Allergies… the most unwanted word to hear by a dog owner as allergy issues can be incredibly frustrating! So, what exactly is allergies? Allergies are immune system responses where your dog’s body goes a little haywire in response to a trigger. And no matter what you do to treat them, if you’re exposing your dog to allergens, the problems and discomfort continue.
These 3 conditions below might indicate an allergy in your dog:
- Itchy skin
- Recurring ear infections
- And non-stop scratching at his ears, paws, face, and back that drive you crazy
Below are 3 common but little-known signs that your dog may be suffering from food allergies.
#1 Itchy Skin, Red Underbelly And Dull Coat
Together, these signs can indicate an allergy. If you found that your dog itches constantly without relief and causing hair loss in the affected patches, it could be a sign of allergy. The easiest way to spot it is the red or pinkish skin condition, along with dry and inflamed issue. Constantly scratching can also caused hair loss in the affected patches.
These kinds of symptoms are usually caused by food allergies, or environmental allergies (damp place, wet floor etc).
To identify the true root, you can first do a checklist below!
- Shampoo Residue. Shampoo residue on your dog’s skin is a leading cause of contact dermatitis, and often resolves by switching to a milder shampoo and rinsing thoroughly. (If you’re not sure if you’ve rinsed thoroughly, try this trick: Shampoo your dog, and rinse him until you think you are done. Then, rinse two more times to be safe!).
- Pollen Allergy: Your dog may also have a pollen allergy: try wiping him down with a cool, damp cloth every time he comes inside to eliminate exposure to pollen.
- Fleas: Make sure your dog does not have fleas, as flea allergy dermatitis will also cause irritated skin.
If you have done all above and there is still recurring sign of allergy, it’s time to consult your vet with the possible changes in diet!
#2 Watery eyes
Just like human, allergies in food can lead to a swollen an watery eyes, and the same goes to doggo as well! If you food your dogs to have goopy discharge or a clogged tear/excess tear, it can be a sign of allergies. So what can you do to ease their discomfort in eyes? Here’s some simple home remedies!
- Gently dab your dog’s eyes with a warm, wet (clean) washcloth at least once per day. Keep the area clean.
- Make a small amount of chamomile tea, let it cool, then squeeze the excess water out of the teabag and use it dab the eye gently, to soothe irritation.
- Homeopathic eye drops like Similisan Irritated Eye Relief or Allergy Eye Relief, or Boiron Optique can also help (refer to Vet for this).
If the problems did not get any better, then you should bring them to consult your veterinarian. A lot of dog owners ignored this allergy as they thought it is a small issue, but it could easily gotten more serious if it is not taken care of, so pawrents, take note!
#3 Chronic Ear Infections
Ever realized your furbabies to have some stinky, yeasty with black or brown build-up around their ears? This could be an indication of food allergy. Food allergy that caused frequent ear infections can make your doggo to scratch at their irritated ear, constantly shaking their head and even frequent cleaning does not help! To ensure that the irritation is caused by their food, you need to figured out whether the infection is due to ear mites, yeast infection or purely water (doggo that swim often).
You can try these steps to identify:
- Use a home-made otic solution made of 50/50 purified water and organic apple cider vinegar to clean the ear. Otherwise, you can also head to the pet store and purchase ear cleanser to clean it once in a week.
- Wipe inside the ear with a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel, which can reduce inflammation and give your dog some relief
Once the underlying factor is not due to anything above and the ear infections persist, try a food-elimination diet or food allergy test to identify the trigger food.
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To conclude, if you noticed that your dogs are showing the same signs as above, it is really time to take note of their behaviour or eating habit to understand and seek for a solution! When in doubt, it’s always good to refer to a professional vet for more advice.
