Seasonal Allergies – A Puppy’s First Spring

There isn’t anything any cuter than watching puppies frolic around in the brand new spring grass. Since they were born in the winter, the fresh air, sunshine and tall tickling grass is a new experience for them. It can also be a learning experience for their owners, especially first time puppy parents.

The puppies have been confined to an indoor environment all of their life so you will have no idea how they are going to react to an outdoor environment and all of the allergens and pollen they are being exposed to.

Puppies born during the winter or shipped from one are of the country to another have never had the chance to interact with the great outdoors when everything is in full bloom in your area. Since this is the first time the puppy has rolled and romped in the grass, you don’t know how it will affect him or her. Some dogs can play in grass and weeds and run through fields with no adverse effect. Some dogs, however, have mild to severe reactions to grass, weeds and environmental pollen and allergens.

Unfortunately, the only way to tell if the puppies are going to have any of these allergies is to let them roll around on the lawn and have fun. Just be sure that when their playtime is over, you observe them closely for a while and note any excess attempts to scratch and lick or cough and sneeze. Also check their bellies for any signs of a rash, which would definitely indicate that something has affected them.

Dogs and puppies can get seasonal allergies just like humans do, except it is not as easy to tell what a dog may be allergic to. It is not as easy to diagnose either. When the puppy is outside rolling around in the grass and then starts to itch, it could be a host of reasons including a bug in the grass that bit them.

He may in fact have an environmental allergy but how to tell if it is the grass, pollen that has blown around, or a certain kind of weed that is in the grass is near impossible. You obviously can’t keep the dog inside all of the time either, so what do you do? Something else to make note of is that if your dog or puppy is fine in your yard but you go for a walk or go on an adventure it could be that your dog came into contact with some form of pesticide sprayed on a lawn or around a building to keep away pests. SO while not seasonal allergies you can do your best to limit exposure to to the culprit.

Chances are, your vet can diagnose it as an environmental allergy, but may not be able to tell you what specific thing has caused it any more than you can pin point what caused your hay-fever attack. If you treat the infections but not the allergies, the infections may just return time and time again.

While waiting to visit your vet it is a good idea to speak to the staff and let them know that something is gong on with your pet and ask if they can recommend what dosage Benadryl your dog can receive. Make sure to wash their paws and tummy after a trip outside. Also if possible until you can see the vet try to stick to walks on the sidewalk or the road instead of playing in the grass and see if that helps cut down on the allergens.

Brush, Bathe, Wipe
In cases of seeing severe itching, bathe the puppy as soon as possible to remove allergens and pollen from the fur and skin. Giving him a good brushing will also remove allergens from the fur. If an immediate bath is not possible, rub him down with a moist pet wipe to help remove allergens and pollen.

If the symptoms are severe, your vet can prescribe allergy medication or shots for the puppy. You can also buy over the counter allergy medication, but it is best to discuss your options with your vet before trying to treat allergies on your own.