If you suspect your canine kid is suffering from some kind of allergy, it could very well be the case. This is something many new dog owners may not be aware of. In fact, not all breeds are susceptible to the same allergens so it pays to take a bit of time to look for your breed and the most common allergens that may cause them to have a reaction.
Sometimes allergens cause external symptoms like rashes, itching and repeated licking of the same spot over and over. Other allergens cause issues such as vomiting, diarrhea, and even respiratory issues similar to what some humans experience. With that said, although all breeds don’t typically suffer the same symptoms from the same allergens, there is a group of common allergens to look for when narrowing down what may be causing the issue.
Dogs with the Greatest Disposition to Allergies
Following you will find a list of breeds known to have the greatest disposition to allergies. It is by no way conclusive, but it may help if you are looking for a dog and would like to find one not as prone to allergies as those within the ‘most common breed’ group. Even so, that doesn’t mean that other breeds won’t suffer allergies; it just means they are ‘not as likely to.’ Also, many of the allergies the following breeds suffer from are foodborne allergies so this might start you thinking about searching for the best dog food for allergies. On the linked Native Pet website, you will find a significant amount of information on how to choose the best dog foods with limited ingredients. This is extremely helpful if you find you have a breed that is among those most predisposed to food allergens and their information can help you in your quest.
Many vets, in fact, start by narrowing down food allergies before looking at environmental issues. We’ll get to that in a bit. For now, these are the breeds with the greatest disposition to allergies:
- Standard Poodle
- Pug
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Maltese
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- English Setter
- Doberman Pincher
- Cocker Spaniel
- Chinese Shar-Pei
- Bull Terrier
- Boxer
- Boston Terrier
- Bichon Frise
- American and English Bulldogs
By looking at the above list, you can see that terriers seem to be among those most likely to suffer from allergens. Both Golden and Labrador Retrievers made the list and then bulldog breeds are in the running as well, no pun intended!
If you have one of those breeds and suspect they may be suffering from some kind of allergy, at least you’ll have a place to start. On the flip side, if you are looking for a dog and aren’t comfortable with choosing a breed you don’t want to suffer from allergies, maybe a breed not represented here would be a better choice. Nonetheless, as stated above, just because a breed didn’t make the “A List” doesn’t mean they can’t suffer allergies as well. Next, let’s look at some of the most common allergens dogs suffer from.
Most Common Allergens in Dogs
Before looking at the most common allergens in dogs, many of which are food-related, sending you on a quest for the best dog food for allergies, there is something of interest you should know. One internationally renowned dog expert who specializes in a holistic approach to pet care, Susan Wynn, writes that a dog’s environment may, indeed play a role in the expression of allergies. However, what triggered the genetic predisposition to allergies? Susan contends that a current body of research believes that the predisposition to allergies may be directly related to the first few weeks/months of a pup’s life.
With this knowledge, it makes perfectly good sense how food allergens can be among the most common. She says that pups who are given a strong course in antibiotics, for example, may suffer because that immune response was triggered in the intestines early on in life. What many people don’t realize is that the intestines are the largest immune organ in the body and antibiotics that alter the gut’s environment begin the initial immune response. While a course of antibiotics may not be what triggered an early predisposition to allergies, it could be something else introduced to the intestines that activated that predisposition in the breed.
In the list of common allergens in dogs, you will probably see similarities to those that cause immune reactions in humans. The list includes:
Food Allergens
- Chicken
- Beef
- Pork
- Eggs
- Corn
- Soy
- Wheat
- Dairy
- Chemical additives
Environmental Allergens
- Weeds
- Grass
- Bushes
- Trees
- Dander
- Mold spores
- Fleas
- Dust mites
- Feathers
- Cigarette smoke
- Perfumes
- Cleaning products
Do you see a strong relationship to the kinds of allergens that trigger an immune response in humans? However, there is one other category that should be mentioned and that would be medications. Just like humans suffer from allergies from certain medications, so too can our fur babies. This would include oral, shots and topical medications but the good news is that you probably needn’t worry about shots, IM or IV, because those are administered at your veterinary clinic, so there are instant remedies for an allergic reaction triggered there. In other words, is there a doctor in the house? There is, so not to worry!
Where Does This Leave Us?
Although you may suspect that your dog is suffering from an allergic response to one of the most common allergens in dogs, this may not be the case at all. Again, as in humans, what you perceive to be an allergy may be a sign of some other systemic issue. If it seems to cause an extreme amount of discomfort, it is best to seek veterinary advice as early as possible. Some illnesses and diseases can be cured if treated in the initial stages, so don’t automatically assume it’s an allergy.
If a vet determines it is a food related allergy, it may begin the process of elimination. Simply take one of those ingredients away for a period of time, typically two to four weeks to see if the symptoms subside. Once you have found the ingredients that tend to cause an immune response, it’s a matter of finding the dog food formulated without the allergens causing your dog issues. Corn and wheat happen to be among the worst offenders, so start by eliminating them. After that, you should begin seeing results.
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