Wednesday, February 9, 2011

What To Do When Your Canine Is Suffering From Dog Skin Allergies

You have noticed that you canine is scratching themselves for unusually long periods of time. They keep scratching the same spot over and over. You wonder if your dog can have an allergy. Yes, they can. Dogs have dog skin allergies just the same way that people have allergies. However, the only way that they know how to make themselves feel better is to scratch the affected area. But there is things you can do to help them feel better.

The first thing you have to do is find the location of the allergiy symptoms. This will usually be fairly obvious by observing where your dog is scratching. However, you may have to pull back their hair to reveal rashes, dry patches, or other indicators of the problem. From this, you can determine the solution.

An easy problem to fix is fleas. If you see flea bites or actual fleas, give them an anti-flea medicated bath. Following that, get medications from a pet store or vet that will prevent those tiny pests from coming back.

However, if you find dry skin or rashes, you need to find the source of their allergy. Using a simple process of elimination, observe what they eat and their activities. There can be many thing that trigger allergic reactions, but it should not take long to determine the culprit. Removing the source of an allergy is usually much easier than continually treating the symptoms.

When your dog has a reaction to some kind of irritant, you need to clean the irritant from their coat. An economical and quick solution if you do not have dog shampoos available is to wash the irritated area with a mild dish soap. This may ease their irritation and suffering, but it oftentimes will not relieve their irritation.

You may want to consider purchasing medications for your dog to alleviate the mild and moderate irritation. Many creams and sprays are available over the counter at most pet shops and some supermarkets. If the problem seems more serious, you should consult with a professional. They may prescribe stronger creams or oral medications.

You may be able to help your dog by changing their diet to include supplemental vitamins. These supplements are essential for making sure that your dog is getting the vitamins they need for healthy coat and fur development. You should consider this, even if your canines symptoms are not caused by food. Supplements can be purchased from most pet stores.

There is a small chance that a dog can have life threatening reactions to conditions of this nature. If your dog has a hard time breathing, seems to be drooling uncontrollably, has any swelling (especially facial or on their paws), or has lost consciousness, you need to bring them to an emergency veterinarian immediately. Generally, life threatening reactions are caused by vaccines and medications.

Just like people, dogs can suffer from allergies. You do not want them to suffer, so there are things that you can do to alleviate their dogs condition. You just have to be able to locate and treat the effected areas.

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