If your pet dog suffers from a pollen allergy, treatment is one of the important considerations you'll need to keep in mind. Properly addressing his symptoms will help him to lead a better quality of life. This is also necessary to help prevent him from coughing, sneezing, choking and displaying any of the other signs of an allergic reaction to pollen.
It's not possible to medically relieve your pet of his allergy entirely; all one can do is limit a pet's exposure to the offending allergen as much as possible, and address the symptoms that he does display when they come up.
Avoiding Pollen
Pollen, produced by trees, flowering plants and other outdoor flora, is much more common outside of the home than inside. One of the best things that you can do for your pet is to monitor the pollen levels in your area. These are usually displayed online, through the newspaper or even on the news. When the pollen levels are particularly high, or even during the high seasons for pollen (late spring through late summer), it's best to avoid taking your pet outside as much as possible.
Because it's impossible to completely avoid pollen, even inside of the home, it's also a good idea to look into an air purifier system for your pet's area. This can help to clear the air of offending allergens and to make your pet's breathing easier as a result. Good air purifiers usually cost between $100 and $200 and can be found at many different home improvement stores.
Finally, you can give your pet hypoallergenic bedding materials and use hypoallergenic covers for your furniture around the home. These materials are less likely to pick up pollen particles from the air, which can oftentimes contribute to your pet's allergy as well.
Treating Symptoms of Pollen Allergies in Dogs
Some of the most common symptoms of your pet's allergy are those related to histamine production. When your pet comes into contact with the offending allergen, he responds by trying to eliminate it from his system by producing histamines. Histamines result in swelling, skin rashes, difficulty breathing and swallowing, and other symptoms of an allergic reaction. Giving your pet an anti histamine drug can help to reduce these reactions by getting rid of the histamine chemicals that bring them about in the first place. In order to receive a prescription for a veterinary anti histamine, you'll need to document your pet's symptoms and take him into the vet for a diagnosis and examination when you notice him experiencing an allergic reaction.
If your pet's allergic reaction seems to cause him to be choking or to have difficulty breathing, it's crucial that you get him to an emergency veterinary medical clinic as soon as possible. Some dogs experience very severe allergic reactions to pollen that can be potentially life threatening if not responded to promptly.