**Road's End Papillons- established in 2006
**We are advocates of raw-, fresh, "human-grade food" for our canine friends .
And:
we follow limited vaccination guidelines.
**Please note that Road's End available Papillons are
only to be seen by clicking on the AVAILABLE page, unless mentioned otherwise

Monday, November 21, 2011

Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Papillon, Dogs

The most common  allergic skin disorder in your Papillon, or any canine,  is flea allergy.
Dogs that have flea allergy dermatitis are hypersensitive to the saliva a flea passes into the dog’s skin when it bites.
If your dog is flea allergic, he always will be, and the severity of this allergy typically worsens as he  ages.
The problem can only be resolved by ridding the fleas, but there are medications available, that will alleviate the itching and discomfort until you have completed to get rid of the fleas .
Symptoms of a flea allergy dermatitis are:
  • Scratching, itching, chewing and biting of the tail, rump, back legs and occasionally front legs
  • Loss of hair, reddish dyed, thickened,  broken hair
  • Crusts and erosions of the skin, pimples, bumps
  • Hot spots sometimes can be seen along the dog’s back and tail base, hips, or groin area, with  usually circular, red, oozing, and very painful sores , often requiring medical attention
  • Fleas, or just flea feces

Note that:
Your dog with a  flea allergy may have very few fleas – because they are so itchy,he grooms himself excessively, eliminating any evidence of fleas. However, a couple of flea bites every two weeks are sufficient to make him itch all the time.