With the changing winter season and the arrival of spring, come longer days. Gone are their days of full-blown snuggling times with you. The seasonal change brings happiness to your four-legged friends. No more winter mornings and shorter walks! Your pups must be missing their summer strolls and are ready for more playful evenings. However, just like human beings, pets are prone to dust and mold, and a variety of other allergies. While humans when caught up with allergies start sneezing, dogs begin to itch. With a host of triggers of seasonal allergies around them, often, you may see a pet coughing, sneezing, and excessively scratching their bodies.
Shop From Our Wide Range Of Pet Health Supplements
Causes Of Pet Allergies
Apart from getting an allergic reaction from food; allergic dermatitis and environmental allergen are the most common types of allergies in dogs. Another rare but irksome allergic reaction they could be prone to is, allergic dermatitis due to fleas. Sniffing pollen or fungal spores from a particular surface can also cause allergic reactions. When your dog is exposed to an allergen, the immune response of the pet releases histamines. An excessive amount of histamine release causes a lot of discomfort to the pet which results in severe itching, rashes, and even inflammation.
Symptoms of Allergies
Depending on what the source of the allergen is, that is causing bouts of allergy in the pet, there are a wide variety of symptoms that can be noticed such as:
- When they are constantly licking their paws or rubbing their face
- When a pet sheds hair excessively
- When they bite into their skin or the coat
- When they rub their butt against the floor constantly
- There are episodes of chronic ear infections with waxy, smelly, and swollen ears
Also Read: Pet Nutrition: Essential Vitamins And Minerals For Your Beastie
How To Help Your Pet Beat Allergy Blues?
A lot of inconveniences, and your dog may not be able to convey the amount of trouble he or she may be going through. Allergies can be severely frustrating to diagnose in pets. Here are a few simple steps to help him recuperate from this seasonal illness.
Wash Them Up
Ideally, pets can be given a bath once in fifteen days. While baths provide relief and relaxation, too much washing can make their coat rip off the shine and essential body enzymes. But when a dog has an allergy, a frequent wash is needed. Medicated shampoos are ideal to combat infections of the skin, and most of them will also help to restore the loss of essential body enzymes. Oatmeal shampoos are considered effective to soothe dry and itchy skin. After shampooing, brush or comb the coat gently.
Get Flea Repellent
Fleas are troublesome for pets. One small bite from them can eventually break out into a severe itchy rash. For year-round pet protection from nasty fleas, get a product that repels fleas and kills them without having a skin to bite upon. Chalk out a regular flea preventive plan to keep the house flea-free.
Get An Allergen-Capturing Cough Suppressant
For dogs with respiratory allergy symptoms, such as allergic bronchitis, that is if your dog is coughing immensely, a veterinarian may prescribe a cough suppressant to help an irritated throat heal completely.
Add Essential Supplements
Certain allergies can be due to a lack of nutrients in the dog’s diet. Get in touch with a veterinarian and add some fatty acid supplements to your pet's diet. They are beneficial for healthy skin and a furry coat besides keeping mild and chronic allergies at bay.
Remove Pollen From Surface
To limit contact with your pet’s skin and fur and the possibility of inhaling or swallowing them, use a vacuum cleaner to clean their sleeping area and their favourite part of the floor. Clean the entire house thoroughly with a vacuum cleaner. Alternatively, wipe your dog down with an unscented wet wipe, to remove pollen from their coat and paws.
Check For Food Allergy
If your dog is constantly licking his or her paws and there is redness around the skin immediately after your pet has had a meal, he or she may be allergic to something in the food. The first step towards identifying any food allergen is to change the food.