Ah-pooch! Dog Allergies

“Lup, lup, lup.” Says Casey’s tongue underneath the dining room table as he licks his paws.

“Waaoof, waaoof.” Says Steeler’s deep voice to Casey thinking that Casey has just picked up a delectable delight which has fallen to the floor from Peter’s side of the table and undoubtedly Steeler would like a piece too!

“CASEY! STOP!”

Poor Casey, AKA the Best Damn Golden Retriever In The World (BDGRITW).His tongue cannot stop licking his paws due to the allergies that plague him. His feet sometimes turn a rust color from the saliva that does damage to the fur, and not to mention the poor guy usually has a bunch of hair sticking off his tongue! The occasional bald spots on his feet are not very attractive either! But even with all that, he is still the BDGRITW!

It’s that time of year folks! Just when you thought it was over when your furnace first fired up in the fall and blew that cloud of dust from the registers creating the ultimate allergen in dogs.  Alas, it is now seasonal allergy time!  Grass, pollen, and flowers, oh my!  Unlike people who sniffle and sneeze, allergies in dogs generally manifest in overall skin problems and ear infections.

When you notice your dog licking its paws, rubbing its face along the ground, the discolored red feet, and the constant scratching with the absence of noticeable fleas, the first  thing that should come to mind is an allergy.

While airborne allergies can cause a problem, food allergies can be another nightmare. Food allergies can manifest in an actual rash along the belly and inner thighs, along with or without the licking of paws and continuous scratching.

If you have changed the dog’s food to lesser than normal quality you may see an allergy outbreak in the household. Recently due to job changes my brood had to eat some lesser quality dog food that contained more grains than meat and ‘OH MY GOD WHAT A NIGHTMARE IT WAS!’  In the long run it was not worth going that route to save money.

 I would rather give up a month’s worth of my medication than to put my poor babies through that again. I realized this the day I had to shave Steeler’s back due to a flakey skin problem which he had never had before, that it was time to bite the bullet and get them all back on their normal food. Needless to say, every Newf in this house will have to undergo the horrible all day event of mother wielding the razor and risk looking like a breed of dog that no one is really sure what they are!  But shaving is the only way to get down to the Newfoundland’s skin to bathe off the flakes and crustiness. Well, let me rephrase that just a bit, it is the only way to get to the skin unless you are a professional groomer. I however only play a professional groomer on TV!

  In real life, to get to a Newfie’s skin you have to part the hair as you wash and then rinse well, neither of which I seem capable of doing!

Flea allergies make you want to vomit and pull your hair out because they can really wreak havoc on a dog. It takes only one bite from a flea to cause a huge reaction. Dogs will chew themselves right to the bone with a flea allergy if you don’t watch them.

Is your dog on a flea preventive?  Yes?  Bet you think you're safe don’t you? Well let me be the bearer of bad news and if you’d like you can try to reach through the computer and smack me for this wealth of information!  Even though your dog is on a flea preventative like Frontline, the dog is not safe. Why? Because the dog is actually allergic to the flea’s saliva! One little bite and the damage is done! Even if the damn flea goes to flea heaven two seconds later! 

If your pooch should suffer a flea allergy I highly suggest you invest in an Elizabethan collar (cone collar) and lots of antibacterial soap and antibacterial ointment. Be sure the ointment does not contain Zinc oxide as if ingested can be toxic to dogs.  The collar of course is to keep the dog from biting the area further and the rest is to keep the already chewed area bacteria free so it can heal. In some cases you may need oral antibiotics from the vet.     

What to do, what to do?

Allergies suck, there’s no way around it. They suck for people and they suck for Fido.

Just as there are allergy doctors for people, there are also allergy doctors for dogs. They can give your dog a skin test to see what causes the allergies and provide you with shots, but these are expensive and most people just can’t afford it.

On the laymen’s side you can give Benadryl to help with the itchiness but be sure it is Benadryl Allergy and not the allergy/ sinus.  Dosing and precautions here: 

 However it may not curtail scratching 100%.

If it is food allergies change the food to a better quality. There are also companies that make dog food specifically for dogs who have food allergies. Chicken, lamb, beef and grains can all cause continuous allergic reactions. These allergy specialty foods usually consist of Duck, Venison, and sweet potato. Royal Canin and Eagle pack are two well known makers of foods for dogs with allergies, but there are many up and coming companies that are starting to compete so check them out as well.  Don’t expect to see a change overnight, it can take months before you see a difference in the dog. I am going on month 6 here and just recently seeing a change in the skin and scratching.

Airborne allergies are a bit tougher as almost every home has dust (or dust mites) and of course you can’t control Mother Nature! But some things that may help are:

1) Keeping your dog’s outings limited to going out for potty only.

2) Once the dog has gone out, before coming back inside, wipe the dog down with a damp towel to remove any pollen or other particles off the dog’s fur. Don’t forget the feet and in between the pads where these particles get caught.

3) Keep an air purifier in the room where you dog normally stays in as this can help eliminate particles and dust in the area.

4) Add omega fatty acids to the dog’s food daily.  Derm Caps  here 

Fish oil gel tabs are also good. But get the 3 6 9 fish oil gel tabs if you can afford them. Puritans pride usually has good sales.

Puritans Pride:  

And lastly, if the dog is breaking out in sores, bad rashes, or  there is an odor then see your vet for a skin scraping as it could be due to yeast, fungus, or bacteria and these all need specific treatment.

Thoughts I ponder over:

I wonder why if they can make masks for people so they don’t inhale impurities such as fumes, then why can’t they make a mask for your dog just for short outings to keep particles from going up the nose and mouth.  Hmmm, maybe I should patent that!

