How To Help Cure Dog Skin Allergies

How To Help Cure Dog Skin Allergies…

By Jennifer Gretson

It is not just humans that have to deal with skin allergies and infections. There are many dog skin allergies that you will find that you have to deal with. Some are extremely easy to help with but there will be some that take months to figure out what it is. The problem with being a dog is that they cannot care for themselves.

The first step is to find the cause of the infection or allergic reaction. It is important that you do everything in your power to stop it from ever happening again and to be able to stop whatever is causing the problem right now. This will give you the ability to start the treatment process. You will need to think about what you were doing just before the skin reaction flared up. There could be a variety of reasons for your dog’s skin to start flaring up in a rash, including changes to its diet or even problems with the current weather conditions and climate.

When you know the cause of the reaction, you will need to start cutting down on the chance of the exposure. This can be difficult in some cases, such as pollen allergies, but there are times that you can make one simple change. This is especially the case if you have tried new shampoo or a different type of dog food. Go back to what you were originally using or you could consider cooking your own meals for your pet. This will help you deal with some of the many dietary problems that occur.

Now it comes to soothing the problem that has occurred. Your dog can only do so much and will need your help. Consider bathing your dog in some warm water with fragrant-free shampoo. Another popular option is to use baby shampoo, which is naturally designed for sensitive skin and is perfect when there is already an allergic reaction. You can find out some soaps from your vet too to help with the problem.

Once you have washed your dog, you will need to rinse off all traces of the shampoo or soap that you have used. Adding apple cider vinegar is a popular option for many people. This is because the vinegar has a natural ability to soothe problems. You could also consider using Epsom salts, which will soothe and work to kill the infection due to the antibacterial properties.

You need to start to find ways to help decrease the sensitivity in your dogs skin and one of the ways to do this is through oils. You can use sunflower oil with your pet’s food, which will help to promote the skin to create its own oils. Omega 3 is another popular oil that will help with boosting the immune system and healing the reactions. You can add more oily fish to your animal’s diet or you can guy supplements from the pet store. However, most dogs prefer not to take pills and will usually fight against you.

You could also find some creams at the pet store to help you with the soothing process. You should read the labels to make sure that the ingredients will not harm your dog any more but you will usually benefit from the prices being much lower than those that are prescribed.

However, there are times that no matter what you do the cause will not go away. At times like this, you will need to see your vet to get help. Your vet will be able to help by finding the exact cause and then prescribing medication that is able to help with the treatment of your dog skin allergies that your pet is experiencing.

Jennifer is a family dog health specialist specializing in dog skin problems. She recommends all-natural treatments for dog skin allergies.

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Dog Itching, Scratching and Hot Spots Can Be Due to Food Allergies

Wanted to provide more information about dog itching, scratching and hot spots. Many times, people go from veterinarian to veterinarian, searching for the answer as to why their dog continues to scratch constantly, chewing, licking on paws. If the owner is using flea treatment and has ruled out parasites and other infections, chances are it is allergies. Pets can have both food and environmental allergies as well as difficulties digesting the foods they eat. Many commercial diets are loaded with carbohydrates and fillers such as corn, wheat gluten, etc and many people shower their pets with allergy provoking wheat-filled dog biscuits!!! More and more, there are alternate choices but the bulk of all dog treats are loaded with wheat–which for many is a recipe for allergic reactions. We urge you to discontinue these potentially itchy treat and use hypoallergenic treats such as Wildside Salmon Treats which contain good healthy fats to actually help your pets skin and coats. Other alternatives are venison jerky, carrots or sliced apples.. If your dog has chronic skin and coat problems, itching, scratching, hair loss, most likely it is due to the food you are feeding and poor digestion. Take a look at the brand you are using—does it contain corn and other grains???? Even hypoallergenic diets that are full of potatoes can be potentially problematic because of the high carbohydrate count and the propensity this can cause in creating yeast. A list of potential foods to be avoided can be seen below. There is no “one” allergy diet that works for everyone. Each pet is different. You will need to try a few diets and/or learn how to prepare a homemade diet. We offer Holistic Pet Health Telephone Consultations and also in-person office visits at VCA Arroyo in Lake Forest, CA to assist you with this.

Common Allergens in Pet Food:

Corn

Soy

Gluten (found in wheat, barley, spelt and other grains)

Milk Products

Casein (found in cheese)

Beef (problem for some dogs)

Chicken (problem for some cats and dogs)

Fish (cats can often be allergic)

Peanut Butter (big allergen!)

