Sunday, August 28, 2011

Dog Allergy to Food

It's only recently been learned that dogs, much like people, can suffer from allergies to a certain food or foods that are in a particular food class. Food allergy in dogs is among the five more commonly found kinds of dog allergies, and though the dog is frequently born with the illness, a dog allergy to food can take place anytime during the dog's lifetime.

Find Fast, Natural Relief for a Dog Allergy to Food!

The Symptoms and Causes of a Dog Allergy to Food

Your dog will often have reactions to the various sorts of foods they get. Quite often, the reaction is just indigestion that may effectuate diarrhea and vomiting. An allergy to food is not the same as that however, instead of merely suffering from a tummy ache, it'll trigger itchiness in canines besides the previously stated symptoms of a dog allergy to food: swelling, dog vomiting and diarrhea. An animal's scratching and itching could cause flaky skin, eczema, hot spots and quite possibly fur loss. In a few animals, additional signs of food allergies can involve losing weight, restlessness and perhaps hostility.

In a canine coping with an allergy to food, the immune system will overreact to a specific substance that it usually ignores producing an allergic reaction. Food allergies in canines are ordinarilly caused by proteins from dairy foods, sugars and wheat as a direct result of eating scraps from the table. While proteins are the likely trigger of an animal's food allergy, any sort of food or ingredient can cause an allergic reaction.

How to Identify a Dog Allergy to Food

Only a few short years ago, an elimination diet was the only method available to figure out if a dog was suffering from a food allergy. The canine was served hypoallergenic dog food that did not contain any constituents found in the previous diet for about 2 to 3 months. Nowadays, the diagnosis can be implemented by a veterinarian utilizing a simple dog allergy test that involves testing run on a bit of blood obtained from the canine.

Remedies for a Dog Allergy to Food

The only cure for a food allergy is by staying away from the food or food substance that is the root of the food allergy. The most sensible type of food for canines suffering with allergies to food is hypoallergenic dog food having all-natural ingredients. Hypoallergenic dog food can be fed to a canine for the remainder of his life with no worry of your pet's allergy recurring.

Because of the canine scratching and itching, you may need to attend to dog skin care also. The vet will likely suggest purchasing skin lotion and antihistamines. Since using antihistamines for canine allergies could possibly produce bad side effects, a holistic remedy for a dog allergy to food is preferable. There are many herbal and homeopathic forms of treatment being offered that have been shown by canine owners to offer excellent results.

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Why Dogs Itch

The health-related expression frequently mentioned by veterinarians for extreme dog itching is pruritus. Scratching in canines generally is not cause to worry, however, if it gets to be excessive it may possibly be a sign pointing to a more critical problem. There are a few distinct skin disorders in dogs that can perhaps be the reason why dog itch. If a dog's scratching is causing the development of further skin problems such as swelling and reddening of the skin, skin abrasions and fur loss, or you notice the dog biting or licking at his or her paws, then the animal should certainly be sent to a veterinary clinic for diagnosis as these are all signs and symptoms of a far more serious skin disorder. If allowed to go untreated, the canine's itching and scratching may perhaps cause skin infections. While any breed of canine can develop pruritus, Poodles, Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels and Westies tend to have a greater rate of incidences than other canine breeds.

The Reasons Why Dogs Itch

Scratching in canines materializes due to a chemical response that happens at or directly underneath the surface of the skin. In cases where it's extreme, it is generally a sign that the canine is contending with one of a number of skin problems of a far more serious nature.

Extreme itching might be a sign of these skin conditions in canines:
  • Flea bite dermatitis is the most common source of allergies in dogs. As a flea bites an animal, it deposits a modest amount of saliva underneath the skin causing a chemical response that leads to scratching in canines.
  • Inhalant allergies are the second most typical source of itchiness in dogs. This allergy is like asthma and hay fever in people. When the canine breathes in substances such as molds, pollen and dust, it incites an allergic reaction in the immune system of the dog. This kind of allergy could also lead to breathing conditions in addition to being the reason why dogs itch.
  • Yet another kind of allergy that is less common but could cause itchy skin in dogs is a food allergy. Food allergies are triggered by the animal ingesting food or a food constituent that it is sensitive to.
  • We can also include scabies in our list of skin disorders in dogs that can be a possible reason why dogs itch. Dog scabies, clinically known as sarcoptic mange, is caused by a mite tunneling right below the skin of the dog. The mite feeds on material on or just under the animal's skin creating uncontrollable and incessant scratching.
  • Yeast and bacteria infections can also be causing an animal's itching episodes. Infections are normally brought on by open sores and wounds that are not suitably being cleaned. Mites in the ears commonly produce this kind of skin problem in pets.
Identifying Skin Conditions in Dogs

Finding out the reason why dogs itch has generally turned out to be quite a challenge for most veterinarians and pet owners. To locate the cause of the problem, a number of examinations and treatments could possibly need to be run and diagnosis could take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months. Based on the animal's physical signs and health-related history, a veterinarian will perform a series of lab exams that frequently involve the taking of blood samples, scrapings of the skin, taking culture samples and performing a skin biopsy.

