Pet Skin Allergy Advice

Flea Allergy Dermatitis

• Flea bites can irritate your pet's skin and cause an allergic skin reaction either within 15 minutes of the bite or as much as 24 to 48 hours later. If fleas are the culprit, treatment of the dog and of the surrounding environment with widely available flea killers is necessary.

Allergic Inhalant Dermatitis

• Allergic inhalant dermatitis, or atopy, occurs in pets that are hypersensitive to environmental allergens, just like people with hay fever. Atopy can be treated in three ways. For example, vet therapy may control the skin symptoms, and immunotherapy, such as vaccines, can desensitize the animal to the allergen. However, the cheapest way is to avoid the allergen altogether if possible. Remove potential allergens such as bedding, one by one, to track down the cause.

Food Allergy

• According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, food allergy is about 10 percent as common as atopy in dogs and as common as atopy in cats. Sources of allergic reaction for dogs include beef, eggs, soy and chicken. Cats can be allergic to beef, chicken and fish. Three months of a diet that doesn't include one of the allergens will show up the food allergen culprit.