By Heidi Clayton
According to Nationwide Pet Insurance, atopic and allergic dermatitis is the number one reason for dog vet visits. Chronic skin issues can be a nightmare for pet owners because to eliminate them, you first need to figure out what is causing them. The best course of action would be not letting your dog come into contact with that allergen, but that may be much easier said than done.
The most common causes of skin allergies and atopic dermatitis are flea bites, food insensitivity, and exposure to environmental allergens, either inhaled or through skin contact. They may appear as hives, facial swelling, red and yeasty feet, ear infections, or redness on the belly or armpit areas. The first step in treatment is to identify what is causing them.
Atopic dermatitis caused by fleas is the easiest to fix. Many dogs have an “allergic reaction” to flea bites that result in hives. If your dog has fleas, putting them on a flea preventative will stop these reactions. If your dog gets hives or skin irritation after they have been on a consistent anti-flea regimen, then it wasn’t the flea bites.
Food insensitivity is different from food allergies, which can cause anaphylactic shock or gastrointestinal issues. Constant yeasty ears, feet, and skin rashes could be a result of your dog coming into constant contact with the same ingredients in their food. Peas, legumes, sweet potatoes, and even the core protein of the dog’s food can be causing their skin issues. Blood tests in these cases tend to be unreliable, so the most common way to identify a food insensitivity is to try a hydrolyzed protein diet for 60 days, where your dog eats a prescription food diet and is limited on what treats they can have. If their skin clears up, you will have your answer. After 60 days of the diet, you can slowly reintroduce treats and chews. Keep watch for their skin issues to reemerge.
Skin issues can also be a result of dust, mold, fungus and pollen in the environment. These are either inhaled or from the dog’s feet and skin coming into contact with the allergen and it being absorbed through the skin. Seasonal allergies are not relegated to humans, so you may only see an outbreak in your dog’s skin in the spring. If the skin allergy is chronic, you can get a skin allergy test for your dog to see if the cause is something you can reasonably eliminate them having contact with. During the spring, for some reason, my dogs eat grass like they are cows. They all get red feet as a result. Whether it is from the actual grass or the pollen on it is debatable. I keep medicated chlorhexidine wipes handy, and every night at bedtime, I wipe everyone’s feet off. This at least keeps them from licking their paws and causing any kind of secondary infection. There are a variety of wipes and sprays that your vet can give you to help with these types of seasonal allergies.
If all else fails and you can not identify the cause of your dog’s skin issue, you may have to consider putting them on allergy medication. Most vet visits are a result of the original allergy reaction turning into a secondary infection, requiring medication to clear up. If this happens frequently, it may be time to consider adding either a daily allergy medication or a monthly shot. The allergy medication known as Apoquel now comes in a chewable form, which may solve the issue. Alternatively, maybe a monthly injection would be better suited for your dog. While there is always a trade-off to long-term medication use, I feel that chronic skin issues resulting in frequent trips to the vet for antibiotics can negatively affect a dog’s quality of life. If needed to enjoy running in the grass or rolling in the leaves, an allergy medication is the lesser evil.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
