When you’re walking your dog, you may notice a few itchy spots on the dog’s backside or legs- possibly accompanied by reddish bumps and skin irritations. What seems like an itch is actually a very common condition called flea allergy dermatitis. This condition occurs when your dog is sensitive to local environments where the fleas are present. Fleas on dogs can spread rapidly through the environment invading your home and the surrounding areas where your dog frequently walks. Having fleas in the environment can cause skin allergies in dogs as well as other immune-mediated problems. In this article I will focus on identifying symptoms of dog flea allergy dermatitis and offer some suggestions for natural remedies that you can use at home to soothe the symptoms of flea allergy dermatitis, prevent fleas next season & even treat pet allergies all together! Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common skin problem of dogs, and the allergens can come from one flea bite or a thousand. Any dog that is allergic to fleas can have this condition, so it is important to treat an infestation immediately. Most of the time, eliminating live fleas in the environment is all it takes to relieve an animal’s itchiness caused by this type of allergy. This is because most dogs develop their hypersensitivity to fleas after their bodies have reacted to previous bites.
Allergic Reaction To Fleas On Dogs
Fleas are the tiny bloodsucking parasites which can cause serious irritation to the dog’s skin.
Fleas are the tiny bloodsucking parasites which can cause serious irritation to the dog’s skin. The fleas are ectoparasites. You might have heard about scabies, ticks and lice; these are all ectoparasites. These parasites live on the skin surface of a host animal to feed on their blood and body fluids.
The most common type of allergic reaction caused by flea bites is what we know as flea allergy dermatitis (FAD). A majority of dogs that suffer from FAD are hypersensitive to flea saliva, so it is bites by just one or two fleas that can set off an allergic reaction in dogs. In some cases, it may even take more than a hundred fleabites for setting off an allergic reaction among some other dogs!
When a few flea bites occur, they do not cause any adverse reaction on the host animal’s skin surface. However, when the number of bites increases then, the immune system of your dog will start responding against them (even if the level of response among different dog breeds may vary).
The flea saliva is considered as the major cause for allergic reaction among dogs.
The flea saliva is considered as the major cause for allergic reaction among dogs. Flea saliva contains many proteins which can cause an allergic reaction in dog’s body. When the flea bites a dog, some amount of saliva enters into the skin and causes allergy in the dog’s body. This allergy leads to intense itching and scratching behavior in dogs. The most common symptoms of allergies are rashes, loss of hair and red patches on dog’s skin. While treatment for flea bites would be required for relief from such painful allergies, it is still important that you find out if your dog truly is allergic to fleas or not
Symptoms of Allergic Reaction In Dogs
Your dog may experience the following symptoms:
- itchiness
- redness
- hot spots, sores, scabs and bumps on their skin
- hair loss (alopecia) or lesions on their skin
- skin infections or inflammation (dermatitis)
- excessive scratching, rubbing and paw chewing. The dog may lick his/her fur excessively, especially around the paws in an attempt to get some relief from the irritation caused by flea bites. The ears can be affected as well and ear infections can occur.
If a dog has a flea allergy, the response produced by canine immune system will be more severe and proportional to the number of bites.
Dogs with flea allergy will have a more severe allergic reaction, depending on the number of bites. Their immune system responds to flea saliva by producing an inflammatory response that eventually results in itching and scratching. Fleas are most active during warmer seasons, but the health of your dog can be affected year-round. A dog’s immune system overreacts to the saliva left behind after a flea bite. This is why it is important to find fleas as early as possible.
Allergic reaction further leads to the formation of sores, scabs and bumps on your pet’s skin.
Allergic reaction further leads to the formation of sores, scabs and bumps on your pet’s skin.
The most common areas where you may notice these are on your dog’s head, face and neck. They can be anywhere from a half-inch to two inches wide and they vary in color from red to brown. Sometimes they are crusty or flaky but if you have had an allergic reaction before you can easily recognize them by their appearance. You will also notice that the hair around the affected area is missing or thinning out, which is another sign that something is wrong. You may also see itching along with this and it may even smell differently than normal as well.
Dogs with chronic skin conditions can be affected by flea allergy dermatitis.
Knowing how serious flea allergy dermatitis can be, you must know that this is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Typically, the problem sets in where your dog has a chronic skin condition or when it gets bitten by the flea. The condition is usually exacerbated by a secondary bacterial infection, whereby it will cause significant itching and hair loss.
In a layman’s language, it means that your dog’s skin has an allergic reaction to flea saliva during the bite! That said, if your dog is affected by this condition, then you’ll likely see excessive scratching on their hindquarters and paws. Other symptoms include reddened skin areas, bumps forming on the skin surface and hair loss.
Flea allergy dermatitis is considered as one of the most common causes of itchiness and self-trauma among pets.
The fleas are not only annoying, but also very painful and itchy for your dog. The condition is known as flea allergy dermatitis, which basically means an allergic reaction to flea saliva. This type of allergy has become one of the most common causes of itchiness and self-trauma among pets. If a dog is allergic to fleas, they are typically so itchy that they can’t stop scratching themselves no matter what you do to calm them down. Fleas feed on blood in order to lay eggs, and the saliva that they use to get through a pet’s skin can cause sores, scabs and bumps on your pet’s skin. A lot of the time, when people think their dog has some sort of bug bite or infection caused by bacteria or fungus, it is actually just untreated flea allergy dermatitis.
It is important to know that dogs don’t need a lot of exposure to the biting insects in order for symptoms like excessive itching and scratching to develop—one single bite from a flea can be enough for an allergic reaction in certain animals! Because this condition tends to affect dogs more than any other kind of animal (cats included), we’re going to focus on how allergies work for our canine friends instead of other types of pets like cats or birds here today.