Allergy Diagnosis

An allergy diagnosis is the result of a systematic process of discovery and elimination. This is done by examination and evaluation. This requires some experience, and knowing what to look for. Dog illness diagnosis is medical detective work. Factors must be considered that may indicate whether an allergy exists, and which one type of allergy it may be. All the while, remember the dog cannot speak with the doctor, cannot voice complaints, and cannot answer questions.

Dog Symptoms and Diagnosis

To start, the veterinarian reviews with the owner the dog’s diet, the home physical environment, recent activities, and medical history. The information the owner provides to the veterinarian will in some cases provide important clues. When this is completed, a thorough physical examination is conducted. Blood test may be taken to rule out other diseases. When the results are evaluated, an allergy diagnosis may be confirmed. If this is so, a likely allergen may be identified as the probable cause.

If this is not the case, depending on the circumstances and the dog’s discomfort, the process of allergies diagnosis may proceed with allergy skin tests. This will be performed by a veterinary dermatologist. Allergy skin tests are simple but important dog allergy testing in which the dog is put to sleep and the skin of the dog is scratched with various common allergens in a grid layout. Because the dog is asleep this test is not stressful to the dog. In about 20 minutes there may be an identifiable allergen indicated. The ultimate goal in treating the allergies that dogs have is to identify the causing allergen and if possible to restrict or remove the allergen from the dog’s environment. While at times it is surprisingly simple to diagnose an allergy and to locate the exact allergen. At other times, with so many possible allergens the search for one allergen can be more difficult. However, there is no better way of controlling an allergy than by identifying the allergen and restricting or eliminating it from the dog’s environment. Working in coordination with your veterinarian and with appropriate dog allergy testing, hopefully the goal of an exact allergy diagnosis will be reached.