Allergic dermatitis in a dog: symptoms, causes, description and treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

One of the most difficult problems that veterinarians have to deal with is dermatitis. It has a huge number of varieties. Remarkably, this disease can develop even under good conditions for keeping animals. Dalmatians and Shar-Peis are most often affected by this disease. But this does not mean that representatives of other breeds cannot suffer from this disease.

Allergic dermatitis in dogs is a reaction to certain proteins recognized by the body as foreign. At the same time, the clinical manifestations may be different depending on the reasons by which the disease was caused.

Features of manifestations

Even an experienced doctor sometimes can't make a quick diagnosis. In the case of autoimmune diseases, everything is not so simple, and allergic atopic dermatitis in dogs can also have a different nature. Therefore, before starting treatment, you will have to passanalyzes and carry out various tests and samples. To date, three reasons have been identified that lead to such consequences. Now we will analyze each of them in more detail.

Flea dermatitis in dogs

Sometimes owners are skeptical about the recommendations of veterinarians to regularly carry out preventive flea treatment, as well as deworming. It seems to everyone that his pet has no parasites and there is nowhere to come from. And if one or another flea starts up, then there is nothing wrong with that.

In fact, the danger is not even the bites unpleasant for the animal or a certain amount of drunk blood. Flea dermatitis in dogs develops due to the special structure of the mouth apparatus of the parasite and the substances contained in its saliva. After a bite, a special substance, an anticoagulant, enters the wound. Since it is contained in the saliva of fleas, it enters the bloodstream with a 100% probability. This substance consists of a large number of various proteins. They are strong allergens.

First of all, get rid of fleas

Indeed, even if the parasites are not visible at first glance, the veterinarian will definitely offer to treat. The animal will not get worse from this, but it will help to exclude one cause of the development of the disease in the absence of a result. Flea allergy dermatitis in dogs can be suspected if you see bites and scratches in areas characteristic of insects, as well as flea excrement, which are small balls that look like gore.

In this case, it cannot be said that fleas are the causes of allmisfortunes. For example, in animals with less sensitive skin, too painful reactions after insect bites are not observed. But you need to purchase a special remedy for parasites and treat the pet. After a few days, the wounds will heal and it will be possible to re-diagnose to assess the change in condition.

Treatment of flea allergy dermatitis in dogs is symptomatic. After the source of the negative reaction is eliminated, the symptoms will persist for several weeks. To level them, antihistamines and soothing ointments are used. If fleas continue to live on the dog, their use is useless. As long as the source of the allergy persists, there will be no improvement.

Feed allergy

Meets today more and more often. Most likely, this is due to the fact that the quality of feed is deteriorating noticeably. Meat products are saturated with hormones and antibiotics, vegetables contain traces of pesticides. And prepared foods are made with preservatives and flavorings.

When identifying the cause of allergic dermatitis in a dog, the likelihood of food allergies is usually put in second place in terms of prevalence. It is important to distinguish between food intolerance and actual allergy. These are different things. A food intolerance is a reaction to a single food.

Food allergy is a reaction to proteins contained in food. In this case, the size of the protein molecule matters. As a rule, beef, milk and wheat come first. It doesn't saythat in all animals these products will cause a negative reaction. Usually, one individual has to eliminate only one component from the diet.

Atopy

Allergic dermatitis in a dog can develop for another reason. In particular, this condition is a reaction to exposure to an allergen. The latter in this case penetrates through the respiratory tract.

When it first enters the body, the substance leads to the launch of certain processes, which at first do not manifest themselves outwardly. But with repeated exposure to a provocateur, a skin disease occurs. The most common microparticles that cause allergic dermatitis in dogs are pollen, feathers and down.

Quite often, the symptoms of the atopic variety are accompanied by manifestations of a reaction to any food. This greatly complicates the diagnosis and choice of treatment. If there is a suspicion that the pet has an autoimmune disease, then it is best to contact a good, proven clinic with experienced dermatologists on staff and the presence of its own laboratory. Then the chance to help your pet will be quite high.

