Dr Messonnier's BookAvoiding allergens is extremely important when caring for the allergic pet. While you can't keep your dog away from every allergen in this environment, you need to remove the allergens he has contact with as quickly as possible. Frequent bathing and conditioning is probably the most important part of the treatment of the allergic dog. Remember that your dog absorbs a lot of allergens through his skin. When you can remove these allergens, you decrease the exposure to the trigger that causes the dog to itch. When he itches less, he scratches less. Even pets on high doses of corticosteroids need frequent bathing and conditioning to remove the things from their bodies that cause itching.
Bathing Frequency
How often is "frequent"? Each pet will require a different regimen, but in general shampoo and condition your dog every other day or 2 to 3 times per week during the allergic season. Once the scratching is under control, decrease the bathing and conditioning to an as-needed regimen, which is usually once a week. For a severely allergic dog, consider daily bathing until he is comfortable, then weaning to 1 to 2 times per week to maintain a "comfortably itchy" pet.
Are you surprised by this recommendation? Many people have been conditioned to the concept that bathing to often is bad for dogs and dries out their skin. While frequent bathing of a healthy dog with harsh, soapy shampoos can dry out and irritate the skin, the allergic dog has a disease that requires frequent bathing and conditioning. If you use gentle shampoos and conditioners, it is only the rare pet that develops dry, itchy skin. This can easily be remedied by adding a bath oil to the final rinse, but it is rarely needed. In fact, most allergic dogs improve considerably with frequent use of a hypoallergenic shampoo and conditioner.