Until next time, put yer Haz-Mat suit on and have fun!

   

Do shed, or not do shed, that is the question.

I am often asked what can be done for a dog that sheds a lot and the first thing that comes to my mind is, what breed of dog are we talking about, because some breeds are prone to seborrhea, red mange, or hypothyroidism. So top of the list would be a health check. Second guess, barring any medical problem, would be plain old dry skin and dull coat from not enough omega fatty acids. I always try to supplement my dog’s food with 3-6-9 fish oil gel caps from Puritans pride. I don’t go nuts over special shampoos that claim to help shedding because if you really think about it, the simple act of washing, then brushing, and drying your dog is going to rid it of the dead hair for about a week anyway. You can probably remove just as much hair with a slicker brush and it takes less time. If you have a short haired dog, get a large spray bottle, fill it with water and a bit of some doggie cush, cush cologne, spray the dog and wipe it down with a dish towel. You’ll be amazed at the amount of dirt and hair that comes off the dog, and again, less time consuming than a full bath. Don’t get me wrong, if the dog has dry or itchy skin a good oatmeal bath can do wonders, so bathe away my friend, but don’t buy into non shedding shampoos, unless of course you have money to burn.


A dog’s skin and coat are conditioned just as much from the nutrients it gets on the inside as it does with daily brushing on the outside, so giving omega fatty acids daily can make a difference in a dog’s coat within two weeks. For those interested, Puritans pride usually has a sale going on, and I have not yet found a better deal in a drug store as I have found online with Puritans pride. (Click on the title of this article and it will take you to their site) I also found that fish oil pills help greatly with… well… dog and people stinkers! Please don’t even ask how I discovered that, just know that it works! ( and I say this with a little dignity, very little!)


My last group of six dogs was very different from the six I have now. They consisted of, 1 Belgian Sheepdog, 1 Chow/Lab mix, 1 Sheltie/St Bernard mix,(I know) 1 Bearded Collie, 1 St. Bernard and 1 Cocker Spaniel. All very different breeds with very different coats, all ate the same food, and all had equal inside and outside time, so which do you think caused most of the problem with shedding? Most would think it a tie between the Belgian Sheepdog and the Bearded Collie because of the long hair, coming in second may be the Sheltie mix, and St Bernard, then the Cocker, and lastly the Chow/lab mix with its very short hair.

Of course we must factor in the seasonal changes, colder weather brings in more of a coat than warmer weather and with the winter thaw comes more shedding to get ready for the spring/summer seasons. If there’s a female heat cycle happening you can also expect some extra hair loss at that time. Well guess what, all six of my dogs seemed to shed the same amount of hair! Hmm, why? They were different breeds, different sizes, and different coat lengths.

Dogs actually shed all year long, there is no real start point, and what I mean by that is that new hair does not push out old hair, it is continual and although it does have something to do with the cold and hot weather, it also has to do with the amount of time the dog spends in natural light (sunlight) as opposed to spending time in artificial light (inside lamps). Why? Enter photoperiod (The duration of an organism's daily exposure to light), which triggers the amount of shedding you will see in your dog. Dogs which spend a lot of time in natural light will shed more at one time in the spring/summer than a dog that spends more time in artificial light. The dog in artificial light will continue to shed all year long as well but it will be consistent so it may seem like lesser amounts at once than a dog that spends most of its time outside in natural light.

By the same token, some breeds have slower hair growth then others and the hair may stay in the “resting/transitioning phase” longer which can contribute to less shedding, thus leading some breeder’s to play on the words "This breed doesn't shed." . in order to sell their dogs. All dogs shed, all year round, so really what they should be saying is that breed X has a slower hair growth rate so you won’t see as much shedding as you might see from breed Y.

Of course genetics, health, and feeding have a lot to do with it as well. A cheaper grain filled food may yield dryer skin leading to a poor coat condition by causing hair breakage and loss. Illness such as hypothyroidism will cause poor appearance of the skin and coat, as well, stress in a dog can also cause hair loss.

So, getting back to my dogs, in the end it seemed like my short haired Chow /Lab mix Maxie was the worst shedder out of all 6 dogs, but actually, I think it had more to do with her hair length because it seemed to stick like tiny needles into every nook and cranny of every piece of furniture I owned, whereas the longer haired breeds lost their hair in a clump which was much easier to clean up. What did they all have in common aside from the food? All spent the same amount of time in artificial light.

I would have to say that if you want your dog to have a nice thick coat some of the things that can help are natural light over artificial light, a dog food that is well balanced (always with a meat listed first, not grains) and good overall health. Supplements that contain omega fatty acids such as the fish oil or Derm Caps are a nice added bonus as well but check with your vet before using any over the counter meds even if they are just vitamins. Vitamins are the most poorly regulated meds on our store shelves. You want to get the right amount into your dog and some of the omegas do come in your dog's food.

Here are the different growth phases that your dog’s hair goes through.
1 Anagen: is the phase of new hair growth
2 Catagen: is a transition phase where the hair stops growing and the outer root sheath attaches to the hair.
3 Telogen: is the resting phase where the hair doesn't grow or shed.
4 Exogen: is when the hair falls out and the hair follicles move back into the anagen stage

A good article on omega fatty acids: what they do for the body and what to use as omega fatty acids. I use fish oil but you may choose to use another source.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1662&aid=666

For a list of breeds that shed hair at a slower rate making them more allergy friendly copy and paste the below link. When you see a dog of interest click on it and a separate page will open on that breed. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/lightshedders.htm