Allergy is a disproportionate reaction of the immunity system to common stimuli. It cannot be cured, but we can suppress its manifestations. In the last years, allergies in pets and dogs especially are on the rise. Currently, about 10% of house-dogs suffer from an allergy. Where do the allergens abound most often? And how to go about treatment?
Allergens irritating dogs are not much different from the ones that affect people. Most frequently, it concerns hypersensitivity to dust, mites, mould, bacteria or candida that commonly live on dog’s skin. Food allergies are also common. A specific thing for dogs is the skin reaction to their own hormones and skin parasites such as fleas or ticks.
Tendencies to allergies are hereditary from a great part. They lie in genetics and show a high degree of transmission to the offspring. The most common manifestation is continuous itching, especially in the area between the fingers (webs) and above the fingers, they are also common in the head area, on the cheeks, lower side of the neck, abdomen and the chest. We can also observe tearing or sneezing or redness of the lobes. In food allergy, itchiness appears that may be accompanied by eczema or loss of fur, usually on the thighs. In some, digestive problems may appear: vomiting, diarrhoea or even liver affliction. The most frequent hypersensitivities are to milk, beef, pork, poultry or fish, eggs and grain. This allergy can show after some time of intake of the allergy-inducing substance.
In case that we observe any of these manifestation in our dog, we should trace at first, when and in what situation do the symptoms appear most often and visit the veterinary with this information.
Treatment measures for dogs with an allergy are similar to those human ones. First of all, it is trying to avoid the allergen. In food allergies, this means gradual exclusion of food components that the dog is allergic to. However, in case of allergy to dust, grass pollen or common skin microbes, this is basically impossible, that’s why we proceed to long-term administration of drugs to mitigate skin inflammations and itchiness.
We can support them by hypoallergenic shampoos and gels, that mitigate itchiness. Administration of capsules also isn’t detrimental (e.g. Canina), as of drops and oils (e.g. Dermanorm oil or salmon oil). Thanks to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids, zinc and other substances that support substance exchange in the skin, these help in problems with fur and skin.
Since antihistamines recommended for people work only in a very unreliable and very individual fashion in dogs, hormonal products – corticoids – are used for them. However, upon regular use, these may cause unpleasant adversary effects in time, since they weaken the immunity as a whole and are therefore used in cases, when other methods fail and the state of the dog is unbearable. In time, even damage to adrenal glands and liver may occur.
The option how to eliminate allergic ailments of a dog is to try to retune the immunity system to tolerate the allergen, the so-called immunotherapy. This method may be long-term, but it can be successful of up to 80%. Positive result depends on an early discovery of the allergy, correctly stated diagnosis and right determination of allergy-inducing substances. The principle of treatment is gradual introduction of increasing doses of allergen into the body with the hope of gradual improvement of organism tolerance.
Prevention is to exclude the tendency to allergies from breeding. We can prevent food allergies by feeding with quality hypoallergenic food that contains components that reduce allergic reaction from food. In these diets, proteins unconnected to hypersensitivity are selected: lamb, duck or fish meat. The same way, sources of carbohydrates are limited only to rice, potatoes or manioc starch. They simply don’t contain any allergenic components. Besides, the presence of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids helps to renew healthy skin and fur. That’s the reason why it is excellent even for the dogs with food intolerance or sensitive digestion. Many dogs around me had problems with digestion and they suffered from diarrhoea, but after they’ve transferred to hypoallergenic pet food, everything evened out.
I feed my pack with it, because it doesn’t contain any hard-to-digest or indigestible chemical substances, by-products of animal or plant-based production, nor any other components, that in any way could weigh on the dog’s organism.
Have you already encountered an allergy in a dog? What kind of treatment have you chosen? And have you got experience with hypoallergenic pet food?
Did you know that the domestic cat which is now kept as a pet all over the world, is probably a domesticated form of the wild cat, specifically of its subspecies the African wildcat, European wildcat and Asiatic wildcat?
Apart from regular care for the fur and dog’s teeth we should include also the inspection and cleaning of the eyes and ear inspection in the list of everyday tasks. Even though the cats are rather known for cleanliness, it’s important also for a...
Cat is a perfect tool for hunting. It owes it to the dozens of years of evolution. While in dogs, their physical signs have been emphasised or suppressed, cats got to keep, apart from several exceptions, their main anatomical features unchanged. In...
According to various statistics, the number of cats in our country is increasing. Not only dogs, but also cats belong to increasingly more common pets. So, it can happen to us more often, that we'll meet an abandoned cat in the street and we're...
Some dogs take the arrival of a new family member in a hard way. Previously, we described how to prepare them for this situation already before the baby even arrives home and today, we will take a look at the introduction itself.
It's no longer a strange thing when a municipality sets up a dog park or a dog playground. Due to frequent regulation of off-leash movement of dogs, this should, however, often be obligatory. Do you know how to behave in such places so that you...
Another possible sport at which you can play with your dog and exercise with them at the same time, is the Dog Puller. You can practice it with all the dog breeds, no matter the size or age.
Nowadays, cats are increasingly more often becoming members of our households. Cat toilets producers are adapting to this trend as well. They can provide cats with a greater comfort in their daily need. From the perspective of the owners, the producers...
Vacation time is finally here and many of us are planning where they will be headed this year. If you decide to go for an adventure by car and to take your dog friend with you as well, a bit of advice might come in handy on how to provide safety for...
Of course that we won’t talk about how to teach a dog the swimming technique. We want to talk about how to teach the dog to get used to water and how to make swimming a positive experience for it. Since not every one of them trusts water and some are...
If you’re planning to bring a new addition home and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a kitten or an adult cat, it is necessary to prepare the flat for it as well. Do you know what will the animal need and what you shouldn’t forget about or how to choose...
No matter how thorough we are with the prevention, a situation might come up when a dog or a cat will get to a poisonous thing, whether it’s by our inattention or it's somebody else’s fault. That’s why it’s not off-topic to prepare yourself for the...
