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Section: Overview
Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy in dogs and is caused by flea bites, specifically the saliva of the flea. It is a very itchy disease and predisposes to the development of secondary skin infections. Oddly enough, most animals with flea allergy have very few fleas – because they are so itchy, they groom themselves excessively, eliminating any evidence of fleas. However, a couple of flea bites every two weeks are sufficient to make a flea allergic dog itchy all the time. Any animal can become allergic to fleas, although some dogs are more attractive to fleas than others. Fleas are bloodsucking insects with a life span of 6 to 12 months. This life span is influenced by environmental conditions and can vary from two to three weeks up to a year. Optimal conditions include humidity of 75 to 85 percent and temperature of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity is more important than the temperature.
Most pets develop allergies to food ingredients that they have been fed for a long time, usually more than two years. In fact, if your dog has an immediate adverse reaction to a new food, it is probably...
The flea is a common problem for dogs as well as their owners. As if flea bites aren’t bad enough, some pets are “flea allergic” and develop severe itching and scratching with even trivial infestations...
A hot spot starts because something irritates the skin, and the body either itches or becomes inflamed. The itching then causes the dog to lick or chew the area, which further damages the skin, creating...
Pyoderma is a bacterial infection of the skin. Pyoderma can be divided into surface pyodermas (infection on the skin surface), superficial pyoderma (infection within the skin) or deep pyoderma (infection...
The flea is a small, wingless insect that uses specialized mouth parts to pierce the skin and siphon blood. It may be small but it's big on driving you nuts. Here's how to curtail this blood-sucking, irritating...
How pruritus affects your dog’s health depends on the degree of the pruritus. Severe pruritus leads to intense scratching, which may result in painful skin lesions that may become infected.
Alopecia is the complete or partial lack of hair in any area of the skin where hair would normally be found. In dogs, it may be caused by self-trauma, hair follicle diseases or the failure of hair to grow...
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