Dog Allergies - Allergens
Allergens cause allergic reactions upon exposure by:
- Inhalation
- Ingestion
- Skin contact.
Allergies - Types of Allergens
There are many kinds of allergens, some of which include the following:
- Chemicals
- Bacteria
- Food
- Fleas
- Pollens
- House Dust
Types of Allergies
As with humans there are lots of different types of allergies that can affect dogs but they can be categorised into the following groups:
- Bacterial allergy
- Food allergy
- Flea allergy
- Contact allergy
- Inhalant allergies aka Atopy
Health Problems - Symptoms of Bacterial Dog Allergies
The most common problem in this instance is Staphylococcus (Staph) bacteria. Canine Allergies relating to Staph bacteria can include the following symptoms:
- Areas of hair loss and skin crusting that look like ringworm
- Lesions
Treatment of Bacterial Dog Allergies
Bacterial Allergies must be treated with antibiotics
Health Problems - Symptoms of Food Allergies
Proteins from chicken, milk, eggs, corn, wheat, soy and especially beef cause this type of problem. Allergies relating to food can include the following symptoms:
- Non-seasonal and excessive scratching
- Dogs respond poorly to cortisone type medications
- Digestive disorders
- Respiratory distress
Treatment of Food Dog Allergies
Allergies caused by food must be treated by with drawing the offending foodstuff from the dog's diet by process of elimination.