Hard Work, Huge Rewards
"I just set eyes on Gracie and I knew." That’s how Mary Ellen Grimaldi describes first seeing the approximately two-year-old Beagle-Shepherd mix at the New York state animal shelter. Not surprisingly, her first impressions held true. “She has been an absolutely wonderful dog,” says Grimaldi. Wonderful, but allergic. Gracie, a mid-size dog with a smooth, short coat, soon began showing signs of allergies. “She was licking her feet constantly, rubbing her face, rolling, generally itchy,” says Grimaldi. “And I didn’t know that licking feet was the typical manifestation of allergies.”
When It Comes to Allergy Tests, Some Dogs Flunk
There are a few different types of tests available that purport to identify the allergens to which a dog is hypersensitive; some of them are helpful, and some are a waste of time and money. Since all of them are commonly referred to as allergy tests
A Canine Allergy Glossary
An Allergen is defined as a substance that causes an allergic reaction. Anything can be an allergen to a hypersensitive individual, even water. The term has meaning only in relation to an individual who is hypersensitive to that substance.
Dog Food Elimination Trials Are Worth The Effort
Allergies can literally cause a dog to tear his hair out, setting acute moist dermatitis (hot spots") into motion and triggering fits of paw-licking and head-shaking (caused by allergy-induced ear inflammation and infection). When this happens
Heartworm Prevention for Dogs with Food Allergies
Did you know that there are unflavored monthly heartworm preventative chews?
Why Do Dogs Smell Like Fritos?
If your dog’s feet have a slight eau de corn chip, don’t worry. This smell is just from the normal bacteria that end up on dog feet throughout daily life.
Dog Mange Mites on Humans
You can get sarcoptic mange from your dog. but the canine variant of the sarcoptic mange mite can’t fully reproduce in people, so symptoms will fade in 4 or 5 days.