Dog Allergies: Which Type Does Your Dog Have?

Dog Flea Allergies

Are all dogs allergic to fleas? I recently had an interesting conversation with our veterinarian. The vet said that he'd seen dogs come in to his office and literally have several fleas jump off of the dog as he tried to examine them. However, the dog showed no signs of a flea problem. There was no inflammation or redness due to the fleas biting them. The fleas were simply living on a host and for the most part, the dog didn't seem to mind.

I must admit this story befuddled me. With my dogs, just a few fleas have caused issues like non-stop scratching, chewing, and licking. It turns out the difference is that our dogs are highly allergic to flea saliva and the others were not. If your dog is allergic, it only takes a few fleas to make the difference between a dog that is comfortable in their environment and one that is not.

When you consider that an adult flea can bite a host over 200 times in one day, it's not hard to imagine that it can make a dog with flea allergies quite miserable. This in turn can lead to other health issues. An example of this might be dog hot spots where a dog chews itself non-stop until it has a large, circular, inflamed area at the site.

Dog Inhalant Allergies

The second most common type of dog allergies is a dog inhalant allergy. This occurs when a dog is allergic to something like pollen, dust, or mold. Inhalant allergies are typically seasonal and sometimes may only last a few weeks. We took our dog to the vet one time for allergies. They said they wanted us to give the dog antihistamine tablets for a week and then come back. This allowed the dog to have some brief relief from the allergy and helped the vet to narrow down the type of allergy.

Dog Food Allergies

The third most common type of allergy is a dog food allergy. Sometimes these can be the trickiest to diagnose. The biggest problem is that unlike other types of allergies, a dog food allergy does not always show up in an allergy test.

It is also a common belief that a dog food allergy will only show up after a dog starts eating a new food. While this can be the case, it can take roughly 2 weeks to see any dog food allergy symptoms. However, sometimes a dog can eat the same food for years and then develop an intolerance to it.

Summary

This article covers the three major types of dog allergies. These include dog flea allergies, dog inhalant allergies, and dog food allergies. If you see signs that your dog has allergy symptoms like excessive scratching, licking, and chewing, it is important to get them to a vet as soon as possible. Your veterinarian can help you determine whether your dog has a dog allergy, the type of allergy, and the proper form of treatment.