on the raw food diet. We have spent thousands on our dog and even took her to see a naturalpath that did actupuncture. The only time her ears are pain free is when she is on medication. Once the meds end it comes back within weeks. Test show it is yeast. Have tried yogurt, health food stuff, applie cider vinegar (drove her mad). Any suggestions? Post a Comment for This Page
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The Dog Owner's Manual is a basic guide to dog care.
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR HOT SPOTS