Dog Allergies

Dogs may suffer from various kinds of allergies. The food allergies are difficult to determine, as dogs are usually allergic to only one ingredient and not to the whole diet. So, isolating that particular ingredient becomes a long puzzle. Traditionally, it is said that a diet that a dog never eaten before, should be given to him as they will not cause the allergic reaction. People used to give lamb and rice to dog at first but since they are now part of most of the other dog foods, one can try rich-protein diet such as ostrich meat, alligator meat, duck, venison and rabbit along with rich-carbohydrate diet such as potato, peas and rice. Food ingredients such as beef, chicken, milk and wheat can be added back into the diet one at a time to see the reaction of the dog. If food allergies reoccur then, the ingredient added last is taken to be the culprit.

To avoid these allergies, try the following:

• Hyposensitization - Injecting minute amounts of allergen to the dog so that a tolerance to the substance develops. It should be tried on young dogs only, as they respond better to it.
  
• Rinse the ears of your pooch with white vinegar mixed 1:1 with water, once or twice a week, to reduce infections.
  
• In case of inflammation in ear, use Synotic (Rx) or another corticosteroidotic preparation to control secondary infections. Oral corticosteroids have more systemic side effects.
  
• Antihistamines help to reduce ear infections too.

The best allergy test is intradermal skin testing, which can be done by a veterinary dermatologist or an experienced general practitioner too. It has an accuracy rate of about 70 to 80%. Another testing method that can be used for inhalant allergies is blood testing, which an accuracy rate of about 60 to 70%.