How to Treat Itching and Scratching in Dogs

Even when the rudimentary source of a canine's itching and scratching is still unknown, there are formulas available to heal the dog's skin and stop the scratching. Your vet might possibly suggest using antihistamines, shampoos, skin creams or perhaps even immunotherapy in less severe instances. In even more extreme cases, he might recommend treatment utilizing steroids. Steroids have been known to cause harmful side effects such as excessive urination, shortness of breath and excessive thirst, and prolonged use may perhaps lead to the emergence of diabetes or Cushing's disease, so if you do decide to try them, do so with extreme care. Most dogs might possibly need lifetime treatment for their skin condition.

All Natural Dog Itch Remedies

Numerous small animal clinics are currently recommending natural itchy dog remedies as a safe and soothing type of therapy. It is a substitute to taking corticosteroids and other types of drugs that might possibly cause dangerous side effects. There are quite a few safe and effective homeopathic and herbal dog skin formulas that provide pets a lot of needful relief by rejuvenating the canine's hair in addition to soothing and cleansing the dog's skin.

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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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Thursday, August 4, 2011

Canine Flea Control

Fleas are a major worry that every dog owner eventually has to deal with. Anybody who has a pet has probably have faced the overwhelming job of canine flea control, a task that has usually proved to be more difficult than it looks.

Fleas aren't merely a worry because they harass and cause hours of aggravating itching and scratching for the animal, but they can also cause other significant concerns which can include dog flea allergies, tapeworm infestations and in serious occurrences, anemia.

Due to their surprising hardiness, it can be a difficult task to getting rid of fleas on canines. A female might lay more than 2,000 eggs in her lifetime, which means that infection could come about swiftly and the eggs that are laid may subsist for quite a few months in the environment while merely waiting for an appropriate victim. Thus it's imperative to eradicate both the fleas on your dog in addition to the fleas residing in the pet's living space. The perfect areas to search for fleas are sand, rugs, bedding and carpets.

The Best Approaches to Eliminate Fleas

In order to totally eradicate fleas on your pet and in his or her surroundings, it is basic to learn the flea's lifespan. There are four phases that makeup the life span of the flea. Akin to the majority of insects, the fleas commences from the egg stage, grows into larva, then advances into the pupa phase before finally reaching the adult phase.

The Flea's Egg Phase

The eggs of the flea are pallid in color and are so small that they are tough to find without the use of a magnifying glass. Even though the eggs are originally laid on the pet's skin, many will ultimately fall onto the ground to continue their expedition to an adult. About 50% of the overall flea count is made up of eggs. Depending upon the living conditions, the eggs hatch in anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. The greater the heat and moisture in the environment, the earlier the eggs will hatch.

The Flea Larvae Phase

As soon as the flea egg hatches, it goes into the larva stage where it enlarges to approximately 1/4 inch long. The flea larvae live on organic waste substances and on the adult flea's feces. They don't like vivid light and are inclined to disappear deep inside the present living space, if possible in a balmy and humid place. Climate controlled houses are the ideal environment for the flea lifecycle to succeed. Outside, larval growth will only take place in moist, shady locations.

The Flea Pupa Phase

When entering the pupa stage, the flea pupa grow a velvety and sticky protecting layer. This cocoon swiftly configures a useful hiding place as it gets encased by debris and soil. If stimulated by temperature, carbon dioxide or by physical pressure, like that in a balmy and sultry location, an adult flea might appear from the cocoon in as fast as five to ten days. As soon as the adult flea surfaces from the cocoon, it could subsist for only a few days unless it is able to feed. Pre-emerged adult fleas are able to live inside the cocoon for as many as 9 months. This is important because adult fleas that still exist within the cocoon are resistant to insecticides sprayed in the environment and can surface a significant time after you apply insecticides in your residence.

The Flea's Adult Phase

Once the adult flea comes out from the cocoon, it must immediately locate a host as it has to have blood if it is to survive. Two days subsequent to obtaining an acceptable host, the female flea will begin to lay approximately forty eggs every day. Adult fleas usually live up to three weeks. The complete lifecycle of a flea may perhaps be finished in as little as 2 to 4 weeks, or as long as ten months conditional to its surrounding conditions.

How to Treat A Dog For Fleas

There are numerous powders, shampoos, sprays and spot on measures available for dog flea control on your pet. Be sure to consult with a veterinarian to opt for the most successful and reliable flea insecticides for your house and dog.

Indoor Canine Flea Control Methods

The majority of canine flea control products are merely useful against the adult flea, but environmental preparations are becoming more complex. A vet can offer you with flea products that are comprised of insect growth regulators that will help destroy the flea eggs and larvae. Before using any environmental pesticide, it's a good idea vacuum your rugs and carpeting to persuade the pre-adult fleas to surface from their protective cocoon. Be sure to toss away the vacuum bag after using it. You must also wash the bedding the pet has lied on.

Outdoor Canine Flea Control Methods

Pay particular attention to dim, shaded areas. Spray a pesticide containing an insect growth regulator and duplicate it every 14-21 days for three to five treatments.

The newer oral and skin flea products should considerably help you resolve your flea problems. With perseverance and patience, you and your best friend ought to be rid of fleas in short order!

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