What are Some Common Dog Allergies?

Common dog allergies include:

• Canine Atopic Dermatitis
  Canine atopic dermatitis, or canine atopy, is one of the most common dog allergies. It is a genetic inflammatory condition in which the dog becomes sensitized to environmental allergens such as pollens, molds, house dust mites, weeds, and so on. Many of these allergies occur seasonally, such as ragweed, and pollens. However, others can occur all year round, such as molds, mildew, and house dust mites. Allergies usually occur within 1 to 3 years of a dog being exposed to continual environmental allergens.
  
• Dog Flea Allergies
  Flea allergy dermatitis, commonly known as dog flea allergies, used to be one of the most common dog allergies. However, with more flea control products available to dog parents, the incidence of flea allergies in dogs has decreased substantially.
  The cause of flea allergy dermatitis is the saliva of the flea which contains a number of chemicals that can induce an allergic response in dogs
• Dog Food Allergies
  Compared to canine atopy and flea dermatitis, true food allergies in dogs are rather rare, accounting for less than 10 percent of cases referred to veterinarians.
  Canine food allergies result when a dog develops allergic reactions to one or more ingredients in his food.
  Food allergies are of course non-seasonal and can cause severe and intense itching in dogs. As well, dogs suffering from food allergies do not respond to anti-inflammatory and anti-itching medications such as corticosteroids.
  Feeding an elimination diet is the only way to accurately diagnose food allergies. The purpose of the elimination diet is to ban all protein that the dog has eaten before in order to isolate and identify the allergen.
• Contact Dermatitis
  Contact dermatitis is rare in dogs and is caused by direct skin contact with an allergen. Contact dermatitis usually causes sudden onset of skin reactions such as itching, rashes, and hair loss.
  Common causes of contact dermatitis in dogs include flea collars, soaps, disinfectants, weed killer, fertilizers, and insecticides. Allergic reactions to flea collars can produce a circular area of hair loss and inflammation or redness around the neck. Soaps and gardening chemicals can cause allergic reactions on the stomach, groin area, and armpits of the dog. Sometimes, lesions of the mouth can also occur if the dog licks the affected areas.