Once you recognize the common allergy symptoms in dogs in your own pet, you can be fairly sure that your dog is suffering from a negative reaction to something. The difficult part at that point oftentimes becomes determining exactly what it is that he's allergic to. Most dogs are not allergic or are so mildly allergic to potential offending allergens that their owners never know. However, if your pet suffers from a more severe type of allergy, you'll need to work with a vet in order to determine what is causing his reaction and, more importantly, how to prevent and eliminate any future occurrences that might come about.
Excessive Itching
One of the biggest things that you're likely to see when your pet is suffering from an allergy which affects his skin is excessive itching and rubbing. Your pet will feel uncomfortable in any part of his body that is suffering from a reaction, and his natural instinct will be to try to remove what he thinks is an object that is on his skin. This may involve rubbing up against furniture, walls or doors, lying on his back and attempting to rub his body on the carpet, or scratching and chewing on his skin. This is a potential problem, because your pet can oftentimes make the irritation on his body worse by doing these things.
Redness and Scaly Skin
Allergies oftentimes lead to changes in skin tone and texture. It's not uncommon for your pet's skin to become red and inflamed in some areas. In severe cases, the skin itself may become scaly and may even fall off to a certain extent. In these situations, you might see lesions and other sores as well. It's very important that you deal with any open sores or wounds that are caused by allergies as quickly as possible, as your pet's picking at them can exacerbate the problem and delay the healing of those sores for quite some time.
Hair Loss
Hair loss, or alopecia, occurs in many cases of skin related allergies in dogs. It's not uncommon for pets suffering from allergies to lose hair in random patterns around their body. Look for not just single pieces of hair, which may indicate heavy shedding and no significant medical problem, but for larger clumps of hair that may have fallen out of your pet's body.
Bleeding and Discharge
Depending upon where your pet's allergic reaction is, he may suffer from minor or moderate bleeding and discharge as well. Allergies affecting his nose, mouth and eyes can oftentimes result in this discharge and may cause your pet severe discomfort.
If you recognize any of these symptoms, bring your pet in to the vet immediately for an analysis. With the help of an allergen testing procedure, you stand a good chance of identifying which substances have set your pet's allergic reaction off, and you can proceed by eliminating those substances from your dog's environment.