Flea Allergies And Your Dog
If you have a dog that is driving you crazy up all night chewing and itching, then he most likely is suffering from an allergy to fleas. Sounds ridiculous but it’s more common than you think. For some dogs, this can turn into a serious problem, especially if left untreated.
This allergy can start as early as a puppy but can also manifest itself at any time in a dog’s life. Adult fleas do the biting but they cannot live for long if they are not on your cat or dog. Well, that makes me feel just a little bit better.
The adult flea makes the initial bite but when it falls off it dies. The eggs left behind will hatch and continue the process. Getting control of the infestation is critical to curing the problem.
If you want to keep your dog flea free, then you need to continue treatment. The symptoms can be painful to the dog and an annoyance to the owners. This chronic condition left untreated can lead to behavioral problems in your pet as well.
Constant itching and chewing is a sure sign of fleas on your dog. You can also search the dog to see if you notice the fleas themselves or flea dirt. Your vet might also want to test a skin scrapping for mites if no fleas are visible.
Fleas can also bite humans so if you think you might have an infestation in the house or yard, it’s best to treat those areas as well. Really it only takes a couple of bites to set your dog’s flea allergy in motion. Treating the dog without treating the home or yard can just lead to another infestation.
As you can imagine, this condition can be very painful for your dog with the chronic itching. Diagnosis and immediate treatment is critical to relieve these symptoms. Flea dips and shampoos can be used as well as a topical applied to the knap of the neck used monthly are extremely useful.
Along with the chewing and itching, your dog might start loosing hair. If your pet is suffering an allergic reaction to flea it can also have lesions all over its body. It’s horrible to watch a dog suffering so be diligent with treatment to provide you beloved pet some much needed relief.
More serious infestations might require multiple treatments before results are noticed. Continued monthly treatments will eventually take affect ridding your dog of those nasty little nuisances. And you will see a happy healthier dog for all your efforts.
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Jan 29, 2010 | | Dog Health

