10 Best Dog Seasonal Allergies Treatments

Written by Tim Rhodes Last Updated: Sep 14, 2024

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Do you believe that dogs can have seasonal allergies just like us and you have to know about dog seasonal allergies treatment?

Do you find any symptoms of these allergies in your dogs?

Dogs may not show their allergy symptoms to seasonal allergies in the same way humans do.

As the seasons change, the environment exposes your dog to allergens.

10 Best Dog Seasonal Allergies Treatments

But don’t worry!

We’ve got you covered!

We’ll provide you with the information needed for these seasonal allergies and the best treatments you could try for your allergic pups.

Common Symptoms And Causes of Dog Seasonal Allergies

There are several different kinds of allergies that might be causing your dog’s symptoms.

These seasonal allergies in dogs occur once they encounter something that they’re not comfortable with or when the immune system becomes less tolerant of these allergens.

The following symptoms could be an indication of your dog is suffering from an allergy, such as skin irritations, swelling of body parts specially the face, ears, lips, or eyelids, diarrhea, vomiting, sneezing, itchy ears, etc.

Any time the dogs encounter an allergen, he’s immune system may react quickly and cause inflammatory responses that may result in one or some on the list mentioned above.

Seasonal allergies are present only during specific times of the year, like tree and grass pollen, dust mites, mold, flea bites and fresh grass within the fall or summer.

Not all dog allergies are triggered by the seasons.

But most allergies caused by fleas, food, indoor, or outdoor particles, are all varied depending on the season.

The Common Causes Of Dog Allergies

Fleas

As indicated in Nature, Nature and Allergies — A Complex Condition, 40% of dogs are accounted for flea allergies.

Flea saliva has 15 components that cause dog allergies.

Food

Veterinarians estimated that there are about 10-15% of dog allergies accounted for as food allergies.

Atopic (Environmental Allergies)

Summer and fall triggered more allergic reactions from insects, molds, trees, and cultivated plants that can cause skin and ear yeast infections in dogs.

Considering which are more widespread during different seasons might just save your dogs from having mild to severe allergic reactions.

Breed

Believe it or not, some dogs are allergy prone more than others.

According to American Kennel Club, retriever, setter, and terrier breeds are considered the most allergy prone dog breeds, with the Pug and Shih Tzu being two of the less allergy prone dog breeds.

It‘s really important that you know how to treat those seasonal allergies as they can become serious and occur with little indications.

Your veterinarian can tell you for sure if your dog is suffering from seasonal allergies upon checking your pet’s record, a physical exam, laboratory tests, and therapy response.

A certified veterinary dermatologist is typically the one performing the skin test.

Skin testing can measure your dog’s response to microdoses of different allergens to know exactly which they’re allergic to.

Let’s make sure none of these seasonal changes stop you and your buddy from checking out other places and meeting other pups.

1. Wipe Down Your Dog After Walks

It’s already been conveyed how the environment plays a critical role in exposing your dog to seasonal allergies.

Take these helpful tips when walking your dog to avoid too much exposure from allergens.

It’s best to avoid walking your dog early in the morning or late afternoon because this time frame is where the pollen levels are typically highest.

Consider an indoor, open setting during the offending months and steer clear of fields and parks where offending plants are common.

After returning home, wipe your dog’s body and paws with a moist cloth or a hypoallergenic, scent-free grooming wipe.

This will eliminate extra pollen and other allergens from your dog’s fur and skin without performing a full bath.

You must pay special attention to the paws, as the skin here is sensitive and often affected by the allergens.

Some pet owners soak their dog’s paws in apple cider vinegar to remove pollen and other substances that may cause irritations.

Another solution is by putting boots on the dog’s paws to prevent them from stepping in irritants.

2. Control And Prevention Of Fleas

Flea prevention is even more important for those dogs with allergies.

Dogs with flea allergies can respond to just a few flea bites.

One or two flea bites on dogs can cause pruritis or itchy skin for a very sensitive dog.

Most flea control for dogs requires the flea to bite to be killed and because of that symptoms may persist even after some form of flea control has been used.

As the flea population increases, the reaction can get more severe.

To make the situation worse, you may never even see fleas because the dogs allergic to fleas will often chew the fleas off them.

There are two significant components to treating your dog from flea allergies.

The first is to control the fleas and second is to prevent your dog from future bites.

Your veterinarian can recommend a safe flea control for your dog and her environment.

Your veterinarian will also treat any secondary infections caused by the flea allergy.

Treatment frequently includes antibiotics and medications to help control the itch from flea allergy.

Getting the itch under control is important!

The best way to prevent flea allergy is to prevent your dog from getting fleas!

Your veterinarian may recommend multiple methods of flea prevention especially for allergic dogs to prevent discomfort and recurrence of symptoms.

