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Dog Health
DBT highly recommends the The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health! ebook when learning to look after your dog or pet.
Dog Flea Allergy 1. Dog may be very itchy in the lower back region. 2. Small cuts and scratches on the lower back next to the tail from repeated scratching. 3. fleas visible on the lower back. 4. Dog gets pleasure from you rubbing and scratching the lower back due to it being constantly itchy.
What Causes Dog Flea Allergy?
In most cases dogs will have fleas at some point in their lives and often once every year at certain seasons, but the difference between the condition in question and normal flea bites is that flea bites may take several fleas to upset the dog and a quick itch and the annoyance will have gone for the dog when the flea falls off or stops biting, but in the case of a flea allergy it will only take one bite and even if the flea is removed straight away the dog may well still continue to suffer itching, irritating, or any number of other skin problems for hours or days after. This allergic reaction can be extremely hard to combat and often the only way to do this is to stop the underlying problem of fleas. This can also be a problem because fleas become used to different treatments which causes them not to work and advice from your vet about which treatment works becomes essential. Often any treatment will not be able to prevent all fleas from biting your dog at some point or another, in this case the only option is to use treatment to try and sooth the itching and aggravation before it worsens and becomes infected.
What Your Vet May Say or Do
In the case of a dog allergy the vet will inspect and ask for occurrences of the symptoms noted above and will check for signs of dog fleas in the dog’s fur. If fleas are not found then other allergy conditions as noted below will be looked for and treated accordingly. If on the other hand fleas are found to be present and the apparent primary cause for the allergy then the vet will probably give a list of ways to combat the flea problem in your home and which treatments are currently working well in your area. If these fail to work then treatment will be given to combat the inflammation and itchiness to make it more bearable (symptomatic treatment). These treatments may include cortisone in tablets, and a less common gel or cream. This is the only available treatment for dog allergies to date as normal antihistamines rarely work on dogs as well as they do on humans. There has been some worry about cortisone in dogs in the past due to the side effects that may occur, these however are very rare if the drug is used properly, and in the rare event that they do occur then stopping the treatment will solve the problem. Treatment with cortisone will only last three days or less in most cases and acts as a ‘top-up’ to the bodies natural cortisone levels. Usually given in the mornings only, this is when the natural cortisone levels are highest and doses should be given at the lowest amount possible while still having an effect for the dog in question. If the treatment needs to go on longer than three days then the vet may suggest lowering the dog off the medication gradually. If still the treatment of cortisone is chosen to be avoided or if other methods are needed then there are natural or homoeopathic treatments such as evening primrose oils in tablet or shampoo, or homoeopathic sulphur in tablets or powder form. The response to these methods may be varied and evening primrose oil products may be expensive but homoeopathic sulphur will normally be suggested to be tried for six weeks to see if it has an effect as it cannot cause any harm and is not overly expensive. As always the vet should be contacted if abnormal behavior occurs for advice and guidance.
Other Possible Conditions
Dog Itching and Scratching
Dog Bacterial Skin Infections
Dog Allergies – Itchy Ears
Dog Allergies – Itchy Feet and Itchy Bottom
Dog Fleas Information
Dog Food Allergies – Skin Allergies
Dog Hot Spots
Dog Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid glands)
Dog Skin Mites
Dog Fungal Skin Infections
Dog Yeast Infection 
