If you happen to notice that your Bichon Frise is scratching excessively, you may find that your pet is having an allergic reaction. Like humans, dogs can develop allergies suddenly. It could be that your Bichon is allergic to fleas, pollen, mold, or even trees or tobacco smoke. When you see your Bichon scratching themselves and chewing on their skin, you’ll want to make sure you get them to the veterinarian before they cause any damage to their skin and infection sets in.
The following are some common types of allergies your Bichon Frise may have and some common methods of treating them.
Flea Allergies
Your Bichon’s allergy to fleas is not an allergy to the flea itself, but an allergic reaction from the flea’s saliva. A dog that is not allergic might have a slight skin irritation from flea bites, but when they are allergic, it causes excessive itching and irritation. This, of course, causes your Bichon to chew, lick, and scratch themselves so badly they will lose hair and possibly have open sores or scabs, which can lead infection.
The obvious treatment for your Bichon with a flea allergy is to keep the fleas off them using a vet approved flea repellent and by using a flea comb daily. In extreme cases, a pet can be desensitized to the effects of flea bites by having flea saliva injected into the skin in small amounts over time. If this works, your Bichon would not have such intense reactions to flea bites. This method, however, only works less than 75% of the time.
Inhalant Allergy
While humans generally have respiratory problems when they have an allergic reaction to something they’ve breathed in, your Bichon Frise will have symptoms of severe itching. Trying to find out exactly what your dog is allergic to is tough to do. You can have allergy testing done on your Bichon, but you may find that you and your vet may have to guess according to what specific plants are blooming at the time your dog developed the symptoms. There have been cases with Bichons and other dogs that they are simply allergic to grass. In this case, you may want to have a concrete area for your Bichon to relieve themselves on so they stay out of the grass.
The great thing about inhalant allergies is that you don’t have to know exactly what they are allergic to in order to provide them with treatment. One very common treatment is to give your Bichon frequent baths with a hypoallergenic shampoo. This may reduce the amount of allergens that are absorbed through the skin and it will help to relieve the itching. Anti-inflammatory drugs will also help to stop the allergic reactions and antihistamines used with other treatments can be effective, although they can cause your dog to be drowsy. Steroids can also be used to help your pet and all of these should only be given with your veterinarian’s approval. If you know what your pet is allergic to, you can also use the desensitization method, however, it is very expensive and it does not work on all dogs.
Food Allergy
As with humans, your Bichon can be allergic to certain ingredients in their food and it can happen with foods they’ve eaten all their lives. More often than not, it is an allergic reaction to a protein, such as beef, pork, or chicken. The symptoms include itching, respiratory problems, and digestive problems. If you don’t see anything else causing your pet’s distress, you may want to have them tested. They will be put on a special diet and it can take up to 8 weeks or more to find out. Once you’ve find out what your Bichon is allergic to, you can change their diet accordingly.
Unfortunately, the Bichon Frise can be prone to allergies and some say they are common among white dogs. If your Bichon is itching excessively or showing any other symptoms of a possible allergic reaction, consult with your veterinarian for testing and treatment options.
