Whenever spring or summer rolls around, there will be plenty of environmental allergens floating around the air. Instead of these allergens causing issues with the respiratory tract like with humans, they typically cause skin irritation in canines. This will prompt your dog to chew, scratch, and bite at his itching skin.
Some of the most common allergens that cause this reaction include pollen, grass, ragweed, and dander. Dogs can be given steroids to suppress reactions, but they will likely suffer a number of side effects. There are a few ways that you can help when it comes to seasonal allergies in dogs.
Allergens such as grass and pollen are abundant outside. Therefore, you will want to minimize the amount of time that your dog spends outside during the spring and summer. He'll still need to go out for exercise and to use the bathroom obviously though. The wind will really spread problematic allergens all around. It's especially best to keep your dog indoors on particularly windy days.
Things like pollen can stick to your dog's skin with ease. This will make issues even worse. You can help your dog dramatically by giving him a bath on a regular basis. Keeping the skin free or allergens will minimize irritation in the future. Not to mention, it will make your itchy dog feel better immediately upon getting bathed.
It is not always necessary to give your dog a full bath, especially if he frequently goes outside. A lot of allergens will be brought back into your home on the bottom of your dog's paws. So, you can simply wipe them off whenever your pet comes back in.
Try to keep your house as clean as possible since it can harbor allergens as well. The main culprit is your carpet. Vacuum on a daily basis if you can, but a few times a week will suffice at the very least. Hardwood, vinyl, and other types of flooring should also be cleaned, ideally without the use of cleaners containing harsh chemicals.
There are certain areas in your home that your canine spends most of his time. You can help minimize problems with seasonal allergies in dogs by keeping these areas especially clean, most importantly the bedding. Operating an air cleaner in your home should help out too.
If you suffer from allergy problems during the spring or fall, then you know how miserable life can be. You don't want your dog to be itching constantly during this time of the year. Using the aforementioned tips will help significantly.
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