Friday, August 19, 2011

Dog Flea Dermatitis

Dog flea dermatitis, commonly known as flea allergy, is the most often found kind of allergy observed in canines and is brought on by the bite of a flea. It is the primary cause of itchiness in dogs, and it just takes the bite of one lone flea to stimulate an allergy on the dog's skin. Flea dermatitis can cause itchiness in your dog for anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days and can take as long as three to seven days to show up after the initial bite of a flea.

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What Are The Causes of Dog Flea Dermatitis?

Fleas can only be noticed on an animal when they feed. Analogous to mosquitoes, fleas will bite the canine and take in blood for nutrition. While they do this, they inject a wee measure of saliva into the dog's skin that could contain as many as fifteen individual allergy causing substances. If the canine is sensitive to any of the allergens that are injected by the flea, it will cause an allergic response which causes the animal scratching. Nearly half of all canines will have to tolerate dog flea dermatitis, and though it's more frequently found in grown dogs, pups could also develop flea allergies.

Diagnosing Dog Flea Dermatitis and Recognition of Its Warning Signs

Dog owners typically don't realize that their beloved dog has fleas because of their relatively tiny size and because of how challenging they can be to eradicate. What makes the task of diagnosing dog flea dermatitis much more arduous is the fact that it just takes a single flea to bring on a flea allergy and warning signs may not be detectable for nearly one week after the bite from the flea occurred. It does not take an infestation to bring about a dog flea allergy. The warning signs of allergies generally include uncontrollable scratching and itching or biting of the fur and skin, inflaming of the skin, skin rashes, and reddening of the skin. As a consequence of the endless scratching and itching, loss of fur all over the dog's body, primarily near the region commencing in the halfway point along the spine to the beginning of their tail and also in their hind legs region, can also be a pretty sound indicator of dog flea dermatitis. A vet can also detect flea allergies in your pet using advanced blood and skin screens to detect particular allergens and to eliminate other possibilities such as bacterial, fungal and yeast infections.

Flea Treatment Should Begin With a Good Flea Eradication Program

The first step of a projected kind of flea treatment calls for exterminating fleas both on your dog as well as in your pet's local environment. Even with a flawless flea control plan in place, it is not unusual for canine's to still experience an occasional flea bite. Pets that are frequently outside may present an even tougher challenge.

Conventional Remedies and Desensitization as Dog Flea Dermatitis Treatments

A vet might oftentimes try using desensitization as a type of dog flea dermatitis treatment. This calls for giving the animal a shot with small traces of flea antigen over a certain time period, potentially for the rest of the animal's lifetime. This type of treatment has been shown to be successful in close to 50% of the cases, but could possibly get very costly over the long term. Antihistamines and conventional treatments, such as corticosteroids, are also normally prescribed by the veterinarian to remedy flea dermatitis in dogs. These treatments can often grant relief for flea allergies; with that said, it has been verified that there are negative side effects linked with taking steroids. In the long run, this type of treatment can be more harmful than beneficial.

Natural Treatments for Dog Flea Dermatitis

Attributable to the side effects connected to the use of steroids, an increasing number of dog owners are now trying natural treatments for dog flea dermatitis. There are many all natural ingredients utilized in these herbal formulas that are both effective and safe for your pet. German Chamomile has been utilized to cleanse and soothe the skin for many centuries. Other herbs have also been found to facilitate better overall skin health and provide soothing and restoration benefits to the skin, and include Cleavers, Witchhazel and Marigold.

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