The lovely spring has set its foot now. You can notice the plants growing, flowers blooming, insect buzzing etc. You can also notice that your lovely pet dog scratching its body and prefer to stay in the corner. This is nothing but seasonal allergy. You may know that few get allergic reactions human beings experience due to danders of the pet dog. The dogs too suffer from allergy. Seasonal allergies are more seen in dogs than in cats.
In most cases the allergy is due to genetic factor. The dogs that are in age group between 1 and 3 years are more prone. The allergens make entry in to the body of the dog either through inhalation or ingestion. In dogs the allergic reactions are mostly itching rather than sneezing, running nose, watery eyes etc. This can be evident by the dog’s act such as frequent rubbing of the face, licking of the feet, and scratching the body.
Types of Seasonal Allergies
There are two types of allergies very common in dogs. Lets us discuss it out here.
Allergy due to fleas- this is more common in dogs. You know that the flea menace is ever lasting problem in pet. The allergic reaction is due to the saliva of the flea. The dog’s immune system reacts quickly for this foreign body. The antibodies are rushed to the affected area, the skin, which is why you notice all those scratching.
Allergic inhaled dermatitis- this type of allergy is due to allergens such as house dust mite, house dust, pollen, ragweed, feathers, grasses, shrubs, trees, dander etc. These allergens gain entry either through the respiratory tract [inhalation] or through the feet or through digestive system [ingestion]. This allergy is bit difficult to prevent as the above mentioned allergens are seen in abundance in dog’s surrounding.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of the allergy may be easy but finding out the root cause of the allergic reaction is difficult as you know by now that the allergens are more than few. The veterinarian needs to be consulted at the earliest. The vet will conduct blood test and intradermal test to find out the possible cause. In case of intradermal test, the allergens will be injected under the skin of the dog and will be observed for the reaction. Formation of wheal or hive like swelling will indicate that the test is positive.
Treatment
To start with the vet will subject the dog to symptomatic treatment. Once the cause of the problem is identified, appropriate treatment can be designed. By far the most effective and popular treatment is immunotherapy or hypo sensitization. Here the specific allergens are injected to the dog in lower concentration at periodic interval. The pet becomes less sensitive to it over a period of time, thus preventing the allergic reactions. The disadvantage of this technique is that it is costly and time consuming. The duration of the treatment may be a year or more in some cases. The other alternative is to give steroid injections to minimize the allergic manifestations. The side effects of the steroids are cause of worry, hence used in limited quantity and duration.
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