The most common dog allergy is itching of skin. Their respiratory tract can also be affected causing them to wheeze, sneeze, and/or cough. You may even notice a discharge from their eyes and nose. In some cases, digestive system can be affected which will cause them to vomit or have diarrhea.

In United States around 20 percent of dogs suffer from some type of allergy. Some of allergies might be allergic to fleas, atopic dermatitis, allergies to food, allergies to some thing in air, allergies to some thing they come in contact with or a bacterial allergy.

Atopic Dermatitis

This canine allergy is caused by dog’s immune system hypersensitivity to common substance around them, such as dust mites or mold. Atopic Dermatitis is an allergic skin disease that usually appears within first two years of a dog’s life.

Watch your dog for grooming excessively, by licking or chewing his back legs, paws, and abdomen, these are signs that he may suffer from atopic dermatitis. Another way to check is to see if his ears are reddened and hot to touch.

There are signs that are not as noticeable like in armpits, groin, and between toes of his paws. Saliva staining is another sign of atopic dermatitis. It appears as a reddish brown stain. If case becomes severe, skin may change color, especially abdomen, from a pink to a dark red to a very dark black.

It can be difficult to diagnose because flea allergy, food allergy and parasitic infections have some of same signs. After you have ruled out three above allergies from you list you may then need to have your dogs skin tested for allergies such as dust mites, pollens, and mold. After your vet has determined cause of atopic dermatitis he can recommend treatment. Flea Allergy

Do dogs get depressed?

Of course, dogs get depressed. They go through bouts of depression and you will notice your dog moping about and not wanting to play, only drinking small amounts of water, and you may even notice them losing a lot of weight. You want your dog’s mental health to be good, but how can you tell what is causing this depression?

After you have ruled out a physical aliment by taking your dog to vet; now you can look around and see what may be causing this change in your dog’s attitude and help get your dog’s mental health back on track.

Grief can cause depression in dogs just as it can in human race. Has your dog lost a playmate recently? Maybe a dog down street has moved away. Or maybe child in your family has gone off to college. Your dog longs for that companionship and now it is gone. If you have moved or have left your dog in care of others while you were on vacation this can also be root of your dog’s depression. Start helping your dog enjoy life again. Give him extra attention and love. If he has lost his doggy playmate, take him to park or to doggie daycare so he can play with other dogs and maybe make a new friend that will help him over this depression. This may just pull him out of his depression.