Thursday, August 11, 2011

Canine Flea Allergies

Flea allergy, otherwise called flea dermatitis, is the most often encountered type of allergy diagnosed in canines and is caused by a flea bite. It's the most common cause of itching in dogs, and it just takes the bite of one sole flea to produce an allergy on your pet's skin. Canine flea allergies may cause your pet to itch for somewhere from a few hours to a number of days and may take up to 3 to 7 days to surface after the initial flea bite.

The Causes of Canine Flea Allergies

Fleas are only found on a dog while they feed. Analogous to the mosquito, fleas will bite the dog and take in blood for nourishment. When a flea does this, they inject a trace quantity of saliva below the dog's skin which can consist of nearly fifteen various allergy causing substances. If the canine is sensitive to one of the allergens that were injected by the flea, it will cause an allergic response that leads to the dog itching. About one half of all canines will come down with flea dermatitis, and although the allergies are more frequently found in adult dogs, pups can also become afflicted with flea dermatitis.

Diagnosing Canine Flea Allergies and Recognizing Its Signs

Dog owners usually don't realize that their beloved pet has fleas because of their really miniscule size and because of how difficult fleas can be to exterminate. Making diagnosis of flea dermatitis particularly arduous is the fact that it just takes one lone flea to induce flea allergies and the symptoms might not be detectable for close to a week later than when the flea bite occurred. There doesn't have to be an infestation of fleas to bring about flea allergies in your pet. The warning signs of canine flea allergies commonly include continuous scratching and itching or chewing on the fur and skin, inflaming of the skin, skin rashes, and skin reddening. Because of the ceaseless scratching and itching, loss of fur over the dog's posterior, primarily in the region commencing in the center along the backbone to the beginning of their tail and also in their back legs region, is also a pretty solid indicator of flea allergies in dogs. A vet can also discover flea allergies in dogs employing modern blood and skin testing to search for specific allergy inducing substances and to eliminate other conditions such as fungal, bacterial and yeast infections.

Flea Treatment Should Begin With a Suitable Flea Extermination Plan

The first phase of a successful kind of flea treatment involves flea control both on the dog as well as in the pet's nearby environment. Even with a flawless flea eradication program setup, it's not out of the ordinary for canine's to still incur an occasional flea bite. Pets which are often outdoors could be an even tougher challenge.

Conventional Medicines and Desensitization Treatments for Canine Flea Allergies

A veterinarian may advise using desensitization as a form of dog allergy treatment. This necessitates giving the animal a shot with limited amounts of flea antigen over a certain time period, maybe even the remainder of the animal's life. This form of treatment is generally a success in roughly 50% of the patients, and might get rather costly in the long run. Antihistamines and traditional treatments, such as cortisone, are also generally administered by the veterinarian to treat flea dermatitis in dogs. These types of treatment can often give relief for flea dermatitis; with that said, it's been evidenced that there are adverse side effects attached to using corticosteroids. In the end, this sort of treatment may be more harmful than beneficial.

Natural Types of Treatment for Canine Flea Allergies

Due to the side effects related to the use of steroids, many of dog owners are now trying herbal cures for flea bite allergies in dogs. There are many all natural ingredients found in these herbal formulas that are both effective and safe. German Chamomile has been used to clean and soothe the skin for many centuries. Some other herbs have also been found to aid in better total skin health and offer soothing and restoration benefits to the skin, and include Witchhazel, Cleavers and Marigold.

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