Best Puppy Allergies Treatment and Skin Care Tips

Written by Senior Editor Peter Gehr

Best Puppy Allergies Treatment and Skin Care Tips

Best Puppy Allergies Treatment and Skin Care Tips

As pet owners, we are responsible for the health and care of our little companions, and being aware of the best puppy allergies treatment and skin care tips can be extremely useful. In fact, your knowledge of animal husbandry, even just the very basics, can help you determine any changes in your pet’s normal behavior which may be the result of an allergy or skin problem.

Much the same as human skin, your dog’s skin is susceptible to different influences such as from food, the type of material the collar is made of, the blanket your pet sleeps on, the shampoo you use (or don’t use). There are numerous variations that may contribute to an allergic reaction in your pet, but basic prevention, and a little information can help you avoid these issues.

Best Puppy Allergies Treatment and Skin Care Tips

One of the world’s leading dog experts, Cesar Millan, writes:

Here are some tips on how to identify various skin care issues and dog allergies.

When treating skin, you must be very organized and systematic. First you must eliminate secondary infections. These can be bacterial, yeast, or parasites. They can be treated with antibiotics, antifungal shampoos, and, if you are in a part of the country with fleas, (look for itching at the base of the tail) flea control products. Often it is a good idea to get a skin scrape to rule out mange (not so common in adults, but easier to treat than allergies). Quite often Prednisone is used during this phase for short-term control of the itch, but it should be used for only a short period of time.

Dog allergies fall into 3 categories:

 

  • Inhalant
  • Food
  • Contact

The few of them that are year-round can only be detected by skin testing at a dermatologist. Contact dog allergies can be more year-round, and it may be worth changing your laundry soap or eliminating any wool blankets.

Food allergies tend to have several things in common:

They happen year-round, they don’t always completely go away with prednisone, they tend to be feet and ears, and they start very young in life. To diagnose a food allergy, you feed a hypoallergenic food exclusively for 6-10 weeks. If the itch goes away, it is a food allergy. If not, there is likely another dog allergy (unless there is still some infection present).

Inhaled dog allergies are the hardest to control. There is allergy testing available, just like in humans. It is long and complex, but sometimes gives us a piece of the puzzle or even a treatment plan. Most people control these with medications. Prednisone is usually very effective and cheap, but it prematurely ages a dog so shouldn’t be given long-term. Antihistamines are very safe and can be used long-term, but are often not extremely effective.

I would recommend trying multiple antihistamines as they can work differently in different dogs. Cyclosporine is becoming a very popular method of controlling the symptoms of dog allergies. It is relatively safe long-term and is very effective.

I would recommend discussing all your options with your veterinarian. (Full story here)

One of the best puppy allergies treatment and skin care tips is to know what works and what does not work for your dog. An awareness of the symptoms of allergies and regular inspection of your pet can provide preventative measures to ensure your puppy is maintaining with good healthy practices and habits. Providing your pooch with clean bedding is also a good idea, as this is where he spends a lot of time, and uninspected or dirty bedding can harbor the microscopic pests that can lead to allergies. It’s all about care and consistency and with minimal effort you will generally most likely avoid such issues.

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