If your dog has a dog skin allergy the good news is that there are a number of different treatments available. Which one of these would be best for your dog? That will depend on the type of allergy that is affecting it and which treatment your vet recommends.

Following is a description of the dog skin allergy treatments most often recommended by veterinarians.



Corticosteroids As A Dog Skin Allergy Treatment

If your dog has a seasonal allergy where the season lasts only a short amount of time, corticosteroids might be the recommended treatment. These steroids work by reducing the dog’s itching due to inflammation. Corticosteroids can be helpful if administered in low doses or for only a short amount of time. However, they are not recommended for long term use as this can result in diabetes, a decreased resistance to infection and an increased susceptibility to seizures. The side effects of corticosteroids are increased appetite and thirst, an increased need to urinate and behavioral changes.

Antihistamines As A Dog Skin Allergy Treatment

Just as we use antihistamines to treat an allergy in ourselves, we can use them to treat a dog skin allergy. In fact, antihistamines are considered to be a relatively safe dog skin allergy treatment. The major drawback to the use of antihistamines is that you may need to try as many as three different kinds of these drugs before finding one that works well for your dog. Also, dog owners tend to give the drugs at doses that are far too low and then become discouraged and stop the treatments. The antihistamines used most often for dog skin allergy treatment are Tavist, Seldane, Chlortrimeton, Benadryl and Atarax. Check with your vet on an appropriate dosage before you administer an antihistamine to your dog.

Holistic Treatments For A Dog Skin Allergy

Holistic treatment for a dog skin allergy means treating the whole dog, using a variety of different approaches. First is usually to shampoo the dog with water in which you have added dish soap to wash away the irritant. The reason for this is that many chemicals and plants leave a residue or oil on the dog’s skin, which results in a continued exposure to the irritant. If you remove the irritating residue or oil, this may ease the dog’s symptoms. Dish soap is used to break up the oils, which are not removed by normal dog shampoos.

You can also shampoo the dog with colloidal oatmeal, Epsom salts or a medicated shampoo. However, you will most likely have to do this frequently as they provide only temporary relief. Dermacool and Cortispray are two spray on products that contain hydrocortisone in low doses which can be used safely for short periods of time.

A second holistic dog skin allergy treatment is to limit the dog’s exposure to the suspected irritant. For example, if you believe a certain chemical, food or plant is causing the dog’s allergy, you may be able to limit its exposure to the irritant.

Third, you can provide supplementation. If the dog’s skin is dry and flaky, giving it a dietary supplement may help improve the dog’s skin. For example, you could try a commercial coat and skin supplement from your local pet store. Alternately, you could give the dog a home remedy involving olive oil to improve its dry skin.

Allergy Shots As A Dog Skin Allergy Treatment

Allergy shots have proved to be both a safe and effective way to treat a dog skin allergy. In fact, one study reported a 70% to 75% success rate for these shots. However, allergy shots can be slow to work, as it can be six to l2 months before you see an improvement. Also, the dog must be first tested to determine what is causing its allergy. The substances normally tested include cats, feather, molds, dust, wool, insects, trees, plants and pollens – a total of about 60 different substances. This means the dog will need to be tested and the results analyzed before any treatment can begin.

Hypoallergenic Food As A Dog Skin Allergy Treatment

If your dog suffers from a food allergy, a simple way to ease the dog’s suffering is to switch it to a hypoallergenic dog food. Fortunately for your dog, there are a number of these foods available so you should be able to find one that fits your budget at your local supermarket or online. Some of the more popular of these hypoallergenic dog foods are Hills Pet Food for Skin, Only Natural Pet Store Allergy Formula Pet Food, Canidae Dog Foods™, Purina Veterinary Diets HA Formula and Solid Gold.

Hydrolyzed Diets As A Dog Skin Allergy Treatment

Another way to treat a dog with a food allergy is with a hydrolyzed diet or hydrolyzed protein diet. This is dog food in which the protein source has been synthetically reduced to small fragments. The theory behind this diet is that proteins in the dog’s food should be so small that the dog’s immune system will not recognize the protein fragments as an allergen and will, thus, not mount an immune response resulting in an allergy. Examples of hydrolyzed dog foods include Hill’s ZD and Ultra ZD Diets, CNM HA from Purina’s Prescription Diet Division and Exclude from DVM Dermatologics.

Omega-3 And Omega-6 Fatty Acids As A Dog Skin Allergy Treatment

Finally, you may be able to use Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids to treat your dog with skin allergies as they have found to help in about 20% of allergic dogs. These fatty acids are worth a try in that they are not harmful and have practically no side effects. They do tend to reduce inflammation that can lead to skin sores but are not as effective in reducing itching. Supplements containing both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids include Derm Caps, Omega Pet and EFA-Z Plus.

Flax As A Dog Skin Allergy Treatment

Try adding flax to your dogs' diet. Flax is high in Omega-3, lignans and fiber but has no trans fat or cholesterol. It is an inexpensive supplement that has many benefits. Add ground flax to your dog's food for a couple of weeks and see if your dogs skin improves. All flax is not created equal, so please buy a quality product for your pooch.

In short, if your dog has or develops a dog skin allergy, don’t panic. There are many dog skin allergy treatments available and one of them is bound to give your dog relief from that awful itching, scratching and chewing.

Next >> Dog Skin Allergy Prevention