Chihuahua Allergies

Chihuahua are small dogs who belong to the toy breed. They are the smallest dog breeds in the world. These dogs grow just 12 to 15 inches in height and weigh no more than 3.3 to 6.6 pounds. The chihuahua are prone to a few health problems like allergies. Chihuahua allergies occur after the dogs immune system reacts to some foreign substance called allergen. Let us learn all about chihuahua and allergies in the following paragraphs.

Common Chihuahua Allergies
There are basically two categories of common chihuahua allergies. These include internal allergies and external allergies. They lead to many unpleasant reactions that may sometimes prove to be fatal to the dog.

Internal Allergies
Internal allergy is a type of allergy that occurs when a dog ingests something. This may include a low-grade dog food, medications, etc. Your chihuahua may be intolerant to certain foods like eggs, dairy products, corn, etc. found in dog foods. Sometimes, the chemical preservatives, food colors and other flavoring agents can also act as allergens and lead to chihuahua allergy. These dogs have very delicate digestive system and it is common to see develop unpleasant reactions to food.

External Allergies
External allergies occur due to a reaction to an element outside the body like pollen grains, dust, shampoos, detergents, flea bites, etc. These external allergies generally lead to many skin problems in the chihuahua.

Types of Allergies in Chihuahua
There are two types of allergies that may affect your pup. Let us have a look at these allergies that affect the chihuahua health.

Chihuahua Food Allergies
This obviously falls under the internal allergy category. This is also one of the common long-haired chihuahua allergies that leads to vomiting, diarrhea and ear infections. This does not mean a short hair chihuahua is less prone to developing food allergies. When the dog consumes something that causes allergies, it also leads to red and inflamed skin along with gastrointestinal problems. Food allergy causes the skin around the chihuahua's face, ear and legs to turn red and flaky. They develop dull, dry coat and also suffer from hair loss. The common chihuahua food allergies occur due to allergens in dog food. These common allergens that trigger allergies include corn, wheat, beef, chicken, dairy, empty carbohydrates and additives. The meal of your dog should contain 40% meat like turkey and fish, 50% veggies and 10% carbohydrates. Do not go in for food that contains animal by-products and contains 100% human grade ingredients.

Chihuahua Skin Allergies
One of the common short hair chihuahua allergies includes skin reaction. These occur due to use of certain dog shampoos, food reaction and flea bites. It may also occur if the dog is allergic to pollen grains, dust and other environmental allergens. The reaction will cause your dog to scratch, lick, bite and mutilate his own skin. This will cause the skin to crack and swell due to inflammation. In order to prevent this, you need to keep your dog away from the allergens. Keep the dog inside as much as possible, and change the dog shampoo if required. You may even have to give the dog flea treatment in order to get rid of the pests and allergies. Investigate if something in his/her surrounding is causing an allergy attack. Eliminate the allergens to prevent future attacks.

Signs and Symptoms
Some of the typical signs of allergy include biting and scratching of the skin. You will see the dog continues to scratch a lot which further causes skin cracks. Other symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, watery eyes, loss of hair, dull coat, etc.

Treatment
You may have to visit the veterinarian for help if your dog suffers from vomiting and diarrhea. He may give medications for the same. He may suggest ointments and creams for the skin allergy. Apart from that you need to start feeding your dog with high-grade food. Change the brand, if needed. You should start using allergy-free dog shampoo and use only allergy free detergents to wash the chihuahua bed sheets and blankets. Many times, the dog may be allergic to cigarette smoke or candle smoke. So, avoid lighting them up when your dog is around.

This is all about common chihuahua allergies. It is important you spot the allergy signs soon, in order to avoid complications. If the allergy flares up, it can lead to death of the dog. Speak to your veterinarian for more details on chihuahua and allergies.