You have just adopted a lovely Golden Retriever and are extremely happy with this 10 year old’s presence in your environment. The only concern coming your way is that your pet suffers from certain skin issues like ear mites, hot spots, otitis and so forth. You are completely clueless regarding the measures to be taken and ways of ascertaining the presence of allergies in your beloved friend. What do you do?
What are the different kinds of allergies in pets?
Your pet may be suffering from any one of these two categories of allergies:
• Also known as atopy, allergy caused due to smelling pollen dust, ragweed or any other trigger, can be quite aggravating for your furry friends –especially dogs.
• Food allergies’ are quite common and can be triggered off by just about anything that does not agree with your pet’s system. Unlike similar allergies in human beings, pets usually manifest the same in the form or rashes and other skin conditions.
How do you ascertain the presence of allergic conditions in your pet?
Allergies cause itchiness and severe discomfort to your pets. From outright scratching to licking or chewing of paws to rubbing their ears/ face on your carpet or couch for immediate relief – these are some of the tell-tale signs of allergy in your pets. In certain cases, inflammation on their skin may lead to other problems like hot spots, bacterial infections, anal-gland infections or repeat ear infections (of a superficial nature). These secondary problems are usually alleviated with proper and timely medicinal intervention. However, they may keep coming back again and again –so keep a watch for the same.
Some signs of allergy are:
• Loss of hair
• Flea allergies
• Allergies from corn
• Rashes
• Asthma
• Wheat allergies
• Continuous vomiting
Steps to keep your pet free from allergies, flea & tick
Food additives and several other issues are making skin conditions a common phenomenon in pets. These steps will help your friend get rid of any ticks, fleas or allergies.
• Regular research and good reads about the allergies that may affect your pets go a long way in making you aware of their existence –if any.
• It’s a good idea to treat your pets for one skin condition at a time. For instance, if the skin of your pet dog appears funny, try scanning its coat for fleas.
• Corn acts a major allergen and may trigger off quite a few allergic symptoms. Just stay away from those alluring golden cobs of corn! Also steer clear of potential wheat products—they may trigger off certain allergies.
• Is your pet scratching itself in odd places? Do you see it rolling on the ground much too often? These and other abnormal signs point towards allergies and should be noticed.
• Limit the ingredients in the food served to your pet. This will help you keep a closer watch on the nutrients that may make your pet uncomfortable.
