Download Allergies in Dogs - Shelden Veterinary Care

Allergic Skin Problems in Dogs Itchiness, hair loss, red and scaly circles all over your dog often means that it is allergic to
something. What types of things cause allergies in dogs? Flea bites, food proteins and inhalants such as
pollens, molds and house dust mites are the three categories of allergens in dogs. It is important for you
to realize that many skin conditions look very similar, and that often we have to reach a diagnosis by
process of elimination.
Flea Bite Allergy It only takes one flea bite every two weeks to keep a flea allergic dog itchy!
Flea allergic dogs usually have a rash on their rumps, down the backs of their thighs, and in their groins.
Fortunately, it is easy to prevent your dog from being bitten by fleas. All you need is Advantix,
Frontline, Revolution or Advantage Multi. Any one of those four will kill fleas on the dog, usually
before the flea can bite. Advantix kills 100% of the fleas on the dog within 12-24 hours! Frontline also
kills ticks while Revolution and Advantage Multi does fleas, ticks and heartworms. A course of
cortisone gets the itch under control while the Advantix, Frontline, Revolution or Advantage Multi gets
rid of the fleas. If you have an existing flea infestation, it may take as long as 3 months to eliminate
the infestation in your home, so be patient. Preventing flea infestations by using monthly flea
treatment all year round is your best strategy.
Food Allergy When dogs are allergic to food, they are allergic to the protein sources in food.
The most common protein sources in dog food are corn, beef, chicken, and wheat; therefore these are
what a dog is usually allergic to. Dogs with food allergies lick their feet, scratch their “armpits”, have
frequent (if not constant) ear infections, and frequently their skin is broken out. Allergic dogs also tend
to shed a lot.
Diagnosis of food allergy is made by process of elimination. There is no blood test or skin test
that may be performed to determine to what your dog is allergic. We prescribe a food that contains
proteins that the dog has never been exposed to before (and therefore should not be allergic to) for a
minimum of 12 weeks. When you do a food trial, you have to be very strict about feeding only that
food, and nothing else, or you are wasting your time and money. You must watch out for
everything that goes in your dog’s mouth. Your food allergic dog cannot even be permitted to lick the
bottom of another dog’s bowl. He/she cannot beat you to a dropped piece of popcorn. Everyone who is
around the dog has to be educated about what the dog may have, and be participating in the program,
because if mistakes are being made, or someone is “cheating”, then the results will not be valid, and a
diagnosis of food allergy cannot be ruled in or out. If you are having friends over, it is probably best to
confine your dog away from the party. Sometimes neighbors throw food over the fence to dogs.
There are several foods to choose from, such as Iams Veterinary Diet Fish and Potato, Royal
Canin Duck and Potato, Hill’s D/D and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. All the foods at
Shelden Veterinary Care, LLC have an unconditional money back guarantee…if your pet does not
like the food, you may return it (in its original packaging) for full credit. We also have many treats for
food allergic dogs, including Quackers (freeze dried duck), Purrfect Pet Bakery potato treats, and Royal
Canin Apples/Oats/Carrots treats. Other treats may include: pieces of raw potato, carrots, banana, apple,
green pepper, watermelon, blueberries and ice cubes. Dairy products generally should be avoided. Beef
rawhides should also be avoided, but we have porkhide bones for chewing.
Specific protein sources to avoid include:
1) Beef/rawhide/dairy
2) Corn in all forms
3) Chicken/eggs/turkey
4) Wheat/flour
5) Lamb
6) Peanut butter
Heartgard heartworm preventative medicine has enough beef in it to keep a food allergic dog
itchy, even though it’s only given once a month.
Therefore, food allergic dogs must be given
Interceptor, Revolution or Advantage Multi heartworm prevention. If, after 12 weeks of being on a
hypoallergenic diet, the dog’s skin isn’t nearly normal and the itchiness isn’t nearly gone, then the dog is
not food allergic.
Inhalant Allergy Dogs that are inhalant allergic are allergic to pollens, molds, and house dust
mites. Like food allergic dogs, these dogs will often have itchy skin, lick their feet, have frequent ear
infections, and broken out skin. However, most of the time, these dogs are seasonally itchy in the spring
and fall because that is when the pollen counts are at their worst. Inhalant allergies are treated with
cortisone when they flare up, but if the dog gets to the point where it is on cortisone more than it is off
cortisone, it is time to do an allergy test. Allergy testing determines to what your pet is allergic, and
allergy serum is formulated specifically for your dog to desensitize them. At this point, testing becomes
worthwhile because cortisone has side effects that are harmful over the long-term. Short-term use of
cortisone is safe, and is very useful for treating itchy skin. Long term use of cortisone causes muscle
weakness, liver and other organ damage. For small dogs, we may use cyclosporine, but that medicine is
not cost effective in large dogs.
Other diagnoses to be considered Other contributing factors that need to be considered in
long term skin conditions are mange and low thyroid blood levels. Adequate thyroid hormone blood
levels are essential to healthy skin, and without it, the skin easily develops infections. If your dog’s
thyroid blood level is low, supplementation is both easy and inexpensive, and will help the skin
tremendously. There are two types of mange in dogs: demodectic and sarcoptic. A deep skin scrape
may confirm demodectic mange, and occasionally confirms sarcoptic mange. Every once in awhile, a
dog will have a rare skin disease such as lupus or pemphigus. All this is why, if your dog has a chronic
skin condition, you need to be patient while we work through all the possible causes! Sometimes the
pattern of hair loss will suggest a diagnosis, but not always.
Treatment Treatment involves specific therapy to treat the underlying cause, if one can be
identified. As mentioned earlier, flea treatment, hypoallergenic diets, thyroid supplementation, and
desensitation (allergy shots) may be required. Non-specific therapy includes cortisone, antibiotics,
shampoos and ear treatments to treat the itch, skin infections and ear infections that are affecting the
dog. Sometimes, especially for inhalant allergic dogs, a cure cannot be achieved, and control is the only
option. At that point, we try to teach you the things you need to know, and supply you with the
medications that you need so you can manage the condition yourself, as much as possible.