About Dog Hair Allergies
Dog allergies can be noticed when the dog is about three to six years
of age, often times during spring and fall and it is the result of an
overactive immune system which releases histamines. These histamines are
released when the body tries to get rid off the foreign materials such
as pollen, dust mites, household dust, dander and many other materials.
The histamines also cause itching. There are five types of dog allergies
and they are food allergy, flea allergy, bacterial allergy, contact
allergy and atopy or inhalant allergy.
If you see the dog behaving strangely such as scratching, chewing or
licking, you can confirm that it maybe a case of allergy. The symptoms
experienced by the dog include sneezing, coughing, eye and nose
discharge, itching around the anus, hair loss, loss of appetite, pawing
at their ears or head shaking, vomiting, diarrhea or breathing problems.
The most common symptom of dogs having hair allergies is the hair loss.
Majority of hair loss cases in dogs are related with allergic reactions.
The hair allergies in dogs cause loss of hair on their back right above
the tail and they usually rub the allergic area against anything because
of severe itching sensation it experiences. Due to this rubbing the skin
becomes inflamed and often times may even result in rash, cuts and
abrasions that may in turn lead to secondary skin infections. Most of
these hair allergies are the result of flea allergies.
Actually the dogs are not allergic to fleas per se but they are allergic
to the saliva of the fleas. A pyrethrin-based insecticide that is
commonly used to manage fleas can also be a cause for dog hair
allergies.
Ringworm is another cause of hair allergies in dogs and it is a skin
fungus usually manifesting on the ears, toes and feet of dogs before
showing anywhere else. The symptom of ringworm is that you can see small
circular bald patch that begins to replicate and grow. Ringworm causes
itching and it usually stays circular and defined on dog skin.
Hair allergies in dogs can be due to sensitivities in the skin or
thinning of fur as well. The two types of mange skin disease in dogs
include the Demodex and Sarcopties. Demodex is a small mite that lives
under the hair follicles which is present in many dogs. But if the
immune system of the dog is weakened, the Demodex increases. This
disease begins on the feet, face and ears and then spreads all over the
body.
Sarcopties mange spreads all over the body beginning from head through
feet that results in the complete falling of dog hairs in case the
animal is left untreated.
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