Dealing with Canine Allergies

Canine allergies can be difficult to deal with, especially if your pet has severe allergies. There is numerous ways to help your dog cope with severe allergies. First, you should determine if the allergies are dietary or environmental. To test for dietary allergies, you should begin a food trial and eliminate all treats from the diet and use only the food. Then, once you have introduced the food and removed all other sources of diet, you should slowly introduce the treats, etc. to determine if the food or the treats were the cause. You veterinarian will provide you with the best food to run a food trial. The most used is a diet called Hills Prescription Diet Z/D. This is an allergy food, the protein is broken down in such fine particles that the body does not recognize the protein as an allergen, which is why this food is the most used for food allergy trials.

Now, if you notice a pattern throughout the year when your dog develops certain allergy symptoms, it is most likely environmental allergies that he/she is dealing with. This is easily treated with medication. You can try Benadryl at a 1mg per pound every 8 hours. So if you have a 25lb dog, they can have a 25mg tablet 2-3 times a day to help with allergy symptoms. Now, if the allergy symptoms are more severe and Benadryl does not seem to be helping, you should consult with your veterinarian. You should especially consult with your veterinarian if your dog is scratching nonstop and causing physical damage to the skin. If your dog continues to scratch nonstop, he/she may cause a secondary skin infection. When you get to this point, you will not only have to address the itching issue, but now you have an infection secondary to allergies to deal with.If you make an appointment with your veterinarian, he/she can guide you in the proper direction for allergy treatment.

In extreme cases, an injection of Depo Medrol (steroid) is given to help calm the allergies down. There is a threshold that allergies reach and if they continue to scratch, the line never drops below the threshold and the itching never resolves along with the skin infection not resolving. The injection will lower the line below that threshold and the itching will stop, allowing the body to resolve the skin infection. There are oral steroids that your veterinarian may recommend that you give as well. Temaril-P is a medication that is antihistamine and has a steroid formulated into it. Your veterinarian will typically start you out on what is called a "loading dose" in which the amount you are giving, for example, is 3 tablets twice a day for 7 days, then give 2 tablets twice daily, then give 1 tablet twice daily, then give as needed. Your veterinarian will usually taper the dose down so that your dog is not taking a steroid constantly. Some allergy cases that are year round have to be resolved with year round steroid treatment. There is also a product called Atopica, which is quite expensive. This medication is extremely helpful for allergy cases. However, due to the cost, most pet owners are unable to afford this medication. So there are plenty of options available for your dog, consult with your veterinarian and he/she will guide you in the right direction.