3. Bathe Your Dog Regularly

Even though not every breed of dog looks forward to their bath, every dog bath aids on preventing dry and itchy skin.

Sometimes the allergens that were trapped in their fur can irritate the skin days after the initial exposure.

Baths help to control the number of allergens on your dog’s skin, you can prevent or avoid anything that will irritate or dry out their skin.

Bathe your dog one to two times a week and use a gentle, soap-free shampoo made especially for dogs.

You can provide your pup with another line of defense against seasonal allergies by applying hypoallergenic anti-itch shampoo that contains a soothing ingredient such as oatmeal, aloe, or evening primrose oil during bath time.

Itchy dogs may benefit from these kinds of shampoo.

Some dog owners give their pet a soaking time of about 10 minutes in a bath mixed with a gentle moisturizing oil.

Always check and clean the ears when bathing, as minor infections often occur there.

Your veterinarian may recommend a medicated shampoo for more serious skin issues.

4. Improving The Quality Of The Food

Most owners feed their dogs by dry kibble or canned wet food.

Although might not be appealing to us, these processed foods contain all the nutrient’s dogs need to stay healthy.

Quality market dog foods are highly controlled and have undergone many testing by veterinary specialists.

Unlike cats, dogs are not strict carnivores.

While meat makes up most of their diet, domestic dogs can also derive nutrients from grains, fruits, and vegetables.

These non-meat foods are not only simply fillers but can also be a valuable source of essential nutrients needed by dogs.

A typical good dog food must include meat, vegetables, grains, and fruits.

The best dog foods contain high-quality versions of these ingredients that are suitable for the digestive system of your dog.

But this may mean different things for different dogs.

The quality of the ingredients your dogs may eat can really affect overall health.

5. Use Natural Anti-Inflammatory Herbs And Supplements

Dogs can be very sensitive to food and to different weather conditions.

Sometimes, even one bite of this kind of food may already trigger an allergic reaction which can result in rashes, sneezing, allergies, and even sinus inflammation.

Whenever you see sign your dog having an allergic reaction,

Don’t even think twice about bringing your dog to the veterinarian whenever you notice your dog is showing signs of an allergic reaction.

You have still to consult this with your veterinarian just to make sure that it’s the right thing to do even if you want to resort to natural ways of treating dog allergies.

The right person who should be diagnosing your dog must be an expert except if you’re a veterinary specialist or a veterinarian.

Your veterinarian will also give an assessment on more foods that your dog might be allergic to.

Most natural allergy supplements are available in drugstores or health food stores and come in capsules, tablets, or liquids.

Although several of it may be more difficult to find.

If you’re in an urban area, you should try a naturopathic physician, an herbalist, or other expert in integrative health, so that you could have more reference on where you could find it and what to buy.

Otherwise, your best bet may be to look on the internet and buy online.

Anti-Inflammatory Herbs And Supplements You Could Try

Fatty acids

Fatty acids are important to your dog’s health especially when they are having inflammation.

The two kinds of fatty acids that are essential for your dog are omega 3 and omega 6.

Omega 3 fatty acids are good for reducing inflammation in your dog which often affect their cell membrane.

An essential amount of omega 3 fatty acids will aid in reinforcing the cells and stop them from having inflammation easily.

The three types of omega 3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Both EPA and DHA are needed to reduce the inflammation on the dog’s skin and the itching when they already have allergies and rashes.

Supplying them with supplements rich in omega 3 fatty acids is the best way to treat your dog’s allergies.

While omega 6 fatty acids are the supplement needed for handling the water permeability of your dog’s skin.

The more the fur your pup has doesn’t really mean that their skin is free or completely protected from rashes and infection.

It’s important to remember that even if you already give your dog fatty acids, the results won’t show immediately.

It’ll need at least a month to see significant effects when you use these kinds of supplements.

Yucca

Yucca is a kind of plant with sharp-looking leaves and noticeable white flowers.

This plant is an essential for treating dogs with allergies because it helps in dealing with problems in hygiene.

The primary reason for this is because its roots have therapeutic and herbal effects especially for those dogs with skin diseases.

There are two essential benefits of including the yucca plant in your dog’s food or bath.

The first one is that adding yucca supplements or minerals in your dog’s food reduce the nasty smell of urine and feces.

Whenever your dog takes in yucca supplements, the production of the mineral anhydrous ammonia that is responsible for that nasty or bad smell of toxins from your dog is stopped because of these supplements.

The second benefit is that shampoos and soaps with yucca minerals included in them help lessen skin problems that occur in your pets.

In addition to that, yucca has several benefits including avoidance of arthritis in your dogs and digestive system improvements.

You must always consult your veterinarian first when planning to add yucca supplements in your dog’s diet because there is a proper dosage for them, and it depends differently for each dog.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is recognized for having wonderful effects on health even for us.

