Skin Allergies

What causes skin allergies?

Dogs and cats can be allergic to plants, pollens, shampoos, cleaning products, medications, foods, and more

Sometimes it's easy to find out what causes their allergic reaction, but sometimes we never really know.

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What does an allergic reaction look like?

The skin may look red or have a rash. Sometimes small lumps or hives can appear, or areas of their body might seem swollen. They might be itchy, and they might develop sores on their skin.

Some allergic reactions will make them vomit or have diarrhoea. ​ 

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How do you treat skin allergies?

Medications (such as steroids or antihistamines) can stop them itching and scratching, help them feel comfortable and treat the rash. Sometimes antibiotics are needed if they have sores that are infected. 

 

Can I stop them or prevent them from having an allergic reaction?

If you can identify what causes  their allergy, you might be able to prevent it from happening. If they allergic to certain foods then avoiding feeding those things will prevent their allergic reaction. But sometimes we can't identify what caused it, or it's hard to avoid (like pollen).

 

Will a grain-free diet help my dog's allergies?

Grain-free diets won't always help as grain allergies are very rare. Most food allergies are to beef and chicken, and other protein types.

There is also some risk of grain-free diets causing heart problems in dogs.   ​

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Think your dog or cat has skin allergies or had an allergic reaction?

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