Do Dogs have Allergies?

ORIGINAL: Peanuts Mom
...I am wondering if he can be suffering from allergies...

 
Hi Amy!
 
Sure, dogs can have allergies.  Most times, the symptoms are different then with humans, tho.  For example, dogs will lick/chew their feet and/or get ear infections.  But, just like with humans, not all allergic dogs react the same way.  I don't think it would hurt to try to rinse Peanut's eyes with a little water or saline solution, just in case he got something in his eyes.
 
As for the vaccines, if he is getting more than one injection, maybe your vet can break them up.  Back when I worked for my vet, we had a Golden Retriever come who had a reaction to the last set of vaccines when he was a puppy.  When he came back for his annual booster, my vet did it in 3 visits- one for the Distemper combo, one for the Lyme and one for the Rabies. 

Re: red eyes
 
My lab has this problem about twice a year...spring and fall. His eyes swell and turn red, and they also start to drain. Usually, he needs a cortisone shot to get him through the season, but before I bring him in for that, I start him on Benedryl and put Artificial Tears (eyedrops) in his eyes. I caught it early this spring so we were able to avoid a vet trip. I'm hoping his seasonal alleries won't be so bad once we move. They got much worse when we came here.

I know what you're going through.  My 10 year old mix has allergies "up the wazoo".  Have you had an allergy test done?  They cost about the same as a car payment, but it gives you tons of valuable information.  Hope this helps a bit.

My lab-x has seasonal allergies.  The vet thinks it's grass/pollen and he's been on hydroxizine every summer for the past 2 years. 
 
I haven't had allergy tests done ... so we don't know what specifically - but it's definitely as soon as things start growing until everything freezes hard in the fall...

We have a border collie that comes in about three times a year to get shaved down and the poor thing has bad allergies that affect his skin which causes bald patches throughout his coat. They been to the vet and the vet told them there is nothing to do for it just try to make his life comfortable.
 
I know my boss's great dane has allergies he has bald patches down his back.

Yes, dogs can get allergies -- but like someone said above they show up different than with humans very often.  Dogs can get runny eyes/nose, But if your dog has any sort of colored eye junk VET!!  They can get conjunctivities (pink eye) just like us and it's very painful.  It can also mean an infection of the 3rd eyelid -- don't mess iwth guessing on the eyes -- have a vet look.
 
Typically, however, dog allergies come out on the skin or internal skin membranes (like the ears).  Can be sore spots which may get infected or it can be papules (bumps that don't have pus in them).  There are other skin related allergy problems you'll see in 3 and 4 below.
 
Dog allergies come in 4 varieties. 
 
1.  Atopic (inahled/seasonal allergies) -- this is the biggest category of allergies  -- typically it's seasonal but it can go on all year with some dogs.  Dogs can be allergic to everything we are and more -- everything from grass & pollen to mold, wallpaper, dust mites, and tons more.  There are two types of allergy testing -- the one that is a few hundred dollars is a blood test and pretty limited on what it will tell you.  There is a deeper test but typically it's a couple thousand dollars but it will be really specific -- not just 'tree pollen' but 'oak pollen', etc.
 
2. food allergies -- often these aren't primary -- but once the body is in a high state of allergy alert, almost ANYTHING can be an irritant or an allergen.  The only real way to determine food allergies is to put the dog on an elmination diet (thru a vet usually).  Typically tho dogs can be allergic to most anything we are -- wheat, grains, specific types of meat, additives, etc.
 
3.  Flea allergy dermatitis -- this is actually a specific category but it's a tough one.  Flea allergy dermatitis can be caused by ONE flea bite!  The dogs allergic to fleas are actually allergic to the flea spit -- so a flea bite is literally a toxin that will stay in the body for quite a long time (months).  It's a really specific pattern tho -- typically it starts at the base of the tail and spreads up the back -- sore, scabby skin that tends to stay infected.   These dogs need special flea protection -- specifically one that does NOT require that the dog get bitten for the flea to die (like Revolution -- it kills when the flea bites the dog)
 
4.  Contact allergy -- that's just like a human allergic reaction to poison ivy.  Typically you will see really sore skin, often tiny little blisters and red angry skin, on the belly, feet -- and the lips will get red-rimmed and sore just from trying to lick the stuff off from where it causes irritation.  Wandering Jew (all varieties - indoor and outdoor), night blooming jasmine, St. Augustine sod, poison oak and others.
 
More than you wanted to know, but other than a "yeah dogs can get allergies" which you already got from others I figured you needed the kinda brief facts.  It's a BIG HUGE topic.