Bichon Frise Allergies and Treatments

If you happen to notice that your Bichon Frise is scratching excessively, you may find that your pet is having an allergic reaction. Like humans, dogs can develop allergies suddenly. It could be that your Bichon is allergic to fleas, pollen, mold, or even trees or tobacco smoke. When you see your Bichon scratching themselves and chewing on their skin, you’ll want to make sure you get them to the veterinarian before they cause any damage to their skin and infection sets in.

The following are some common types of allergies your Bichon Frise may have and some common methods of treating them.

Flea Allergies
Your Bichon’s allergy to fleas is not an allergy to the flea itself, but an allergic reaction from the flea’s saliva. A dog that is not allergic might have a slight skin irritation from flea bites, but when they are allergic, it causes excessive itching and irritation. This, of course, causes your Bichon to chew, lick, and scratch themselves so badly they will lose hair and possibly have open sores or scabs, which can lead infection.

The obvious treatment for your Bichon with a flea allergy is to keep the fleas off them using a vet approved flea repellent and by using a flea comb daily. In extreme cases, a pet can be desensitized to the effects of flea bites by having flea saliva injected into the skin in small amounts over time. If this works, your Bichon would not have such intense reactions to flea bites. This method, however, only works less than 75% of the time.