29-05-2025
Seasonal Allergies Can Affect Dogs: Here's What You Need To Know
A beagle scratches at itchy skin in a grassy yard.
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One spring morning last year, New Mexico writer Zach Hively had a rude awakening. His most recently adopted dog — 'a purebred who knows what?' named Ryzhik — had apparently been so itchy in the night that he'd injured his face from scratching so much.
'He tore it up,' Hively recalls. 'He'd scratched part of his face open. He had been bleeding, and he did tear out some fur. He looked rough — a little bit around his mouth, but it was really around his eyes. He also scratched up inside his ears. It was awful.'
Hively immediately took his dog to the veterinarian, who assessed, 'It's that time of year and it's probably allergies.' The team recommended wiping his dog's face after being outside and starting on the prescription medication Apoquel or over-the-counter Benadryl — the latter of which was Hively's choice, since he takes Benadryl for his own allergies.
In fact, he figured out Ryzhik's allergies align with his own, which makes it easier to manage.
'I definitely have juniper allergies, and we flare up the exact same day,' he says. 'When mine ease up, his ease up.'
The Benadryl dosage plan suggested by the veterinary team for Ryzhik worked, and Hively didn't see any adverse side effects like drowsiness, which he appreciates since 'I'm all about quality of life.'
'This year, we got much more preventative. The day my allergy started and I woke up sneezing, I just started him on Benadryl,' he says. 'That first day he had scratched himself up a little tiny bit, but nothing like last year.'
While seasonal allergies can affect cats, it's more common to see dog allergies, according to Christina Lavery, DVM, a veterinarian at the nonprofit Humane Colorado, which operates a large animal shelter in Denver.
'It's very similar to humans — how we experience environmental allergies more commonly in the spring and summer,' she says. 'But animals can experience environmental allergies at any point during the year. It's pretty variable depending on the individual.'
Symptoms of seasonal allergies in dogs range from mild to severe. Minor seasonal allergies might lead to a slight runny nose, goopy eyes, and a little bit of redness around the eyes or along the conjunctiva (the tissue in borders around eyeballs), Dr. Lavery says.
Dogs with severe seasonal allergies may experience:
'Another one that I see pretty frequently is lichenification, which basically just means roughened and thickened appearance of the skin,' she adds. 'Chronic cases of allergies that have been going on for months to years can develop that really thickened, leathery appearance of the skin. When I see that, it tells me the patient has been dealing with it for a very long time and maybe not had it managed the best for quite a bit of time.'
Often when a dog experiences a sudden onset of allergies, veterinarians will treat it with steroids, according to Dr. Lavery.
'Tackling the inflammation is one of the best ways to treat allergies,' she says. 'So putting a stop to the immune system and treating it with steroids is really good for an acute onset, but long-term steroids have a lot of side effects to them, so we really try to avoid using steroids long-term for allergy patients.'
Fortunately, there are 'great options' to help manage and treat allergies in patients.
'The veterinary community has made pretty big strides in allergy treatment and prevention over the past few years,' Dr. Lavery says.
The injectable monoclonal antibody treatment Cytopoint is one popular option.
'It is targeting and neutralizing what is known as a cytokine. It's basically a protein that our body produces in times of inflammation, so it targets and neutralizes these cytokines and these proteins that cause itch,' she says. 'When we see allergies and we see dogs that are itching and licking and scratching so much, taking away that itch factor prevents the worsening of that inflammation.'
Cytopoint lasts 1-3 months, depending on the dog, she notes, and is a good option for people who don't like giving the dog oral medications once or twice a day.
Alternatively, the oral tablets Zenrelia or Apoquel also inhibit cytokines that cause itchiness. Depending on the patient's clinical signs, they might be the choice for people who prefer to start with oral medications, according to Dr. Lavery.
She feels the antihistamine Benadryl is better for dogs with minor clinical signs, but not for dogs developing ear infections, rashes, and hotspots.
Dr. Lavery recommends frequent bathing for dogs with environmental allergies that involve rashes and really red skin.
'Most general practices have a medicated shampoo that they like to give out to clients,' she says. 'What you're doing is basically rinsing off all of those allergens that are sitting on the skin that are potentially causing irritation.'
How often you bathe your dog will depend on the severity of symptoms, but typically every 1-2 weeks, she says. Dogs with minor clinical signs might benefit from aloe or oatmeal shampoos, and having their paws and legs wiped off when they come inside.
She also suggests frequent ear cleanings with a cleaner provided by a veterinarian for dogs who develop ear infections from allergies.
'Ear infections are almost always due to an underlying allergy,' Dr. Lavery says. 'Owners will bring their patient in and say, 'He's just shaking his head like crazy.' The ears will seem really hot, really inflamed.'
Keeping skin as healthy as possible is wise, so she gives fish oil supplements to her rescue dog, Joey.
'It's to keep that healthy skin barrier to prevent those allergens from digging deep and causing that allergic reaction,' she says.
Ultimately, the key is working with your veterinarian to tailor a treatment plan to your dog's needs. One of her own dogs, a golden retriever named Tucker, needed Cytopoint injections year-round to avoid developing hotspots and ear infections from allergies.
'But I've known a lot of dogs who only get Cytopoint injections when it starts to bloom – all the flowers and leaves and everything – and they only need it during the spring and summer months,' she says. 'It truly is patient-dependent on how frequently medications are needed and what the patient needs to have the allergies managed.'
