Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Flea Allergies

Flea allergy, otherwise referred to as flea dermatitis, is the most popular type of allergy seen in dogs and is brought on by a flea bite. It is the most common reason for itching in dogs, and it merely takes the bite of one flea to induce an allergic reaction on your pet's skin. Flea dermatitis might leave a dog itching and scratching for anywhere from a few hours to a number of days and can take three to seven days to surface after the first bite of a flea.

How Flea Allergies in Dogs Can Occur

Fleas can only be noticed on your pet when they feed. Just like a mosquito, the flea will bite your dog and suck in blood for nutrition. As fleas do this, they inject a wee amount of saliva under the dog's skin that may contain up to fifteen individual allergy inducing substances. If the animal is allergic to one of the allergens that were injected by the flea, it will prompt an allergic reaction which causes the canine itching. Nearly one half of all dogs will have to tolerate flea allergies, and while the allergies are more often seen in grown canines, puppies could also become afflicted with dermatitis.

Diagnosis of Flea Allergies and Recognition of Its Warning Signs

Dog owners often don't know that their pet has fleas because of their relatively minute size and because of how difficult fleas often are to exterminate. Making the task of diagnosing a dog flea allergy a lot more challenging is the fact that it merely takes one solitary flea to cause flea allergies and warning signs might not be detectable for up to 7 days after the bite from the flea happened. There doesn't have to be an infestation to induce allergies in your pet. The signs of flea allergies frequently include continual itching and scratching or chewing on the skin and fur, inflaming of the skin, hot spots, and skin reddening. Because of the constant scratching, hair loss over the animal's entire body, primarily near the area from the middle section along the spine to the stem of their tail and in the back legs region, is also a pretty sound indicator of flea dermatitis in your dog. The veterinarian can also find flea allergies in dogs utilizing advanced skin and blood tests to search for particular allergens and to eliminate other possibilities including fungal, yeast and bacterial infections.

Flea Treatment Should Start With a Solid Flea Extermination Program

The initial stage of any planned type of flea treatment takes into consideration dog flea control both on the dog as well as in your dog's local environment. Even if you have a perfect flea extermination plan installed, it is not uncommon for dog's to still experience an occasional flea bite. Animals that spend much of their outdoors may present an even harder challenge.

Traditional Medicines and Desensitization as Flea Allergy Treatments

A vet might suggest the use of desensitization as a type of dog dermatitis treatment. It requires giving the dog a shot with minor traces of flea antigen over a certain time period, perhaps even the rest of the dog's life. This type of treatment has been shown to be a success in close to half of the patients, and could become very costly in the end. Antihistamines and conventional treatments, like steroids, are also frequently recommended by veterinarians to relieve dermatitis. These treatments can often offer relief for flea allergies; with that said, it has been verified that there are harmful side effects associated with taking steroids. In the long run, this sort of treatment might be counterproductive.

Holistic Forms of Treatment for Flea Dermatitis in Canines

Taking into consideration the side effects affiliated with the use of steroids, more of dog owners are now using natural remedies for flea allergies in dogs. There are numerous all-natural ingredients used in these herbal formulas that are both safe and effective for your pet. German Chamomile has been used for centuries to cleanse and soothe the skin. A few other herbs have also proven to give better total skin health and contribute restoration and soothing qualities to the skin, and include Marigold, Cleavers and Witchhazel.

Article Resources on Flea Allergies