Flea Allergy Diagnosis

In one of my previous articles, I was talking about dog allergy. I’ve been asked by a reader how can a flea allergy be diagnosed in dogs?

First of all, let me tell you that allergic or not, no dog should have fleas as a general rule. Of course, from time to time, your dog will have the occasion to get fleas from outside, from the park, from grass, but the dog owner, if he is responsible enough, and if he cares for his pet, would give the dog anti-flea treatments.

Flea Allergy Symptoms

The main symptom which can lead you to suspect your dog has a flea allergy is scratching. By this, I don’t mean the regular scratching which all dogs do, but almost continuous scratching, with high intensity.
If you notice that at your dog, closely examine his fur, carefully look between the hairs, to see the skin. Many times, you’ll see the flea running fast and hiding behind other hairs, thus making it almost impossible to catch it. Other times, you’ll see nothing moving. However, if the dog’s fur has signs of black dirt, small spots of dark color, then you may suspect he got some naughty fleas.
If the dog has a strong flea allergy, you’ll be able to observe skin irritations, and even the fur falling down in unusually big amounts.

Getting your dog diagnosed for flea allergy

If you notice any of the above mentioned symptoms, get your dog to the vet. He’ll be able to diagnose a flea allergy on the spot, and anyway, think that your dog shouldn’t have fleas at all, under no circumstances, so use anti-flea products to prevent that.
Your vet will tell you if you need to let your dog be taken a blood sample to get him tested for flea allergy.

Related posts:

1. Flea Allergy in Dogs and CatsThe Flea Allergy in Dogs and Cats Although so tiny and apparently harmless, fleas are dangerous because they multiply fast and once they got on the fur of the pet, they would not leave it by their own will. Consequently the flea allergy will last for a long time, causing troubles to both the dog or the cat and the owner. Flea Allergy Symptoms There are symptoms that will tell the pet owner that the dog or cat is developing a flea allergy. Some symptoms displayed by dogs in case of a dog allergy are slightly different to those showed by cats. Nevertheless, there are a few common symptoms which can lead you to suspect your dog or cat of a flea allergy: continuous itching, loss of hair, or occurrence of sores. Many times, pets affected by flea allergy will show depression signs where there are no reason for this ailment to appear. Several specific symptoms in case of dog allergy are: · Massive loss of hair: loss of hair is not uncommon in dogs during spring and fall, but when it is not uniform, and when you see big zones deprived of almost all hairs, that's an alarm signal...

Categories: Pets Allergy