Dealing with your dog’s allergies

Humans aren’t the only ones who suffer from allergies; dogs are just as likely to suffer from runny noses, itchy eyes and sneezes when the pollen count is high. However, as well as seasonal allergies, your dog might also suffer from sensitivity to certain foods or things in their home environment.

Food allergies
One of the most common signs that your dog is struggling with a food allergy is when their body simply rejects a food, through vomiting or diarrhoea. However, they might equally have a lack of appetite all together. Dogs may be allergic to a specific type of protein in a food, for example with certain types of meat such as chicken, beef or rabbit.

Seasonal allergies
Common signs of seasonal allergy, usually as a result of pollen, include itchy skin, red skin and hair loss where your dog has rubbed or scratched against the itch. The sores that can develop as a result of all that scratching can be highly problematic if they leave behind open wounds and can even result in secondary infections.

Some dogs can unfortunately have a combination of a few different types of allergies, which is why it is important to speak to your vet as soon as you spot any nasty symptoms. So if your dog is vomiting, has itchy red patches, has a chronic runny nose or any other symptom you’re worried out, then go speak to your vet as soon as possible to figure out the best course of action.

Dealing with allergies
Your vet will normally recommend one of three approaches. The first may be avoidance. If you are able to determine which allergens are causing your dog problems you may be able to help ease their suffering by removing that allergen from their environment. For example, if dust is causing problems then you may want to up your cleaning game, regularly dusting and hoovering, while also giving your dog’s coat a quick wipe with a towel a few times a day to remove any dust that has accumulated on them as they’ve roamed around your home. An alternative approach might be for your vet to recommend a course of tablets or other medication to deal with your dog’s allergies. However, you shouldn’t rely entirely on medication and should still seek to reduce their exposure to the allergen (if known) where possible. A third and final approach may be immunotherapy, or allergy shot, which introduces a small amount of a known allergen into your dog through a periodic injection which helps the dog to no longer be hypersensitive to their allergies. Getting to the root of an allergy can be difficult and is often a process of elimination but the time and effort will be worth it when your dog is finally pain-free.

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