Pet health: Allergies in dogs

Springtime in the Ozarks means many people will be suffering with allergies, myself included. Oddly enough, it is also a peak allergy season for dogs. Seasonal allergies in dogs, also called atopic dermatitis, occurs when a dog’s immune system overreacts to environmental allergens such as pollen, mold, or even dust.

This condition manifests itself a bit differently than typical signs of allergies in people. In people, allergy sufferers battle runny and itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing and/or coughing. In dogs, though itchy and runny eyes and sneezing may occur, the most common signs are itch and inflammation to the ears, feet and skin. This causes dogs to rub, scratch and/or lick themselves, leading to secondary ear and skin infections. 

Dogs have a normal flora of bacteria and yeast on their skin as do people. When dogs itch badly enough, they cannot quit scratching or licking themselves. This makes the normal flora on the skin angry, causing an overgrowth of the organisms-bacteria and/or yeast, causing infection. Once dogs have the infection, they itch more, and a cycle of itch and inflammation continues. This can make dogs miserable really fast and medication is needed to treat itch and inflammation along with medication for infection. 

Dog owners should watch for the following signs: redness of the ears, feet and skin; licking and scratching; debris in the ears or odor from the ears; skin lesions such as crusts or bumps; hair loss and/or thickening of the skin.

Treatment for this condition depends on the severity of signs but can include medications such as steroids or dog specific allergy pills to stop itch and inflammation, allergy injections to block itch, shampoos, topical sprays and fish oils.  Antibiotics or antifungal medications may also be warranted to treat skin infections. 

Just like people, many dogs benefit from taking daily allergy medication or getting monthly allergy injections to manage/control the signs of allergies. We all know how miserable allergies make us feel and it is no different for our dogs. My goal is to help clients keep the canine family members feeling their best and to enjoy the beautiful springtime in the Ozarks.