An allergy is the immune system’s reaction to some substance. People who are allergic tend to be allergic to more than one thing. The substances that usually cause the most reactions are: pollen, dust mites, mold spores, animal dander, food, insect bites and medicines .
Dogs can also be allergic, but not all those who are suffer from them in the same way or need the same treatment. Do you think your pet is allergic? We tell you what are the four types of allergic reactions that occur in canids so that you can identify your animal’s. Also, if you have this suspicion, you should take him to the vet, it is not something to be taken lightly.
Type 1 hypersensitivity
This type of allergy occurs shortly after the allergenic substance is distributed through the blood. The culprits are usually vaccines, insect bites, some foods, pollen, and certain medicines .
Its symptoms are: vomiting, edema of the face and eyes, urticarial reactions, diarrhea, tachycardia and even the death of the animal (if measures are not taken quickly).
Its treatment in severe reactions must be immediate. Assisted breathing will be carried out and an emergency medicine will be applied. In mild reactions, the symptoms will disappear in a few hours without the need for treatment.
The types of hypersensitivity 1 are:
· Allergic rhinitis . The culprits are pollen, dust, tobacco smoke … Its main symptom will be sneezing and its treatment is corticosteroids.
· Allergic bronchitis . The causes are the same as those of the previous type and its basic symptom is a dry cough.
· Bronchial asthma . Symptoms are bronchial contraction, wheezing attacks, coughing, cyanosis, and mucus production. The treatment to be applied is oxygen and special drugs.
· Atopy . It is the inhalant allergic dermatitis or allergic eczema and appears before the same causes. The symptoms are: itching, redness of the skin and papules especially on the face, ears, feet and belly. Your treatment will be to avoid contact with the allergen.
Type 2 hypersensitivity
In this case, the allergen reaches the body to create a defense. The antibodies that the body has made will bind to the allergen and this can lead to the destruction of red blood cells . It can also happen that the body wakes up its defenses against antigens that are located on skin cells. As a consequence, you will be able to observe eruptions such as blisters and warts on the animal’s skin.
Other signs of hypersensitivity 2 are: cold, weakness, diarrhea and yellowish skin .
Type 3 hypersensitivity
It is given by the cohesion of the antigen and the antibody that creates a deposit on vascular areas or membranes. The causes are:
· Systemic lupus erythematosus suffered by some types of breeds such as collie, Afghan greyhound or poodle and the characteristic symptom is movement disorder.
· Polyarthritis or polymyositis , whose signs are skin lesions on the head, mouth, ears …
· Rheumatoid arthritis for which the true causes are not known. It manifests with pain in the joints, a stiff walk and not wanting to exercise.
Type 4 hypersensitivity
In this case, the allergic reaction takes time to manifest itself after the allergen enters the body. Its symptoms are great redness and itching in areas of the body without fur or with fine hair such as the abdomen or the inside of the legs .
To treat this allergic reaction, the allergen that triggered it will be avoided and specific medications will be applied.
