Allergy induced asthma can be a mild or a very serious health concern for your dog. This form of asthma comes about as a result of allergies that your pet has, although the offending allergen may be of a variety of different types. For instance, your pet may develop allergy induced asthma if he has an allergy to an ingredient in the food that he eats, a particle in the air, or a chemical substance in or around your home. Thus, the process of treating allergy induced asthma in dogs can be a difficult one, owing to the fact that it's oftentimes hard to trace the source of the problem.
Symptoms of Allergy Induced Asthma
Allergy induced asthma tends to have some distinctive symptoms. However, it is also possible that your pet will display symptoms that appear to be similar to many other types of respiratory conditions as well. Therefore, you should take note of all of the different symptoms that your pet displays and be sure to provide the vet with a complete list of them when you take your pet in for an examination. The following are the most common symptoms of allergy induced asthma in dogs:
- Wheezing
- Coughing
- Difficulty breathing
- Tires easily when walking, running or playing
- Excessive panting
- Loss of appetite and eventual weight loss
- Anxiety
Diagnosing Allergy Induced Asthma
The first things that your vet will do when you take your pet in for an examination of the symptoms above is to analyze him physically. He'll look for signs of other, potentially very serious conditions. When he has ruled those out, he'll continue with a set of x-rays of your dog's chest. These tests help to determine whether there may be some physical obstruction of your dog's airways which is causing him difficulty breathing, or if your pet's physiology is such that breathing is difficult as well. When he has determined that it is asthma which is causing your pet difficulty breathing, he'll then order a set of allergen tests to try to determine which allergen is causing your pet this trouble.
Treating Allergy Induced Asthma
Allergy induced asthma may develop into more serious respiratory conditions or lead to other health problems if you leave it untreated. For this reason, it's crucial that you work with your vet to treat this condition promptly.
The most common form of treatment for allergy induced asthma is a set of antihistamines. These drugs help to block the allergic reaction that develops when your pet comes into contact with the offending allergen. If you're able to determine the source of the allergy itself, you can also work to remove the allergen from your pet's environment. Dogs that are allergic to pollen or mold may need to spend more time indoors throughout portions of the year. Through these and other behavioral and lifestyle adjustments, you can help to treat your pet's asthma and lessen his symptoms without significantly altering his life.