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Saturday, October 8, 2011

Dog Allergy Symptoms




Just like people dogs can be affected by allergens (plants, foods). When these allergens are inhaled or absorbed they stimulate production of histamine which causes inflammation.

Certain breeds of dogs can be predisposed airborne allergies, these breeds include:


  • Golden Retrievers
  • Labrador Retrievers
  • Dalmatians
  • Chinese Shar-Peis
  • Wirehaired Fox Terriers
  • Boxers
  • Boston Terriers
  • Lhasa Apsos
  • Scottish Terriers
  • Shih Tzus
  • West Highland White Terriers


The most common dog allergy symptoms are itching of the face, ears, legs, feet, and abdomen. Persistent itching can lead to scabbing and hair loss.

Dog Allergies Treatment

There are several treatment options that can be taken to lessen the effects of allergies. If the allergies are more serious you may want to think about having an allergy test preformed which will allow you to single out the specific plant(s) causing problems. Your veterinarian may also offer an allergy vaccine, which can help your dog’s immunity. If your dogs allergy symptoms are not so severe to require vaccines there are prescription shampoos and rubs that can be found either at your vets office or at a local animal store.

Dog Food Allergies

Dog food allergies are less common than airborne allergies but have roughly the same symptoms, excessive itching. The most common foods dogs tend to be allergic to are eggs, corn, wheat, soy, milk, beef, and chicken.

If you think your dog is suffering from a food allergy your options include switching to a hypoallergenic dog food and waiting roughly 2 weeks for improving results. Upon changing their diet it is important to remember that this includes changing any treats they may have been eating as well. If you wish you can add an ingredient one at a time to their current diet until you find the specific problem, but remember it can take up to 2 weeks before signs present themselves.

Dog Symptoms

Fighting Food Allergies In Children



Getting a food allergy can prove to be quite a painful thing. That is because if you eat something that you’re allergic to, then the effects that are produced due to that allergy can indeed be very painful. Now imagine if such a thing happens to your children. They would suffer a lot due to these effects of food allergies. It has been observed that children are more prone to getting food allergies than adults. That is why it is important to keep your children away from foods that they are allergic to. Otherwise they could have a hard time fighting the allergies.

The symptoms of food allergies are usually seen immediately after the food is consumed. So you have to be watchful about the food that your children are eating. This way you can ensure that you do not face any sort of problems in the diet of the children. If they show any signs of food allergies, then the first thing that you need to do is to get them checked by a good doctor. This will help you get a proper diagnosis and you will be able to know whether or not it is an allergy.

Once the doctor has confirmed that it is indeed an allergy, you should take the required steps to ensure that the children are kept away from such foods until they recover from their allergy. Usually, allergies vanish after the children start growing up. Only in some very rare cases, these allergies continue to remain. In such cases, you should be aware of the fact that the allergies can cause severe damage to the children’s health if the allergy is severe. That is why you need to be careful and keep away the children from such foods if they are found to be allergic to them.

As mentioned before, most allergies vanish after the children start growing up. However, in some rare cases, the allergies continue to remain well into their adulthood. In such cases, you will have to tell your children that they will have to look after their diet properly, and should not take risks with their allergies. If they are able to successfully fight off the allergies, that is well and good. However, if they are not able to get rid of the allergy, then they should definitely stay away from the foods for the rest of their lives.

Fighting off food allergies is not a hard thing. All it takes is a little persistence and a strong will. With these put together, you and your children can successfully fight food allergies and win against them. If your children’s bodies are strong enough, they will soon learn to accept the foods that they’re allergic to, and the allergy will slowly start to disappear. That will indeed be a good sign for them and they will have a good future where they won’t have to worry about what they’re eating. Until then, it is your responsibility to ensure that they are safely away from allergies.

Want to know more about fighting food allergies in children?  Then you need to visit our website to get more information.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Dog Food Allergies




It is part of the American dream to have a cute little dog be a member of your family. Unfortunately these dogs, like every other member of your family, can have various different health problems. One of the most common health problems a dog might have is a food allergy. These can behave a few different symptoms and luckily can be easy to cure dog food allergies 

Some dogs seem to have a genetic predisposition to getting allergies easier than others. It is usually the food that we feed them for their entire lives that give them the allergies. This is usually dry dog food rather than the table scraps we are accustomed to give our pets as well. 

Skin irritation is the main symptom of dog food allergy. This will lead to the dog scratching and biting at areas on their body like the upper leg, stomach, base of the tail, and around the ears. You should also remember that these dog food allergies symptoms can also be caused by a seasonal allergy, but will often not be as bad. Other common symptoms are ear infections, hair loss, and hot spots. Ear infections will be easy to spot. Their ears will be filthy all of the time and a smell like vinegar will always emanate out of them.

Your vet can perform expensive tests to figure out exactly what your dog is allergy to or he may suggest that you try some things on your own. One of the most common methods, if seasonal allergies are already ruled out, to figure out exactly what the dog is allergic to is to put them on an elimination diet. This would be giving them foods they have never tried before till the symptoms subside and then adding back in other foods until the symptoms come back. At which point you will know what caused the dog food allergies.