How To Help With An Allergic Reaction in Dogs
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| Itchy skin and gastrointestinal problems are the most common allergic reaction in dogs |
Many of us have seen allergic reactions in people – red itchy skin, watery eyes and a runny nose. The same allergic reaction in dogs can occur if they are allergic to something. It’s interesting to learn what is happening inside the skin during these reactions, because it helps us understand how medication can help reduce the effects of allergies in dogs.
How Allergies Work
Before we start, let’s look at a few definitions:
Allergen. This is something that can trigger an allergy in any species, including dogs. Some examples are dust, foods, and pollens from plants.
Mast Cells. These are a part of the immune system, and because of their role in protecting your dog’s body, they can be found in high numbers where his body is in contact with the environment. These areas are the skin, the mouth and gastrointestinal tract, and in the nose.
Histamine. Mast cells are full of histamine, packaged up in little granules This chemical is the main culprit that causes the red itchy skin, watery eyes, and other common signs of allergies.
Now that you can understand the language, let’s look at how these work together to create a dog allergic reaction.
Allergic Reactions in Dogs
Your dog’s very first exposure to an allergen doesn’t cause any problems. He will produce antibodies to it, and these antibodies become bonded to the outside of his mast cells. That’s as far as it goes. The problems start when he is next exposed to that same allergen. It will attach itself to those antibodies on his mast cells, which leads to histamine being released. The result are those all-too-familiar allergic reaction in dogs symptoms, such as dog itchy skin, ear infections, and gastrointestinal problems.
Allergy Treatments
With this knowledge, it will be easier to understand how allergy treatments actually work. Drugs such as anti histamines and corticosteroids are used to relieve allergy symptoms, but they work in different ways. Allergy shots are another alternative, while trying to strengthen the immune system through improved nutrition is still another way to battle an allergic reaction in dogs.
Anti-histamines can’t block histamine being released from your dog’s mast cells. They do prevent that histamine affecting the cells of the body, so the allergic reaction is reduced and even stopped.
Corticosteroids suppress your dog’s immune system, so his body is less likely to react to an allergen, and he won’t develop any symptoms.
The third main method of managing allergies in dogs is by using desensitizing injections. Very tiny amounts of allergen are injected into the skin, so his body learns to tolerate it, and no longer reacts.
Switching to a hypoallergenic dog food is another option and is especially effective if your dog is suffering from a food allergy. More general dog food for allergies, such as a grain-free dog food, help to build and strengthen the immune system, which can be weakened by poor nutrition.
Your dog’s immune system is finely tuned to protect him from disease, and it does a good job. Unfortunately, in some dogs it can go a little over the top, and the result is a dog allergy. Toning down his immune response and preventing his body reacting to allergens are the main treatment options for managing allergies in dogs.
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