If your dog is scratching a lot or chewing on itself, it's easy to just assume that, well, it's a dog and dogs scratch a lot. So, unless you're watching the dog carefully, you might not even notice that it's scratching itself a lot more than normal and showing other signs of dog skin allergy symptoms.

While the most obvious dog skin allergy symptoms are the unending scratching and chewing, there are some other general signs of a dog skin allergy. For example, your dog may have an upset stomach, may be vomiting or may have diarrhea – several times a week.

The Different Types Of Dog Skin Allergies

There are a number of different types of dog skin allergies just as there are different types of allergies that can affect us. The difference is that allergies in humans tend to be nasal, that is marked by runny noses and inflamed sinuses. However, when a dog has an allergic reaction it affects the dog's skin – hence, the term dog skin allergies.

Here are the most common types of these dog skin allergies and their symptoms:

Parasitic Allergies

The most common type of dog skin allergy is an allergic reaction to flea saliva. When you see your dog scratching itself and immediately think, “fleas,” you're probably right. However, your dog can be allergic to other insect bites such as tick bites, the bites of Demodex mites and those of a nasty, little creature called the sarcoptic mite. When your do has an allergic reaction to this mite is often called “the red mange.” Parasitic allergies are also called parasitic dermatitis.

The most common dog skin allergy symptoms of a parasitic allergy are itching and chewing. The dog will also often bite its tail, stomach and inner legs. You may see inflammation of the affected area and your dog may even suffer hair loss.

Food Allergies

When we develop a food allergy - such as a peanut allergy - we usually experience an itching in the mouth, and we may have difficulty swallowing and breathing. When dogs become allergic to something in their diet, it doesn’t affect its respiratory system as it does in humans, the dog's skin is affected. The scientific name of a food allergy in dogs is “nutritional dermatitis”. Its symptoms are excessive scratching, skin infections and hot spots, hair loss and chronic or recurrent ear infections. The dog may also experience diarrhea and vomiting.

Atopic Allergies

Atopic allergies (or atopic dermatitis) are probably the allergy most seen by veterinarians. It can be triggered by a number of different allergens or antigens such as when your dog inhales pollen, dust or some other airborne microscopic organism to which it is allergic. The symptoms of an atopic allergy include chewing and licking of the paws and scratching at the face, ears and eyelids. These dog skin allergy symptoms can appear suddenly so the dog may look perfectly normal one minute and then be chewing its paws raw the next.

Inhalant Allergies

These allergies in dogs are caused by about the same things that cause us to have an inhalant allergy such as hay fever or ragweed allergy. In other words, they're caused by dust mites, pollen and mold spores.

There are a number of symptoms of an inhalant allergy; chief among them is scratching, chewing on the paws and constant licking. You may also see the dog rubbing its face on your carpeting and its earflaps may look red and feel hot. These dog skin allergy symptoms can turn into a chronic ear infection where the skin of the ear becomes greasy, thick and omits a strong odor.

Neurogenic Allergies

Veterinarians will tell you that sometimes they just can't find what's causing your dog to have a skin allergy. In this case, it's called a neurogenic allergy, meaning that it's sort of all in the dog's head. The most common form of neurogenic dermatitis is called Acral Lick Granuloma or canine neuroderamatitis. It occurs when the dog persistently licks and chews at some area – often on its foreleg or ankle area. In some cases, the dog will gnaw on the area so obsessively that it never heals.

Contact Allergies

A contact allergy or contact dermatitis occurs when the dog comes in contact with something to which it is allergic such as plants, (especially those of the wandering Jew family) chemicals and medications. This is actually a fairly rare skin allergy on a dog. Its symptoms are hives, blisters, rashes and darkening or thickening of the skin.

As you have read, your dog can have one of many different types of dog skin allergies. While they all have somewhat different symptoms, they do have some in common such as obsessive itching, scratching and chewing. While all dogs will scratch and chew at various parts of their anatomy from time to time, the key to diagnosing dog skin allergies is to take note if they do so obsessively. So ,if you see your dog itching, scratching or chewing more then normal, its time to get your dog to the vet so your dog can get relief from its misery!

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