Is Your Dog's Skin Allergies Driving You Both Crazy?

All dogs scratch and chew at themselves from time to time. But if your dog's scratching and chewing just never seems to end - and is making you nuts - don't blame the poor dog, it has something it never asked for - a dog skin allergy.

What causes a dog skin allergy?

Dogs can be allergic to any number of things. The number one dog allergen is probably flea saliva. But a dog can also become allergic to its food; to an airborne microscopic organism such as pollen or mold; or by something it comes in contact with - for example, the plant Wandering Jew or poison ivy.

Not its nose

When we have an allergy it affects our nose and sinuses. When a dog is born with - or develops - an allergy, it affects not its nose but its skin. In other words, a dog allergy is much the same as our allergies; they just affect a different area.

The symptoms of a dog skin allergy

The major symptom of a dog skin allergy is that infernal scratching and chewing itself that never seems to end. But there are other symptoms that signal a dog skin allergy such as an inflammation of the affected area, hair loss, hot spots and even recurring ear infections. A dog suffering an allergy may also chew and lick its paws and scratch at its face, ears and eyelids.

The types of dog skin allergies

There are a number of different dog allergies just as there are a number of human allergies. One of the most common is a parasitic allergy - one caused by a reaction to flea saliva or by the bite of a tick, demodex mite or sarcoptic mite.

Your dog could also be suffering from a food allergy, which is called nutritional dermatitis. It is what happens when the dog becomes allergic to something in its diet.

The most common type of dog allergy is probably atopic allergies. These can occur when your dog becomes allergic to something in the air - pollen, mold spores, dust, or some other airborne microorganism.

Maybe it's all in the dog's mind

Sometimes there is just no reason for the dog to be doing all that scratching and chewing. In this cause, the allergy is often called neurogenic, meaning that it's all in the dog's head. This happens when the dog persistently licks and chews at some area, often on its foreleg or ankle - for no apparent reason. The dog may even work on the area so obsessively that it never heals. What causes the dog to do this? No one knows for certain though it has been theorized that it may be caused by separation anxiety, confinement, frustration or just become some minor abrasion caught the dog's interest.

In summary, when you see your dog is obsessively scratching and chewing at itself to the point where it's making the both of your crazy, don't get mad at the dog. It most certainly has one of the dog allergies described in this article - and is more to be pitied than to be blamed.