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Thursday, April 02, 2015

Dogs With Allergies: How To Help


Yes, I'm sometimes itchy! And I occasionally nibble on myself (but nothing that breaks the skin). And about once a year I have a "hot spot", too!

As beautiful spring weather fast approaches, so does allergy season—for both humans and us dogs. So what to do? Well, first, don't jump into the "doing" before you know the "why's"—you don't want to mistreat or over treat your dog.

Last year, Parental Unit had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Robert Silver, who writes the veterinary column for The Bark magazine, and while she didn't talk with him about dog allergies, Parental Unit instantly knew that he was a great resource for all things pet. One of Dr. Silver's recent columns from The Bark gives his take on canine dry skin and allergies, and how you can help your furry companions feel much better during allergy season and all year long. We think this article is particularly good because it explores what could potentially cause dry skin and allergies, before it offers advice on how to treat these conditions.

If you suspect your dog has allergies, make sure your veterinarian gives him or her a thorough check-up first, then explore ways (with your vet's assistance) to minimize the problems. These strategies could include a change in diet, adding oils and supplements and the use of medicated shampoos. Parental Unit had two dogs (both terriers) that had an oily, smelly skin condition that was very uncomfortable for the poor pooches. Back in the day, the vet offered no specific treatments for her Schnauzer Benjie, but my predecessor, Carson the Wire Fox, was washed every two weeks with  a medicated dandruff shampoo that easily kept in under control. He also had his own dermatologist at The Ohio State University Veterinary Clinic—his first of many specialists... Hoo boy, I'm glad I've needed only one veterinarian (so far)!

                                      Dr. Mike and me...

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Luckily we are A OK but Ancient Pip had some rashes and good old vaseline did the trick. Have a tremendous Thursday.
Best wishes Molly

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

WE hope that you don't get any allergies or itchies this summer.

HAPPY EASTER or PASSOVER

Asifur Rahman said...

nice

Unknown said...

Great post and I'm glad to have found it! My dog has allergies and it's been a cause of concern for me. I've been keeping a food diary for her and looking for answers. I've done away with commercial dog food and have been serving her homemade food such as boiled rice and boiled/baked chicken, pork and fish. So far, her scratching has lessened but I'm still taking her to the vet for good measure. For more of how allergies affect our dogs, see this http://dogsaholic.com/care/what-give-my-dog-for-allergies.html

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