dogs allergic to fleas
Dogs allergic to fleas?
My rottie was itching like crazy for a week or two and I couldn’t work out why because I had never seen her playing in any new areas and I’d never seen a flea on her.
I took her to the vet and I was told that she was allergic to fleas. Is this a common allergy for dogs?
I don’t think that there are any fleas around the house, all the other dogs were getting their treatment. She missed this month because she was sick that week and I didn’t think it was safe to give it to her along with medication.
Is there anything serious that can happen if she has allergies like this? The vet didn’t really explain much, just that she should always be up to date with flea treatment
It is actually more common than most people realize and it really irritates the dog so much they literally bite themselves in a frenzy and if not corrected they get into a bad pattern of chomping on themselves.
Is the vet positive it was fleas as in fact Yes they can leave eggs on dogs but mainly breed in dirt in your yard.Some dogs are allergic to Front line,Sentinel or other products like that so l do not have enough info to really advise you but if it truly a flea allergy just one flea bite will trigger this response.l have seen a few breeds who are highly allergic to fleas and had one in the other day a daschund who had chomped itself so badly it looked like a patchwork quilt.If all your other dogs had been treated and this dog had been continually treated except for one month lapse to me it raises a few doubts.First of all what flea prevention are you using ?l am dubious if you are so diligent and obviously you are and give all your dogs the correct prevention monthly than just one month lapse is certainly strange to say the least for one flea to emerge out of the blue and cause this as all the possible eggs etc would have been dead and gone and the cycle could not have yet started due to weather
l personally would get the vet if you have confidence in him to take a scraping to see if it may be some sort of other skin allergy that the dog may have as if you are in the States it is only April and fleas are far more common in the spring and summer.
In conclusion l have given you no real answer as am too far away but the answer to your question can dogs be allergic to fleas is YES and as for ramifications it merely means you have to be extra careful to avoid this dog getting any fleas which you have been doing all along.It is up to the vet to explain to you what you should do not say ‘Your dog should be up to date with flea medication and leave it at that that leaves you in limbo not knowing what to do.
You can do one of 2 things either dose the dog with the correct preventative you have been using and see what happens OR
2.Go to another vet who is a little more competent more understanding and is prepared to give you some logical alternatives including allergies to fleas.Has not the vet got the history of this dog and knows you have always kept up with all the treatments bar one?Am not impressed with this vet at all.
Rotties do not s a rule suffer from bad skin infections they are not a breed prone to this as some breeds are.
Good luck and if you have time let me know what it finally turns out to b e
Dogs and Cats with Flea Bite Dermatitis – Allergic to Fleas