Ask Ariel offers supplements to help with environmental allergies:

Amazing Omegas— potent formula for lustrous skin and coat
Proaller— homeopathic remedy that reduces a itching, red, itchy eyes and all allergy symptoms
Notatum— works great with Proaller and helps fights infection and inflammation
Syallgen— very helpful for itching and environmental allergies
AllerEaze— excellent for environmental allergies

Dog Skin Problems Causes, Symptoms | Dog Skin Diseases, Allergies

Skin problems don’t limit themselves to affecting just humans; they can affect your pet canine too. In-fact they can be considered to be one of the most common health ailments among dogs. Fur loss, extremely dry skin, skin rashes, irritation, dull or dry coat, bumps or lumps under or on the skin, excessive scratching, scabby, scaly or red patches and itching are some of the signs that indicate your pet is suffering from a skin disorder. All in all, the condition and texture of a dogs coat and skin, can tell a lot about its general health. Conditions of this sort could range from being acute to being chronic. Diagnosing skin problems among dogs can be quite a challenge, simply because a large number of diseases tend to display similar symptoms. Thus, it is crucial to determine what the problem is exactly, so that the right kind of treatment can be administered.

Skin problems in dogs can be brought about by fungal or bacterial infections, allergies and parasites. Just like humans, dogs too can develop allergies to several things. Powder deodorizers, carpet cleaners, shampoos, food, grass, mold, dust and pollen are some of the more commonly known causes of skin allergies in dogs. A dog suffering from a skin allergy, may display one or more of the following symptoms; rashes, extremely itchy skin, constant scratching, rubbing of the face and chewing of paws. When it comes to allergies, the key lies in identify what the allergen is, so that it can be avoided altogether. Parasites such as mites, ticks and fleas also contribute to a large number of skin problems among dogs. These pests can cause severe irritation, and in order to gain relief, the dog begins to scratch itself constantly, which then leads to some other secondary infection. While fleas and ticks are easy to detect, mites on the other hand, being microscopic in nature, are a little more difficult to diagnose. Sarcoptic mange and demodex mange are two types of conditions that are caused by mites.

A bacterial infection is generally a secondary infection to some other condition while a fungal infection, such as ringworm, is caused by the fungi that reside in the nails, hair and dead skin tissue. To conclude, whatever the skin condition is, and however mild or serious it may be, it is important that medical care is sought immediately, so as to avoid any further complications.

More on food allergies and food intolerance in dogs

Posted on January 14, 2009 by holisticpetfood

Continuing this week’s theme of allergies in dogs, let me refer you to a great article by PetEducation.com, hosted by Drs Foster & Smith. Skin problems in dogs are caused by food allergies only about 10% of the time.  (The rest of the time, it’s something in their environment, like dust mites or another allergen).  But look at what they say about the “tip offs” that it most likely IS a food allergy.

• Ear problems, especially yeast infections


• Skin problems in a very young dog


• Skin problems that occur year round or begin in winter


• Skin problems that don’t respond to antihistamines or steroids

Read on:

The symptoms of food allergies are similar to those of most allergies seen in dogs and cats. The primary symptom is itchy skin. Symptoms may also include chronic or recurrent ear infections, hair loss, excessive scratching, hot spots, and skin infections that respond to antibiotics but reoccur after antibiotics are discontinued. There is evidence that dogs with food allergies may sometimes have an increased incidence of bowel movements. One study showed that non-allergic dogs have around 1.5 bowel movements per day where some dogs with food allergies may have 3 or more per day.

It is difficult to distinguish an animal suffering from food allergies from an animal suffering from atopy or other allergies based on physical signs. However, there are a few signs that always make me suspect food allergies. One of these, is a dog with recurrent ear problems, particularly yeast infections. Another, is a very young dog with moderate or severe skin problems. A third tip off, is if a dog suffers from allergies year-round or if the symptoms begin in the winter. And the final clue, is a dog that has very itchy skin but does not respond to antihistamines or steroid treatment.

You MUST check with a vet to rule out all kinds of other potential problems.  But if it looks like a food allergy, they have a standard approach.  You change the pet’s food per the vet’s recommendation and don’t give them anything else, no table scraps, no treats, nothing!  You can usually tell right away that it was a food allergy by the way the dog’s skin and overall health respond to the new food.

I would just add that if you steer away from the less expensive commercial foods and head towards the ultra premium foods, the slightly increased cost of the food can offset the veterinary expenses incurred when you run into a problem like a food allergy, such as we’ve been discussing here. 

Teresa Holladay
The Holistic Pet Food Blog
http://IsYourPetFoodSafe.com

Filed under: Holistic Pet Food