Q: What is an environmental allergy in a dog?
A: Itching and scratching excessively is not normal dog behaviour and indicates an abnormal response in your dog’s body to certain allergens. Most commonly, these allergens are in the environment, but sometimes they can occur due to specific foods.
The scratching, due to the itch, can lead to dry skin on dogs and other irritations, making their skin look red or flaky. Regardless of how skin allergies present, it is usually a very uncomfortable condition for your dog that may keep them up through the night.
Fortunately, with the right combination of dog food and medication, you can get your dog back on the right path to less itching and healthy skin.
Identifying the allergen
One of the most challenging aspects is identifying the environmental allergen that is causing their reaction. Common causes of skin allergies in dogs include grass, pollen, dust mites and fleas. Unfortunately, all of these allergens are difficult to avoid. Still, the issue can be addressed with multimodal treatment consisting of medication to help reduce the immediate symptoms and nutrition for effective long-term care.
Spotting the symptoms
Dry, itchy skin is just one symptom that indicates your dog is reacting to an environmental allergen. Other symptoms include red patches, spots, pimples, flaky or scaly patches, hair loss, scabs, crusts, thickened skin, itching, scratching, licking, rubbing, bad skin odour, digestive issues, watery eyes or a runny nose.
Managing allergies
Understanding how to help dogs with dry skin and other allergic issues can feel frustrating, and treatment can vary case-by-case depending on your dog’s diagnosis. However, in general, a combination of therapeutic nutrition and veterinarian-prescribed medication can help prevent future flare-ups of allergies.
NOTE: Whilst it is common to feel a little frantic when your pet is itching uncontrollably, it is best to call your vet rather than reach for endless home remedies and shampoos. Your vet will be able to prescribe certain medications that will give fast relief. Topical remedies can be beneficial, but tend to act much slower and provide shorter-term relief, and there is always a risk that the topical remedy makes the situation worse.
