Canine Allergies

Unlike people who typically experience allergies in a nasal capacity canine allergies reveal themselves through your dog's skin. Hot spots, swelling, balding, itching, redness, welts, dry skin and excessive shedding can all be signs of an allergic reaction.

Dogs can be allergic to many things; dust mites, grass, an ingredient in their food, proteins and vaccines just to name a few so if your dog is free of fleas but still is biting himself and doesn't have a healthy coat an allergy might be to blame.

Ruling Out Allergic Reactions in Dogs

• The first step is to get your dog flea, mite, fungal and yeast infection free. Most dogs that are eating right don't have these problems anyway, their systems are healthy enough not to react to flea saliva and such which is why I recommend really learning about your dog's food and where it compares nutritionally even if your dog's skin returns to normal after he is parasite free. If the parasites are gone and your dog is still itching - then it's time to rule out a food allergy.
• If your dog is parasite free and he is still experiencing symptoms then he might be allergic to what he is eating.

  In my opinion, the best way to keep your dog healthy lies in what he eats. A dog with the right diet will be healthy and balanced and usually is less likely to have problems with fleas, worms and other common ailments. It makes sense that what he is eating will give him his best shot at health. So the second thing to look at if your dog is showing signs of suffering from canine allergies, is his food. Change his food to a hypoallergenic diet for a period of at least 12 weeks to rule out a food allergy.

• The third step is to have blood drawn and perform a thyroid test to rule out hypothyroidism which causes weight and skin problems in dogs. A blood sample can be tested at Hemopet for $65.00 - order the Thytoid 5 Profile .

Testing for canine allergies comes in a few forms the most extreme mirrors human allergy testing and requires your dog to be sedated and shaved so that antigens can be injected directly into the skin and watched for a significant reaction.

Less invasive are the RAST and ELISA blood screenings. These tests are often used to narrow down the pool of possible irritants but seeing how they were developed for humans and not dogs, there can be false positives and so these tests are often followed up with the direct injection method.

In general, dogs suffering from canine allergies can usually be treated by ruling out the most common irritants listed above.

However, if your dog has been on a hypoallergenic diet for 12 weeks, has been free of ectoparasites for at least 6 weeks, has tested negative for hypothyroidism and is still suffering moderate to severe canine allergies for more than four months out of the year, it is most likely time to see a Veterinary Dermatologist for immunotherapy options.

Less severe canine allergies are usually controllable through a treatment plan that utilizes a strategy of avoidance, fatty acid supplements and antihistamines.

Dog Food Allergies

• Itchy Skin
• Excessive Biting or Scratching of the Skin
• Hot Spots
• Chronic Ear Infections
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Noticeably Increased Bowel Movements

The primary symptom of food allergies is itchy skin and for many dogs this will be the only sign of a food allergy they show. For others it can manifest as excessive scratching or biting of the skin and hotspots. Chronic ear infections are another red flag. All of these symptoms share the common thread of getting better while antibiotics are being administered but returning as soon as the antibiotics wear off.

Many dogs will also experience an increase in their bowel movements, diarrhea and vomiting while suffering from food allergies.

While some food allergy symptoms also mirror issues that dogs with parasites suffer, dogs with food allergies will continue to have skin problems even after they are parasite free and unlike other forms of allergies these symptoms are not seasonal. Click here to go to our food allergy page and learn more.

Puppy Vaccine Reactions

This is because the dog can be reacting to many different parts of the vaccine including stabilizers, preservatives, or antibiotics (not necessarily the antigen which protects your dog from disease) the antigen doesn't change but these other components do depending on how the vaccine was manufactured.

If your dog has had an adverse reaction to a vaccine and the reaction was mild I recommend you try our minimal vaccine protocol.

Titer your dog if it was severe in nature.

Titer Tests