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From the time you got your Golden Retriever, you have loved the golden hair of your dog. But you don’t love it falling all over your car, furniture, foods or clothes, right? And having to ask the veterinarian about the persistent itching and biting problem is not a very uncommon problem for Golden Retriever owners. There may be a wide variety of reasons including infection, parasitical intervention and allergies. Primarily there are four major forms of Golden Retriever allergies. These are flea allergies, atopy, food allergies and contact allergies.

Flea allergies, also referred to as skin inflammation, occurs due to an allergic reaction to flea saliva. If this happens to your dog, the first thing you will notice on his body is a small red papule, which is gradually changed into a crust. The commonly affected areas are lower back, back legs, hind legs, upper thighs and belly areas. Flea allergies is one of the most common forms of skin allergies and when you find your dog is excessively scratching and itching, you can consider this as the primary symptom of Golden Retriever allergies.

When flea allergies occur, the affected areas become hairless. In addition, the areas change color and the skin becomes thickened. As few a couple of bites or less can make a dog react if the skin is sensitive to flea biting. If you can control the flea population, then you can possibly offer effective treatment measures to your dog. Additionally, you have to control flea population in the external environment. There are few advanced methodologies and products that are beneficial in controlling flea infection.

Atopy occurs as a result of inhalation or absorption of harmful chemicals or substances from the environment. When it occurs, different areas of the dog’s body including groin, feet, underarm and face get affected. Common symptoms may include itching and scratching, redness, rawness, skin thickening and crusting. The infection may spread to ear also. Fungal spores, pollen, cat dander, weeds and grasses are the most common factors for atopy. Antihistamines, antibiotics, cortisone, shampooing and spraying are common modes of treatment.

Food allergies are another common form of Golden Retriever allergies. The symptoms are quite similar to atopy however the root cause differs significantly. Food allergies occur due to adverse reactions to specific foods like beef, dairy, wheat, soy and few poultry products.

Golden Retriever allergies of this type can only be diagnosed if you change the entire diet of the dog. You need to continue the newly designed diet for not less than eight weeks. If you find any significant symptoms, you may reach your conclusion.

Contact allergy is the least common of all Golden Retriever allergies. This is mainly because the dog has protective layer of hair all over the body. But when the dog is suffering from any other form of allergy, like a flea allergy, it loses hair from the affected region.

Paw, underarms and the belly are mostly affected by contact allergy. Different chemicals used in carpet cleaning, grasses, polishes, waxes, and pollens are the common contributors of contact allergy.

Tags: Dogs

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