Flea allergy is the most common canine allergic skin disorder, affecting dogs with an abnormal sensitivity to the saliva a flea injects into the skin when it takes a blood meal. In reaction to flea allergen, allergic dogs will have inflammation and irritation of their skin -- not to mention intense itchiness. Hair loss and skin lesions can result when a dog scratches or bites its irritated skin.
The problem may last year-round in warm climates or in flea-infested indoor environments. In regions with cold winters, the allergy will appear seasonally during the warm months of the year. Treatment of flea allergy requires eliminating the fleas from the dog, other pets, and the surroundings. Various medications can provide temporary relief of itching for severely affected dogs until flea control is achieved.
It may be difficult to detect fleas on a dog, but brushing it over a white sheet may help: flea feces, a dark, black material, that falls from the dog's hair onto the sheet would suggest the presence of fleas. A flea comb also can be used to look for the feces or the fleas themselves. Dogs should be examined often if itching is noted.
