Canine skin allergies & atopic dermatitis in dogs are amongst the most common chronic diseases in dogs. And a dog’s skin is their largest organ too. It comprises approximately 15% of an adult dog’s body weight. Hence a dog’s skin health is considered a reflection of their overall health. However, caring for your dog with skin allergies is very daunting. Finding the right balance of food & grooming takes time, patience and a lot of discipline. Canine atopy does not have a 100% recovery treatment. And if left unattended, the symptoms get worse with time.
Refer these links for canine skin allergies & canine atopy for a more detailed medical understanding from a veterinarian’s point of view.
Common signs of allergy on dogs:
- Constantly itching their neck, armpit, behind the ear, the snout.
- Gnawing at their paws and legs & biting into the skin, especially on the rump.
- Redness & skin inflammation around armpits, paws, belly.
While there are no 100% recovery treatment for dogs with skin allergies, we’ll cover a few food & care that ensure a reduction in the symptoms.
Diet for dogs with skin allergies have been extensively covered in our earlier blogs. Do refer to why a low carbohydrate diet is beneficial to canine skin allergies. And strengthening gut health is key for atopic dermatitis in dogs. Maintaining the diet through the year, is beneficial for canine skin allergies.
Grooming for environmental allergies in dogs
While your puppers gut health gets strengthened with the food care, do note their daily, weekly & monthly grooming especially during seasonal changes is going to need work.
In the initial days of changing their diet, the number of times you’ll need these grooming tips will be more. However, it would reduce over time. Grooming maintenance will be required during seasonal allergies in dogs.
What is most important is, to make their grooming routine as simple and doable for you too, to maintain consistency.
Regular home grooming for seasonal allergies in dogs will include:
Daily Routine
- Wiping their paws with dry cloth after walks
- Spraying chamomile tea after walks. Especially on areas where your dog has itchy skin. Massage the tea in with your hands or simply brush after spray.
- You can spray chamomile tea on your dog 2-3 times a day.
- Apply aloe vera gel on red, patchy areas to provide comfort & faster healing.
- Aloe vera gel can be applied twice a day.
Weekly Routine
Wiping your dog down with damp cloth. After which a generous spray of chamomile, focusing on areas your dog has itchy skin. And gently brush or massage the solution in to their coat & brush.
Using chamomile tea topically on dogs also keeps them fresher between baths.
Monthly Routine
Bathing your dog more than once a month is not recommended. For sensitive skin, it is best to bath your dog with a medicated shampoo recommended by your veterinary team.
Overall Changes
Consider switching to natural cleaning products in your home. From floor cleaners to dish wash to laundry detergent will require replacement. We love the cleaning products from Forest Lab here in India. Because they use soap nut/ reetha as the base for their products along with fermented pineapple skin.
The food & care for dogs with sensitive skin has been shared with you after nearly 4 years of caring for a dog with sensitive skin & tummy. We hope it helps you with your pooch. For basic grooming for dogs, click link. And don’t forget to share what you do on comments!