The main benefit of this for your pups is that it aids on cleansing their paws which lessens the buildup of dirt and pollen.

Pollen buildup on your dog’s paws can cause allergies and irritations particularly when the dog licks and smells its paws.

Trying the usage of apple cider vinegar to rinse away the dirt on your dog’s skin and fur can avoid having allergies.

Making a spray from apple cider vinegar is a good option.

But avoid spraying apple cider vinegar on open wounds as it’ll be really painful for your pups and can cause severe irritation.

Quercetin

Quercetin is a type of plant pigment or flavonoid that is commonly found in fruits and vegetables.

It’s an efficient way of dealing with and preventing allergies and inflammation not only your pups but mostly on most pets.

It’s very effective because of its anti-inflammatory properties and the number of antioxidants that is equivalent to what your dog will get just by taking in their dietary capsules or supplements.

A liquified form of quercetin is not yet available in the market so capsule type quercetin is only the best option for your dogs for the moment.

Just continuously feed your dog with quercetin supplements and make sure that they swallow it.

With this, you might find how effective this supplement is for your pups and that there are other foods rich in quercetin.

Broccoli, green tea, and apples are examples of foods rich in quercetin.

Green tea is one of the accepted remedies that can help lessen allergies in dogs, however, you might find out that the capsule form is still the more efficient way to get the best results.

You can get a more concentrated amount of quercetin in capsule form than when it is in its pure form.

Coconut Оil

Coconut oil is recognized for its nourishing properties.

For human’s application, it is used and mixed in shampoos and conditioners so that hair feels smooth and silky.

Although the dosage will be different, the same thing can be done or applied for dogs.

On the other hand, using coconut oil in their shampoo and conditioner can aid in keeping the moisture in the fur of your pups so that they don’t easily fall off and can become the root cause of their discomfort.

Your dog’s reactions to fleas can be reduced and less allergies will occur in the future which is also another benefit of using coconut oil on your dog.

Coconut oil, which is rich in lauric acid, aids in inhibiting your dog’s inflammatory reactions so that he or she becomes more robust to allergens.

Similar results can be anticipated when your dog already has allergies.

And using coconut oil will reduce the redness on your dog’s skin.

Chickweed

Chickweed is a type of flowering plant that’s rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B complex, calcium, and zinc.

This cool weather plant is an adequate remedy for your dog’s allergies.

It can also significantly improve your dog’s diet when used as a supplement.

It is very much effective as a remedy for inflammations and rashes on your dog’s skin.

Chickweed is the best compared from the others on the list in terms of cooling your dog’s skin whenever they have rashes and eczema or other skin irritations.

With this cooling sensation properties of chickweed, it helps your dogs in reducing allergies and alleviates pains and irritations.

This is very significant for animals because any slight discomfort can cause severe irritations since they’ll keep scratching affected parts.

Avoiding this issue is important because it can cause infections on bruises and open wounds since their paws have a lot of bacteria on it.

6. Perform Acupuncture

Acupuncture for dogs with allergies can aid your dog if he has suffered from seasonal or severe allergies for some time.

If you’ll track down the root cause for these allergies, you’ll find out that allergen isn’t the major issue.

The main problem is the immune system that goes ‘haywire’ when exposed to those so-called allergens.

After the time goes-by, this reaction causes everything from simple symptoms such as sneezing to skin irritations, inflammations, and even sores.

Performing acupuncture for dogs produces responses from the source of allergies giving the dogs relief from pain and itch while alleviating inflammation and getting the immune system back into normal state.

So, it has a more moderate, healthy response to offending allergens.

Always consult your veterinary specialist before performing acupuncture to your dogs.

7. Regular Housekeeping

Your dogs will always be equally susceptible to household allergens as we such as dust, mites, molds, and pollen that may cause seasonal allergies.

Regular cleaning of your household air system such as air filters will help minimize the contact to airborne allergens and prevent mold from growing in your home.

Maintain this housekeeping in terms of weekly:

1. Dusting with a microfiber or damp cloth
2. Use HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) filter on your vacuum cleaners
3. Wiping rigid surface floors
4. Change HVAC filters quarterly and more frequently during peak allergy seasons
5. Use whole house air purifiers.

8. Allergy Diets

Your dogs might show some signs of reactions or allergies to market pet foods and other food leftovers that were given them.

Food allergies naturally do not react well to drugs like corticosteroids or other medical treatments.

The symptoms of food allergies may escalate throughout the other areas of your dog’s body if not addressed early.

The earliest symptoms affect areas directly by contact with the food, including stomach irritation or discomfort, sneezing, swelling and rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea.

You can correct these symptoms by changing to a higher-quality food which is free of allergens or by making your own healthy dog food through research and recommendation of your veterinarian.

