Allergies and Intollerance
There are three main types of allergy associated with dogs that can cause an allergic reaction in pets:
- Fleas or insects
- Environmental allergens like pollen, dust or moulds
- Food like specific milk proteins, dairy products, wheat and eggs
An allergic reaction is an exaggerated immune response to a foreign antigen. The antigen is generally a non harmful common substance as described above. When the antigen comes into contact with the bodies white blood cells it causes an allergic reaction to take place which causes histamine to be released. This increases the dilation of the capillaries therefore increasing blood flow to the specific area that has reacted to the allergen; this will make the site warm, hot and itchy leading to the dog scratching and discomfort.
An intolerance is slightly different in the fact that the body reacts however there is no mediated immune response.
Identification of these conditions is hard as the symptoms are all quite similar and so it is often necessary to run veterinary tests to identify the true cause of the reaction.
No cures are available for these conditions however products are available to reduce the severity and incidence of the conditions.
Treatments
Fleas or insects – medicated shampoo seems to be the best option here to try to try to eliminate the reaction caused by the flea/insect.
Environmental allergens like pollen, dust or moulds – seasonality can affect the incidence of these allergens so ideally avoid exposure when counts are high is the best means of prevention. Try to ensure your pets bedding remains damp free and so limiting possible mould growth and dry thoroughly when returning from being out in the rain.
Food like specific milk proteins, dairy products, wheat and eggs are often key allergens and so a diet that eliminates any of the known allergens to the dog is the best cause of action to avoid the effects of the allergens to the pet.
If conditions persist it is often better to seek the help of a vet as the symptoms of many of the known allergens are very similar and so diagnosis is difficult. A vet will be able to perform more specific tests to try to determine the true cause of the allergen.
The true incidence of all known allergies in pets is hard to determine as there is very little collective data to draw together. A true mediated allergic response is still quite rare however a intolerance to food components and environmental allergies appears to be on the increase. Or is this simply people are so much more aware of the conditions and so self diagnosis is more accurate and so the reported cases have increased. Whichever way it is important to try to determine the true cause of the reaction so the correct treatment can be administered.
References:
Turner T (Edited by). Veterinary Notes for Dog Owners. Popular dogs Publishing Co. Ltd
Keep in Touch