How the disease manifests itself

Let's look at the symptoms of allergic dermatitis in dogs. Usually this is a skin lesion and severe itching. For scratching, animals use limbs and teeth, various sharp objects, the surface of a rug or rug. Biting and licking are also used.

Veterinarians are well aware of where dermatitis most often occurs in dogs. Photos of such animals do not leave anyone indifferent and encourage owners to think about the timely treatment of their pets. Most often, the muzzle, limbs and armpits are affected. But not necessarily, other parts of the body may well be damaged. There may also be itching over the entire surface of the skin.

Additional symptoms

Itching is the most debilitating of these, but not the only one. In general, the condition of the animal is highly dependent on the severity of the symptoms. In some cases, anaphylactic shock is possible. Usually the cause is the intake of a toxin in large quantities. In any case, the treatment of dermatitis in dogs should be timely and comprehensive.

In addition to itching, the following symptoms can be noted:

• Slight redness of the skin, which is called erythema. It is very noticeable if the coat of the dogs is short and light. Redness can also be seen in pets with dark hair, if you move it apart with your hands and carefully examine the skin.
• In places of constant licking, the hairline changes color towards darker shades. This is due to a reaction to chronic exposure to saliva.
• Alopecia areas. The absence of hair on them can be explained by licking.

Secondary symptoms

It is not uncommon for a host to overlook the primary symptoms of a disease and only notice it when the condition worsens significantly. Allergy often causes the development of a bouquet of concomitant ailments. Here is their list:

1. Pyoderma. Often this disease is attributed to scabies or other ailments caused by parasites. Consequently, incorrect treatment regimens are prescribed. Pyoderma develops with the participation of specific microorganisms. Usually these are staphylococci and streptococci. Microbes enter the wounds when combing and lead to an inflammatory reaction. This complication is characterized by baldness and purulent lesions on the skin. It becomes bloated, lumpy.
2. Purulent conjunctivitis. Often provoked by the activity of purulent microflora. Therefore, specific treatment is prescribed, using antibiotics.
3. Acute moist dermatitis. Outwardly, it looks like an accumulation of wet wool. But when it is cut out, you can see how severe the overall clinical picture is. Most often, dermatitis is combined with pyoderma, scabies, lichen and deep, complex infections.
4. Otitis externa. The ear area can be so affected that it completely blocks the canal of the hearing aid.
5. Pododermatitis. This is a purulent infectious disease of the soles of the extremities.
6. Acral dermatitis. Appears on the forelimbs, in the area of the carpal joint. At first, the hair disappears at this place, the skin darkens and the affected area increases in size. It becomes visible above the surface of the entire coat.

The principle of treatment of allergic dermatitis

You can't ask a dog how much he's worried about his current condition. You just have to carefully observe it and do the appropriateconclusions. As you can already understand, the symptoms of the disease are similar to the signs of a huge number of diseases. Even an experienced doctor will not be able to make a diagnosis at home without passing laboratory tests.

Thus, treatment begins with the exclusion of diseases that have similar symptoms. After that, you can go directly to trying to determine the type of allergy. Treatment regimens are complex and should take into account three main areas:

• Exclude the cause that causes allergies in the pet.
• Symptomatic treatment to relieve itching.
• Elimination of the consequences and complications of therapy.

The sooner you seek help, the more likely it will be effective. Allergy is characterized by a gradual increase in symptoms, so the owners do not notice them for a long time. The animals are admitted to the hospital in critical condition. But even in this case, the treatment of dermatitis in dogs can be effective. The main thing is that it was led by a veterinarian. With self-treatment, it is impossible to take into account all the nuances. In addition, without laboratory tests it is impossible to assess whether the right direction has been chosen. As a result, you lose precious time, and the condition of the animal will deteriorate.

First steps

As mentioned above, flea dermatitis is the easiest to treat. In this case, it is enough to simply carry out the prevention of invasions. To do this, today there are a huge number of parasite shampoos that help solve the problem.

