Dog Allergies

Dog Allergies - Allergens
Allergens cause allergic reactions upon exposure by:

• Inhalation

• Ingestion

• Skin contact.

Allergies - Types of Allergens
There are many kinds of allergens, some of which include the following:

• Chemicals

• Bacteria

• Food

• Fleas

• Pollens

• House Dust

Types of Allergies
As with humans there are lots of different types of allergies that can affect dogs but they can be categorised into the following groups:

• Bacterial allergy

• Food allergy

• Flea allergy

• Contact allergy

• Inhalant allergies aka Atopy

Health Problems - Symptoms of Bacterial Dog Allergies
The most common problem in this instance is Staphylococcus (Staph) bacteria. Canine Allergies relating to Staph bacteria can include the following symptoms:

• Areas of hair loss and skin crusting that look like ringworm

• Lesions

Treatment of Bacterial Dog Allergies
Bacterial Allergies must be treated with antibiotics

Health Problems - Symptoms of Food Allergies
Proteins from chicken, milk, eggs, corn, wheat, soy and especially beef cause this type of problem. Allergies relating to food can include the following symptoms:

• Non-seasonal and excessive scratching

  • Dogs respond poorly to cortisone type medications

• Digestive disorders

• Respiratory distress

Treatment of Food Dog Allergies
Allergies caused by food must be treated by with drawing the offending foodstuff from the dog's diet by process of elimination.