How Do You Cope With Seasonal Allergies?

Answers to our Community Question of the Week

Springtime means allergy season for many of us, so we asked our Facebook friends, “If your dog suffers from allergies, how do you combat and protect against symptoms while still enjoying the awesome weather?”

Benadryl, extra bathing, prescription medications, and wildflower honey are just some of the ways we keep our pooches comfortable when the pollen count is high. Thanks everyone for sharing.

My dog has eye and ear allergies. He has prescription ear and eye drops. ~ Renee Lowe

Benadryl and a rubdown with a wet towel when we get back inside to get stuff off of her fur. ~ Tess Purvis

Local raw wildflower honey. I give her about a tablespoon in her food once a day a couple weeks before allergy season starts. So I will be starting tonight probably. But if her symptoms get bad I give her Benadryl. ~ Sandi DiMarco

I have one fur kid that suffers from allergies and right now we have her on monthly allergy shots and also Benadryl in case we need to give extra dose but for now that’s all we do. She is 12 years old by the way. ~ Linda Castor

We bathe weekly, or twice weekly. We wipe down feet and body with a damp towel after playing outdoors (keeps pollen counts down) and we keep a regular flea product on her. If symptoms flare beyond our control we get to the doctor a.s.a.p. to prevent a secondary staph infection. ~ Danielle Renaud

My vet helped me save some money with allergies and has me give them Benadryl…Seems to work and is a lot less expensive than prescriptions. ~ Chad Rannells

So far we do Benadryl daily, a good food and a rinse in the tub after our outing. I clean the house thoroughly once a week too. ~ Brooke T Angel

Raw diet, chlorhexiderm (as strong as we can get it both in shampoo and spot treatments), Weekly baths and a t-shirt if it’s really bad. ~ Christine Fischer

Benadryl is a life saver, and one of the safest things out there for dogs. One to two miligrams per pound of body weight. ~ Carey Knapp

Benedryl and Zyrtec to keep things under control, fish oil in the food to protect the coat, weekly baths with medicated shampoo and tea-tree oil treatment, and a wipe-down every time he comes back from being outside. A round of steroids only if they get out of control! I’ve heard about honey and Aller-Q, but never tried personally. ~ Katie Black

Allergy shots at vet. Last about four weeks. ~ Margaret Bussell

I wipe her down with a wet towel after we come back inside. Also, she gets Omega-3 fatty acids and yogurt with live cultures. In addition, I give her daily Zyrtec and Benadryl when it gets really bad as ordered by my vet. ~ Christine Nelson Wolfer

Bee pollen, acupuncture, and frequent wipe downs. ~ Dawn Munger

Raw goat’s milk! ~ Our Waldo Bungie

Wipe downs after playing outside. Must keep an eye out for bees and reactions to plants…Benadryl is always on hand. ~ Zeus Paradis

Benadryl, baths, and a t-shirt. ~ Suzanne Kristensen

Lots of Benadryl! ~ AJ Bradley

We’ve tried everything but nothing controls the itching and scratching. This year, we are going to try Atopica. ~ Kirsten Thompson

This is a great article that just came out on allergies. ~ Ruth Brunette-Means

We got a blood allergy test to find out what the specific allergens were. It was pricey, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat rather than do an elimination diet for months only to find out that it wasn’t food at all but dust mites. (We got a dehumidifier and are working on vacuuming more frequently to keep the dust mites down and use Benadryl, as well as doing quick wipe-downs with grooming wipes between baths, as well as a soothing “hot spot” spray). ~ Kelly Tessena Keck