Allergies in dogs are caused by an overactive immune response to certain substances, known as allergens, that are normally harmless to most animals. When a dog with allergies comes into contact with these allergens, their immune system mistakenly identifies them as a threat and launches an inflammatory response to fight them off. This immune response leads to the release of histamines and other chemicals, resulting in allergy symptoms.

Common allergens that can trigger allergic reactions in dogs include:

  1. Pollen: From grasses, trees, and weeds.
  2. Dust mites: Tiny insects that live in dust and household fabrics.
  3. Mold spores: Fungi that can grow indoors and outdoors, especially in damp environments.
  4. Fleas and flea saliva: A common allergen for many dogs.
  5. Certain foods: Such as wheat, corn, soy, beef, dairy, chicken, and more.
  6. Insect stings and bites: From bees, wasps, mosquitoes, etc.
  7. Environmental irritants: Like cigarette smoke, certain cleaning products, and air fresheners.

There are three primary types of allergies in dogs:

  1. Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD): An allergic reaction to proteins found in flea saliva.
  2. Atopic Dermatitis: Caused by environmental allergens like pollen, dust mites, and mold.
  3. Food Allergies: An immune response to certain proteins in the dog's diet.

Allergies in dogs can manifest in various ways, including itching, redness, skin rashes, ear infections, sneezing, coughing, and gastrointestinal issues.  There are several things you can do to help with allergies that will improve your dogs quality of life.

If your dog is in the food allergy camp switching proteins is sometimes all that is needed. Fixing this issue can be frustrating for some and the inclination to switch to a low quality prescription food for a fast fix is understanble.  For the long term keeping your dog on a higher quality food and pinning down the exact culprits will pay off in long term benefits. Better food is the absolute core to good health.  For dogs and cats that means lowest carb load as possible and quality meats and veggies. Finding the cause can take patience and is a process of elimination.  For some doing a allergy test with 5 strands is a better and faster path. 

Now for those with environmental allergies this is actually a lot harder problem to solve and may require extra effort daily. Keeping your dog bathed on a regular schedule is a must to keep the allergens off your pup.  Wiping your dog down including the pads daily can also help.  We sell a lot of natural supplements to mitigate the histamine response and keep your pet more comfortable.  For some dogs more aggressive action is needed and a trip to the vet is warranted. Waiting until it is super bad is never a good idea as secondary bacterial infections can occur and cause severe discomfort.  Unfortunately, until the season changes it usually is just management.  Your veterinarian can help with injections and medications that can help get you through this season. It’s worth a note tho that these all do come with some risk for other health problems and the use should be balanced out with the degree of severity of the allergy. 

So it is with allergies, a bit of a process to figure out what it is and what works for your dog. Come see us at Brown Dog Bakery for suggestions on natural products that we have used and like.

Anna Woodcock

Brown Dog Bakery Team