Content
- Types of dog allergies
- 1. Food Allergy
- 2. Allergy to flea bites
- 3. Allergy to environmental substances or atopy
- Types of Allergy Tests for Dogs
- elimination diet
- intradermal tests
- blood test
At allergies they occur when an animal's defensive system overreacts to certain components found in the environment or food, recognizing them as harmful to the body and fighting them. This reaction has undesirable consequences, such as inflammation or itching, for example.
Allergies in dogs are common. To solve it, it is very important to know against which substances this reaction occurs, and it is necessary to carry out certain tests. Therefore, in this article by the Animal Expert, we will review the dog allergy tests that can be performed.
Types of dog allergies
There are several substances, known as allergens, capable of producing an allergic reaction. Let's briefly review the most common types of allergies to better understand the tests that can be performed on dogs and their function:
1. Food Allergy
The number of dogs that are allergic to certain food components is more than people think. Symptoms usually include itchy skin and digestive disorders such as vomiting or less consistency in the animal's feces.
One elimination diet, with a specific food for dogs with food allergies (hypoallergenic food), can be used to find out if a dog has this type of allergy, as we will see later.
Anyway, the allergy tests are recommended to confirm the existence of the process and to know what foods the animal is allergic to.
2. Allergy to flea bites
Allergy to flea bites, also known by the acronym DAP or DAPP (allergic dermatitis to flea bites) is also a relatively common problem.
It occurs when the animal organism reacts to certain components of the saliva of these pesky parasites and its most representative symptoms are itch intense and the alopecia (baldness) on various parts of the dog's body, most commonly on the back of the animal's back.
Although the diagnosis of these processes can be made based on the symptoms presented by the animal and the response to treatment, the allergy tests are highly recommended.
The treatment is based on flea control in the dog and in the environment in which he lives and administer a product that reduces the itching until it reaches the former.
3. Allergy to environmental substances or atopy
Allergy to certain compounds found in the environment, such as pollen, is also very common, especially in certain breeds, such as the English bulldog, French bulldog or shar pei.
The symptom that represents the most is the intense itch and redness on the dog's skin. Alopecia, caused by the pet scratching, are also frequent.
In this case, the allergy tests they are even more suitable than in the previous processes and the treatment is more complex.
In general, treatment includes all measures aimed at improving skin conditions and avoiding, as much as possible, contact with these allergens. There are also pharmacological products capable of controlling the process and combating itching, but their effectiveness varies greatly.
Corticosteroids are effective, however, very careful dosing must be followed and they cannot be given for a long period of time, as cortisone has important side effects.
Types of Allergy Tests for Dogs
Before testing, the case must be examined by a vet, ruling out other processes that may result in digestive symptoms (such as gastroenteritis), or itching and alopecia (such as bacterial skin infections or certain scabies).
Once that's done, it's good to know that there are various types of allergy tests that can be performed on animals suspected of having allergies, the most common are:
- elimination diet
- intradermal tests
- blood test
We will review these dog allergy tests and their advantages and disadvantages below.
elimination diet
As already said, a elimination diet it is a reliable method of knowing if a dog has a food allergy.
However, most dogs with this problem are not allergic to just one food, but several! In addition, commercial pet food usually includes a wide variety of components, making this method virtually impossible to determine which specific foods the dog has allergies, which is its main disadvantage.
In any case, its main advantage is that it is a simple test and can be used to find out if the dog has a food allergy or not (although it is not known which food), which allows discarding the process and starting a treatment.
This is achieved only by feeding the animal with a hypoallergenic feed.
In these rations, food proteins are hydrolyzed, that is, "cut" into smaller fragments, unable to cause a allergic reaction in dogs. Therefore, if we only supply this type of feed as the only food and the symptoms disappear, we are facing a food allergy.
O treatment it is very simple and consists, of course, in feeding the animal throughout its life with this type of food, exclusively. Another drawback of this treatment is the relatively high price of this feed.
intradermal tests
Intradermal tests have traditionally been used on animals and people and are based on injectvarious substances capable of causing allergy under the skin and watch the reaction the animal's body (basically redness and swelling).
Needless to say, this should be done by a veterinarian.
your main advantage is to be a very reliable method and as a disadvantage, discomfort, as it is usually necessary to sedate the dog and perform several injections under the skin (something not very pleasant for the animal).
Also, the number of substances that can be studied is very limited (if you later want to investigate other allergens, you will have to repeat the test), and not useful against food allergies.
blood test
In that test to detect allergy, the veterinarian will collect the animal's blood and send it to a laboratory, where it will detect the antibodies against certain allergens to know which the dog is allergic to.
The only downside is that they are not 100% reliable (The former were also unreliable and depended on the subjective assessment of the veterinarian who performed them). In any case, its reliability is increasing, especially if the blood is sent to a reliable laboratory specialized in allergies.
These tests have the advantage of being more comfortable and less painful for the dog (a simple blood draw is enough) and allow studying more allergens than the previous ones, including those capable of causing food allergies.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.