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Allergies are getting more and more widespread with people and dogs, especially food and scent allergies. What are some signs your dog might be allergic to something?

Common dog allergy symptoms can include: Itchy, red, moist or scabbed skin Incessant scratching Infected ears Itchy, watery eyes Itchy back or base of tail (most often this is a flea allergy) Itchy ears and ear infections Sneezing Throwing up Diarrhea Snoring from an inflamed throat Paw chewing/licking/swollen paws Rubbing his face Non stop licking

The most destructive of these is scratching, since your pet can sometimes even scratch herself raw, which can potentially lead to secondary infections, excessive shedding, and hair loss.

What Could Your Dog Be Allergic To? Tree, grass and weed pollen Cleaning supplies Prescription drugs Dust mites Mold spores Dander Feathers Rubber and plastic products Cigarette smoke Food products Fleas and flea-control products Perfumes Fabrics Shampoo products

How to Tell What Your Dog is Allergic to Are your dogs allergies seasonal or do the allergies for your dog seem to happen all year round? If the symptoms are all year round, one method you can try is to switch out your dog’s food. The most noticeable symptoms for dog food allergies are licking, scratching, and different types of skin problems.

Have you recently made a change in your dogs routine since the allergy problems started? You may need to sort through the above allergy list one by one and possibly make changes until you have narrowed down the reason.

Remember, even though your dog could have the above issues, he may not have allergies. He may be suffering from any number of other medical conditions, such as fleas, worms, or hormonal disorders. Check with your veterinarian to be safe.

Is your dog having issues with dog allergies? Is your dog showing symptoms of an allergy problem?

Has your dog been acting as if he has an object in his ear that is driving him crazy? Is he using cotton swabs quite often, like he is attempting desperately to eliminate wax buildup? Is he holding his noggin on its side, shaking it like he just hopped out of the swimming pool? Your dog could have an ear infection.

Your Dog’s Ear Infection Issues

* Your dog is scratching or rubbing at his ears * Tilting his head to its side, or down, shaking his ears. * Ear discharge or crustiness. * Dog’s ears look bloody, waxy, bright red inside or swollen. * Your dog may yelp or be very sensitive when his ears are rubbed against.

If your dog’s potential ear infection goes untreated it can get deeper into the ear. This causes your dog’s pain to increase sharply. Below are even more dog symptoms if the infection progresses:

* The dog may hold his head as still as possible, and to its side. * Opening his mouth or touching his head will cause pain in your dog. * Dizziness. Dogs can get dizzy, with poor balance and coordination, when the infection travels to the inner ear. * Dog may walk around in a circle. * Vomiting.

Potential Causes of Dog Ear Infections

* Wet ears not dried after swimming or bathing. * Ear canal growths. * Ear wax building up. * Removing hair from ears during grooming. * Ear mites going untreated * Using cotton swabs to clean ears (can force things further into the ear canal) * Allergies from grasses or ear medications.

Take the time to check your dogs ears on a regular basis. If you decide you’re going to clean your dogs ears yourself, please be extremely careful so as to not create worse problems. Finding an ear infection early on can prevent your dog a lot of pain. Your vet can give you the best medication to relieve your dog’s infection.

Are you experiencing dog issues at home? Could you help prevent some of these issues for dogs?