Flea Allergy Dermatitis

Posted by Clare Bristow

dog-with-fleas Flea allergy dermatitis is the name given to a dog's allergic reaction to flea saliva.

Flea saliva contains over 15 different bacteria and viruses (called antigens), each of which is capable of causing an allergic reaction in your dog.

When a flea bites your dog's skin to feed, the antigens in it's saliva will be repelled by your dog's antibodies. However, in sensitive dogs the antibodies aren't successful, and a reaction to the antigens can show up as an incredibly itchy patch of skin for your dog.

Flea allergy dermatitis is characterized by your dog constantly scratching and biting at an area of his body. If your dog is particularly sensitive to flea bites then his whole body may be itching and causing him great discomfort.

As the itching persists you will see any, or a combination, of the following:

hair loss;
red and inflamed skin;
skin sores; and
infected skin sores.

The latter condition is called pyoderma - infected wounds that arise from self trauma - and was the sixth most common reason why dogs were taken to the vet in 2006.

Flea allergy dermatitis is a seasonal allergy and will be seen when fleas are most prevalent - in the US this is the summer and fall.

If your dog is showing any of the symptoms of the allergy, take him to your vet as soon as you can - skin infections can spread rapidly, both across the skin and into the body. Your vet will advise you on the most appropriate treatments to prevent further flea bites, relieve the itching and treat any sores.

For a dog that suffers with flea allergy dermatitis keeping him from coming into contact with fleas is the most successful way to keep the allergy under control - this is easier said than done!

To achieve this your dog will need to be on a flea control program, probably from the start of the flea season to the end, and you'll need to be consistent in keeping your environment free from fleas.

In addition, regularly check your dog for fleas; whilst his scratching will tell you when he's been bitten, you'll want to remove any fleas in his coat to prevent further bites and untold misery for your dog.

Thankfully my dogs have never suffered from this allergy, but it must be very stressful to watch your dog constantly scratching and biting himself to try and relieve the itchiness the allergy causes.

If your dog has suffered from flea allergy dermatitis please share any tips on how you keep it under control during the flea season, and the treatments prescribed by your vet.

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Keywords: dog allergic to flea, dog flea bite, dog fleas, flea allergy on dog, Parasites Fleas and Ticks

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Comments

4 Responses to “Flea Allergy Dermatitis”

mary sowders on January 15th, 2008 7:52 am

my dog has had this allergy for a year, his hair has fallen out and he has sores,im reallysick of battleing it. he is a cute cairn terrier. ive had no luck with frontline, i recently switched to advantage and he seems to be getting some relief, thank you mary
linda on January 11th, 2009 12:29 pm

our dog has been itching like crazy for 2 months now. hes loosing his hair and drives me crazy watching him scratch
Becca on February 17th, 2009 3:36 am

My Akita was recently diagnosed with FAD. She was on Frontline Plus for three months and it was not very effective. She was given a round of prednisone for the itching, cephalexin for the infection, and Comfortis, a chewable monthly flea control tablet. So far, so good.
Angela on September 13th, 2009 7:31 am

I have a cairn as well that has the allergy to fleas. It so very hard to watch him be so miserable. At the first sign of flair up I take him to the vet and he gets a steriod shot that works really well. He's super spoiled so I put pillow cases in the freezer for him to lay on to soothe his skin since its so red and hot. He loves it! he loves to swim and will just sit in the water and that works too! I have found that frontline helps some but if there is a hungry flea they will still bite!!! I can't wait for winter!