There are hundreds of different breeds of dog that you can choose from, but the Bulldog is by far one of the most popular. This is really no surprise, considering that both the appearance and personality of the Bulldog are so favorable. There are certain aspects to the breed that you will want to be aware of before purchasing one however, and in particular this refers to Bulldog allergies.
Bulldog allergies are actually very similar to human allergies, especially in the manner of the symptoms that are experienced. There are five different major types of Bulldog allergies, which are food allergies, flea allergies, bacteria allergies, contact allergies and atopy. Food allergies are one of the most commonly reported Bulldog allergies, and occur when the dog consumes something that their body reacts negatively to. This could be the dog food that you are feeding them or human food if you tend to feed your dog scraps from the table.
When it comes to Bulldog allergies, there are a few things that you should know. For one, you want to be able to understand what the common symptoms associated with Bulldog allergies are so you will be able to notice them if they ever do occur and from this make the right steps in terms of treatment. Isolating the allergen causing the allergy is going to be the first step here, and this is never easy because the dog is usually only allergic to one specific ingredient in the dog food.
It is important that you isolate the allergen, and you can try doing this with an elimination diet, which basically involves you slowly adding one ingredient to their diet at a time in order to determine which one specific ingredient in the food is causing the dog to react.
Flea allergies are also very common when it comes to Bulldog allergies, and one of the biggest mistakes on the part of owners here is that they think that the flea itself causes the allergy. This is actually not true and instead, it is the flea's saliva that causes problems.
As most people are already aware, one of the most common symptoms of fleas is scratching, so if you ever notice that your dog is scratching or experiencing hair loss, you may want to have them checked for fleas. Then there are also bacterial allergies that can result in your dog developing crusts on their skin and patches of hair loss due to scratching.
If you ever notice any unusual symptoms in your dog it is a good idea to get them in to the veterinarian so they can perform a few routine tests and determine whether anything is actually wrong with the dog.