It is much more difficult to treat allergic dermatitis in dogs inif the cause is a negative reaction to the feed and all kinds of additives. Its symptoms are often non-specific, and treatment requires selectivity in medicines and foods. The most difficult thing is with those animals that are kept on ready-made feed. Active advertising, promotion of popular brands by veterinarians, and ease of use lead to the fact that many owners consider this food to be the best option for their pets. It is understood that it contains everything a dog needs for a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, ready-made food is most often the culprit in the condition of your pet. While they were not in such quantities on sale, there were much fewer he alth problems in animals.

Effective therapy

For food allergies, one of the following steps can be used:

• Check with your doctor for a homemade diet for dogs prone to negative food reactions.
• You can switch to another protein. In some cases, this implies a brand change.
• Introduction of hydrolyzed proteins into feed.

Regardless of which scheme is used, smoothing and complete disappearance of symptoms may not be observed until two months after the change of food. Since it takes a long time to treat allergic dermatitis in dogs, you need to keep a food diary and write down all changes in it.

The best option is to transfer animals to natural food. Here you can quite accuratelyregulate the intake of various nutrients, including protein. But in this case, the owner is faced with a problem, namely, indigestion. The disease is most often manifested by diarrhea and flatulence. But gradually these symptoms disappear and the condition improves. When switching to a new protein, you need to be sure that the other food does not contain the old proteins, to which there was a reaction.

Switching to a hydrolyzed diet might be a good idea. But the cost of such feed is often too high. In this case, the protein molecule has already undergone the process of partial hydrolysis. And the smaller it is, the more reduced the risk of allergies.

Atopy treatment

A complex and lengthy process, which concerns not only the elimination of the allergen, but also the treatment of existing skin problems. Anti-inflammatory drugs are the basis in the treatment of many pathologies that are associated with the activity of the immune system. Allergy is no exception. Therefore, treatment is based on corticosteroid and antihistamine therapy.

• Cortisone is a steroid, but it has nothing to do with anabolics used by bodybuilders. In most cases, the animal feels better after the first application. Usually it is prescribed as a course, for one to two weeks. During this time, most often the itching completely disappears. But long-term use of cortisone leads to adrenal dysfunction, or Cushing's syndrome.
• Antihistamines. They are usedon a long-term basis.

Quite often, desperate owners of a sick pet begin to look at the visible signs of illness in other animals in the photo for comparison. Allergic dermatitis in a dog would not be so acute if they immediately turned to a specialist. But instead, the owners, at best, try to treat the animal on their own, with folk remedies. As a result, unbearable itching leads to the fact that the dog scratches the skin strongly, up to the erasure of the teeth. And at the site of the wounds, severe dermatitis with focal infectious lesions is formed.

Treatment of secondary infection

As a rule, its appearance leads to blurring of the clinical picture. At first glance, you can’t make out what kind of ailment it is, and the owners do not know where to start treatment. In addition to the injectable antibiotic, it is necessary to use topical agents. They are an auxiliary, but very important part of the course of treatment.

• First of all, you need to clean the surface of wool, soaked crust and suppuration. To do this, it is best to use a swab moistened with any antiseptic solution.
• In addition, "Levomekol" and wet lotions of the affected areas with "Chlorhexidine" can be used externally.
• Antibacterial drugs such as streptomycin ointment and its analogues are widely used.
• Often, in addition to a bacterial infection, animals develop a fungal infection. The most common is a complicated course of pyodermatitis of the paw pads. Clotrimazole-based products have proven themselves well. When treating, make sure that the animal will not lick off the remedy.

There are no special ointments for allergic dermatitis for dogs. Veterinarians analyze the condition of the animal, make the necessary tests and, based on this, select the most effective treatment.

Pet care

In any case, you need to tune in to the fact that the treatment will be long and rather complicated. It will be necessary to provide the animal with high-quality and appropriate nutrition for a special diet. In addition, be sure to change its bedding and choose a high-quality coating made from natural materials for a new one. Be sure to bathe a sick animal in cool water twice a week. If it is hot, it will increase the itching, and more frequent washing will lead to thinning and drying of the skin. Together with your veterinarian, you can choose special shampoos that are not therapeutic in themselves, but will promote recovery.