Your Boxer, if suffering from allergies, may show extreme signs of despair.
These can be broken down into 3 categories and they each have their own most common triggers:
1. External:
Your Boxer's skin may show a reaction. This can range from slight itching to very bothersome symptoms such as relentless itching that will cause your dog to scratch until he loses fur. Sores can develop; these can quickly become infected. Fur loss may also occur directly from the allergen itself.
Causes & Treatments of External Dog Allergies
Fleas -
Fleas on a dog will cause itching. Fleas on a dog who is allergic to the saliva of a flea will cause terrible itching and lead to serious symptoms
Treatment -
Fleas are not very hard to get rid of if you use a 3 punch plan.
- Treat you dog with flea medication to get rid of fleas, both adult and larvae
- Treat your entire home with flea bombs
- Use a soothing medication on your dog to begin the healing process of sores and lesions. Deep sores or lesions may need the help of an antibiotic medication, which can be given to you by your dog's veterinarian.
Chemicals -
A Boxer may have a reaction to the cleaning solution on your carpeting, the detergent used to clean your bed sheets or their dog bed, the shampoo that is used to groom them...any powder or fluid that they come into contact with.
Treatment -
A dog owner must experiment to determine the cause. Take away 1 element at a time. Since the symptoms can linger for a week or more, allow at least 7 days to see if the element taken out of the picture reduces symptoms. If so, find a permanent alternative. Any deep sores may need an antibiotic treatment, prescribed by your dog's veterinarian.
2. Internal:
This type will cause symptoms of vomiting and/or diarrhea. It is not normal for a dog to have either of these symptoms, at any time. If your dog is getting sick in this way, it is best to have them checked out by their veterinarian. Most likely, the cause will be something that was ingested.
This is a serious condition that can quickly cause weight loss, malnutrition and dehydration to your Boxer dog. Secondary symptoms such as itching and respiratory issues can develop as well.
Causes & Treatments for Internal Dog Allergies
Dog Food -
A Boxer may become allergic to an ingredient in his dog food that he had previously eaten without any problem, sometimes for years. The Boxer breed is especially sensitive to dog food with a high grain content, particularly those including corn or wheat.
Treatment -
The process of determining the cause of your dog's allergy may take months. Currently, clinical testing is very unreliable for canines. Elimination testing, done at home, is the common way to help your dog. Each day is a step toward recovery.
The dog must be fed a strictly 100% hypo-allergenic diet. If the dog is given even a small amount of food that was previously in his or her meals, the test will be corrupted and an owner must begin again from the beginning.
Your veterinarian may prescribe a hypo-allergenic dog food or you may offer a simple homemade diet of plain, well cooked white chicken breast and plain, white rice.
Note:
There is no need to change the
daily vitamin and supplement; though changing heart worm medication may be needed as some dogs are allergic to chewables.
Starting off with simple home cooking will help you determine the trigger... And in some cases, you will find that your dog is fine with all foods because it was the artificial coloring, chemical preservatives or artificial flavorings in commercial food that was causing the reaction.
After your Boxer is fed this basic meal of chicken and rice for 2 weeks, every week or 2 a food element is added, one customarily found in normal food or treats. For example, you may want to begin with sweet potatoes mixed in.
If your Boxer seems fine, add green beans the following week and so on. Keeping this strict diet for your Boxer and keeping a close eye on his reaction will show you what specific food ingredient your dog is allergic to.