Allergies....when do they show? - Page 1

So I'm curious, is there a certain age that things like food allergies show up in dogs?  Like with people, our bodies change every 7 years or so.....some people develop allergies to certain foods or chemicals that they weren't allergic to as a child.  Like things (foods, bug bites, chemicals) that make their skin break out, itching, cause anaphylaxis, etc etc.   So with dogs, is there a certain age that this happens as well? I'm not having any problems with any of mine, but more so just curious.  Anyone know?

I don't think there is a general answer to that. Inherited allergies can be present at birth, or after 2 months or start with an adolenscent dog (in puberty). And as you said through contact, ingestion or inhalation allergies can either lay dormant until exposure or remain dormant if exposure isn't occuring.Have a read into The Merck Veterinary Manual : http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/70400.htm and see the example of food allergy.

I see the allergies starting a puberty.  Because I groom dogs for a living I often see them as 8 week old puppies through out their lifetime.  Most dogs seem to get hit hard as teens.  I can actually smell a dog BEFORE the allergy appears.  ( most dogs are groomed every 4-6 weeks).  sure enough on the next appointment the dog is scratching hair out or has a nasty ear infection.  Chronic ear infections seem to be the biggest indicator (that i have seen) of future food allergies.  Thankfully a raw diet seems to clear up food allergies very quickly.


(please note everything I have said has been from my personal hands on experience only)  I have groomed over 30,000 dogs over a 26 year career.  I knows what i sees....


 

My male was aged 2 years and it progressively got worse - he was fed a RAW diet I had to change to a complete.
He had severe adverse reactions and was pts at 5 yr 3 mth when he went on to develop heamolytic aneamia and despite 2 blood transfusion he culdnt be saved.
He was at his best between 3yr & 5yr he was maintained on a duck/rice based food.

Response to an allergen can appear any time after the subject was first exposed to it.