The dietary food system for your dog needs first to identify the unusual component of the existing food and eliminate them.

Hypoallergenic Diet

The most precise method of testing for food allergies is by using a hypoallergenic diet.

It is a diet that doesn’t activate any reaction for your dogs on consuming the food.

The dog must do the special diet wholly for eight to twelve weeks because it usually takes at least eight weeks for other remaining food to be removed from the body.

Your veterinarian can also prescribe nutritional treatment for severe cases.

Always inform your veterinarian before using any supplements for your dog’s diet.

Your veterinarian will advise on how to proceed if your dog is having a good reaction and development.

9. Allergy Testing

If your dog’s seasonal allergies appear to be serious or having no response to current treatment, your veterinarian may want to look at what your dog is allergic to.

And to do this, your dog will need to undergo allergy testing.

If your dog’s symptoms are very serious, your veterinarian will refer or recommend you to a board-certified veterinary dermatologist.

A special serum will be custom-made for that allergy based on the results of the allergy test.

Consistent injections must be given to the dog for a specific period and sometimes followed up with oral medications.

Although allergy testing may appear to be a high cost at first, it may end up costing less in the long run compared to years of treatment for minor infections.

Always ask your veterinarian about allergy testing and whether it is the right choice for your dog.

There are two different types of allergy testing which are usually available for dogs.

Serum Allergy Testing

Serum allergy testing involves collecting a simple blood from your dog and sending it to a lab for analysis.

This test typically costs a few hundred dollars and is minimally offensive to your dog.

The lab will then begin analysis and testing of the serum needed against many kinds of common allergens and measures the type and severity of the allergic reactions.

The bad thing with serum allergy testing is that it has a low accuracy.

Therefore, it’s not suggested by veterinary dermatologists.

Skin testing is the preferred testing for its accuracy.

Intradermal Allergy Testing

Intradermal allergy testing or skin testing is usually done by a veterinary dermatologist.

Although it costs more, it is much more accurate compared to serum testing.

Usually, this test uses sedative to relax the dog first and prevent any discomfort.

Your dog will be positioned and laid down on one side while hair is shaved on the side of the body that is up.

The testing involves a series of injections under the skin using a tiny needle.

This injection contains an allergen and the dermatologist usually tests for about 60 to 70 allergens.

A small area at that injection site will turn red and swell within minutes if the dog reacts to any of these allergens.

With that, the dermatologist can determine its severity based on the actual reaction.

Many dogs, especially those allergic dogs will have reactions to numerous allergens.

This skin testing is the most accurate method of testing for allergies.

Allergy testing only allows you to find out what a dog is allergic to and does not treat the dog’s allergies.

The next step after allergy testing is immunotherapy, also called desensitization or allergy shots.

The allergy shots or injections can be easily given at home by most dog owners (it’s like administering insulin to diabetic dogs).

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is recognized as safe and effective.

Although not all dogs, allergic or not, will have similar responses, most of them will eventually improve.

Improvement is usually seen in the first six months up to a year for some dogs.

You must remember that immunotherapy is not a treatment for allergies, but it can significantly lessen your dog’s reactions to allergens.

It is very noteworthy that you understand that your dog’s allergies will require long time management.

10. Choosing The Right Bed For Your Dog

If any of your household dogs has allergies, the dog’s bed might be the mastermind of it.

The bed that he used might contain substance that can cause allergic reaction especially when used for a long period.

It is extremely important to choose the right type of bed for your dog.

And these so-called right beds are the hypoallergenic dog beds.

They are very effective because their ability to keep dust mites, mildews, and mold spores out in the best way and thus, which assist you in creating an environment that is free from allergies for your dogs.

Hypoallergenic dog beds are made from materials that are resistant to allergens which are less likely to cause contact reactions than fibers treated with chemicals.

Contact reactions are usually the red rashes or spots in the area where your dog’s skin touches the fabric specially on areas with little fur like the stomach.

This also can occur from the fabric chemicals or even from detergents you use to clean the fabric.

In contrast, synthetic fibers can prevent and lessen your dog’s contact from those bacteria, mold, and accumulation of dust mites that causes some of your dog’s seasonal allergies.

Final Thoughts

While having seasonal allergies on dogs are extremely common nowadays, it’s extremely important to focus and prioritize dog seasonal allergies treatment.

Since this allergy can be controlled and reduced with proper treatment and active prevention measures.

One of the most important things to remember is that there is no shortcut treatment for your allergic dog.

The treatment may need a long-term process that will require your dogs to lean on you throughout the course of his or her entire life.

As always, any persisting symptoms should be evaluated by your veterinarian immediately.

Not every approach will be right for every dog and severe infections may pop up and need treatment despite your best efforts.

Control your emotions and be brave!

Commit yourself to giving the best quality care your dog can have in this hard time.