Dog Skin Allergies

It’s a fact that dog skin allergies are worse in the summer. With the heat comes a rise in the pollen levels that trigger allergic skin conditions in dogs.

Dog skin allergies commonly lead to self-inflicted sores and subsequent infections. So while many people are off celebrating summer by going to the beach, if your dog is suffering from the terrible symptoms of dog allergies, you’re off to the vet clinic. However, stopping that itching from ramping up in the first place, will keep your pet comfortable and out of trouble. This is where exactly PetPace can help out.

For dogs with allergies, allergens are inhaled or settle on the coat triggering an allergic reaction on dog skin.  Intense itching follows where typically have an uncontrollable need to scratch, lick, or gnaw.

Common symptoms of allergic skin conditions include:

  • Red skin, rash
  • Excessive licking or scratching
  • Recurrent ear infections
  • Patches of raised fur that make the dog look ‘bumpy’
  • Itchiness, most commonly affecting the feet, face, armpits or belly.

Scratching further damages the skin’s surface, which often leads to infection. Signs of infection include a sticky, smelly discharge and ‘aggravated looking’ skin.

WHAT CAUSES DOG SKIN ALLERGIES

Dogs may react to anything in the environment such as plant pollens, grass sap, and house dust mites. Unfortunately there are an infinite number of things that can trigger allergic skin conditions in dogs. Controlling dog skin allergies involves strategies such as:

  • Washing allergens off the skin
  • Controlling the level of yeast invaders on the skin’s surface
  • Feeding a diet that strengthens the skin’s immune system
  • Immunotherapy vaccines
  • Medications such as steroids, oclanitib, cyclosporine and antihistamines
  • Novel therapies such as Cytopoint injections.

PETPACE COLLAR- MONITOR SKIN ALLERGIES

Veterinary dermatologists use itchiness as a measure of treatment effectiveness; Increasing itchiness is a warning that extra medication is needed. Increasing doses of a dog medication in this instance can stop the allergy from flaring up -meaning less medication in the long run.

PetPace monitors your dog’s activity level and postures patterns. Via the app you get a read out of your dog’s condition in real-time. It’s easy to see when your dog stops sleeping through the night and starts scratching or changing positions frequently.

Spotting this trend early allows to make adjustments in your dogs treatment plan that will ‘keep the lid’ on extreme itchiness. Ultimately this means a more comfortable dog and dodging those hefty spikes in drug dosages.

Examples of other medical conditions which benefit from PetPace monitoring include epilepsy and heart disease .