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Atopic dermatitis in dogs

Just like humans, dogs can also develop allergies. Besides flea saliva and certain ingredients in dog food, various substances from the environment can also be responsible for allergies in dogs.


If the latter is the case, it is called an environmental allergy, as a result of which dogs often get atopic dermatitis. What exactly atopic dermatitis is, with which symptoms it becomes noticeable and how it can be treated, we will explain to you in the following paragraphs.

Causes of atopic dermatitis in dogs 

Causes of Atopic Dermatitis in Dogs

Atopic dermatitis occurs in dogs most often as a result of a so-called environmental allergy. The responsible allergens can be various substances from the environment. Pollen from various plants, house dust mites and mould are among the possible allergens.


Depending on whether the allergic symptoms occur all year round or only seasonally, conclusions can be drawn about the trigger of the dog's environmental allergy. For example, if the symptoms occur mainly in spring, this indicates that the allergy symptoms could be triggered by tree pollen. If the symptoms occur all year round, it is more likely that house dust mites are the cause of the dog's atopic dermatitis.

Can all dogs get atopic dermatitis?

Atopic dermatitis can occur in all dogs. The inflammatory skin disease very often manifests itself at a young age. Some dog breeds are much more susceptible than others. Since genetics play a role in the tendency to atopic dermatitis, the risk is also increased if the dog's parents already suffer from it.

Among others, the following breeds are affected by atopic dermatitis more often than average:

Symptoms of atopic dermatitis in dogs

If your dog suffers from atopic dermatitis due to an environmental allergy, this will manifest itself in the form of numerous, distinctly unpleasant skin problems.

Among other things, the following symptoms may indicate atopic dermatitis in your dog:

  • Severe itching
  • Skin redness
  • Skin swelling
  • Scaly skin
  • Hair loss
  • Skin discolouration
  • Hotspots
  • Pustule formation

The symptoms can vary from dog to dog. It is therefore quite possible that your four-legged friend will only experience some of the symptoms mentioned. However, itching, in particular, is practically always one of the main symptoms in dogs with atopic dermatitis. Some dogs also regularly suffer from inflammation of their ears.

Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis in dogs

If you observe the above-mentioned symptoms in your dog, a timely visit to the vet is, of course, highly recommended. After all, these symptoms are extremely unpleasant, regardless of their exact cause. In addition, severe itching in dogs inevitably leads to excessive scratching, biting and licking. As a result, the skin of the four-legged friends suffers massively over time and open sores can also occur.


The diagnosis may take some time, as the symptoms may not only be due to an environmental allergy, but also to various other causes. For example, skin parasites and food allergies can cause very similar symptoms in dogs.


First of all, the veterinarian will ask you in detail about your observations and give your dog a general examination. If other triggers can be ruled out, such as an infestation with mites or fleas in the dog, the next step is to identify the responsible allergen using an allergy test.

Treatment of atopic dermatitis in dogs

The most effective treatment of an allergy is to consistently avoid contact with the responsible allergens. What is comparatively easy in the case of a food allergy by switching to hypoallergenic dog food, often proves difficult in the case of an environmental allergy. Especially if your dog's atopic dermatitis is due to the pollen of certain plants, you can, of course, hardly avoid your four-legged friend coming into contact with these during the corresponding time of the year.

Hyposensitisation and symptom management

When treating a dog with atopic dermatitis, a distinction must be made between treating the actual cause and treating the symptoms. To treat the cause of the environmental allergy, it is possible to perform a so-called hyposensitisation. This means that the animal's immune system is gradually accustomed to contact with the allergen identified in the diagnosis.


Unfortunately, hyposensitisation is not only expensive but also time-consuming. It is also far from successful for all dogs with atopic dermatitis. For many four-legged friends, it leads to no improvement or only a slight improvement. Depending on the severity of atopic dermatitis, however, it may be worthwhile to try it anyway.


In addition to the treatment of the cause in the form of hyposensitisation, the treatment of the symptoms as part of the therapy is of particular importance. For example, the veterinary drug Apoquel with the active ingredient oclacitinib can be used to counteract allergy-induced itching. Irritated and sore scratched areas on the dog's skin can be treated with a suitable ointment, such as Bellfor paw protection ointment.


In severe cases, the administration of prednisolone may also be considered. If bacterial skin infections (pyoderma) or infection with skin fungus have occurred in your dog due to atopic dermatitis, the administration of antibiotics or antimycotics is also necessary to get your dog's symptoms under control.


It is not possible to make a blanket statement about which treatment measures to take in detail. Your veterinarian will of course advise you in this regard and tell you which measures are useful for treating the symptoms associated with your dog's atopic dermatitis.

Therapy-accompanying care with Bellfor Pyo-Health

Atopic dermatitis causes the natural protective barrier of the skin to be weakened. This increases the risk of bacterial skin infections in affected dogs. If this is the case with your four-legged friend, we recommend that you use Bellfor Pyo-Health dog shampoo in addition to the medication prescribed by your vet.


Get to know Bellfor Pyo-Health.

What is the prognosis for dogs with atopic dermatitis?

As with all allergies, environmental allergy is a chronic problem that unfortunately cannot be cured. It is therefore not possible to permanently eliminate your dog's atopic dermatitis.


You must therefore assume that your four-legged friend will most likely have to be treated for the rest of his life. In many cases, however, the symptoms can be managed well with the right measures, so that your dog's quality of life should not be too severely restricted despite his environmental allergy.

Our tip for strengthening the body's defences

Atopic dermatitis puts a considerable strain on the immune system of dogs. If your dog suffers from an environmental allergy, it is therefore very important that you additionally support the animal's immune system. For this purpose, we recommend that you rely on a food supplement with Bellfor Immune.


Bellfor Immune is a completely natural preparation that we have specially developed to strengthen dogs' defences. With its special composition of carefully selected ingredients such as propolis and insect protein, Bellfor Immune provides your dog with numerous valuable nutrients that can naturally support their immune system.


Get to know Bellfor Immune.

Prevention of atopic dermatitis in dogs

Contact with allergens such as pollen is naturally unavoidable in a dog's daily life. Accordingly, it is hardly possible to prevent atopic dermatitis in dogs with absolute certainty. Nevertheless, as an owner, you can do a lot to support your dog's health and reduce the likelihood of atopic dermatitis at least a little.


A balanced diet and adequate exercise are very important for the well-being of your four-legged friend in this context. Concerning house dust mites or mould as possible allergy triggers, appropriate hygiene in the household is also of great importance, both in the context of prevention and as a support for already existing complaints.

Atopic dermatitis in dogs - our conclusion

As you can see, atopic dermatitis is very unpleasant for affected dogs. It should therefore by no means be ignored. Prompt treatment of the symptoms associated with it can usually preserve the quality of life of the allergic four-legged friend quite well. In some dogs with atopic dermatitis, hyposensitisation can also be successful.

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