Does your dog lick her paws, scratch her abdomen, and/or rub her face? If so, it is likely you dog has allergies. Food allergies and inhalant allergies (atopy) are the two types of allergies most commonly responsible for a dog itching in these three areas. Dogs may have one or both types of allergies combined with other causes of itchy skin.

Food allergies are seen in all breeds of dogs, occur year-round and can begin before your dog is one year of age. People often comment that they have not changed foods. Allergies occur when the body is repeatedly exposed to an allergen, so changing foods or ingredients is not necessary to develop an allergy. Dogs can be allergic to a protein such as beef, chicken, dairy products, lamb and grains like wheat, corn or rice; nearly every pet food, dog treat and most human foods contain one or more of these ingredients.

If your pet is exposes to an ingredient to which he is allergic, the allergen will cause histamine release in the dog's skin, resulting in 48 hours of itchiness. Simply put, if your dog eats even a tiny scrap of any ingredients to which he is allergic, he will itch for 48 hours.

The best method to diagnose and treat food allergies is to feed only one meat and one grain for two months. There are very few foods that contain a single meat and single grain that your dog has not eaten before. We use Royal Canin's Innovative Veterinary Diets or IVD foods. they produce four different diets using duck, fish venison or rabbit as their protein source and potato as the carbohydrate. It is essential that your dog eat nothing but these two ingredients for eight weeks. If the allergy subsides, we can try other ingredients one at a time for one week each. Eventually, you will have a list of foods your pet can tolerate.

If the itchiness is worse in the spring and fall, started at 1 1/2 years old or older and is getting worse each year, inhalant allergies or atopy is the likely cause. Atopy is an allergic skin reaction to an allergen your pet breathes in. In spring, tree and weed pollens are the culprit, while in fall, molds from decaying leaves are the problem. Year-round, human and cat dander, the house dust mite and other allergens in your house may perpetuate atopy all year. Inhalant allergies can be diagnosed by skin testing with a series of injections or by a blood test. If your dog reacts to a group of offending allergens, a set of allergy extracts or 'shots' can be custom mixed to desensitize your dog to a group of allergens. We teach owners to perform the injections at home and most dogs tolerate them with little or no resistance.

Many dogs suffer from the side effects of repeated use of antibiotics and cortisone to control their symptoms. It is healthier and safer to treat the affecting allergy rather than just controlling the symptoms.