I have a very cute 1 year old bitch that I am hoping will contribute to my breeding program. She is clearing everything, cute as a button, good temperament, good pedigree etc. etc. but about a month ago, starting licking and scratching, but not severely. I am hoping it's just the first flush of spring, which where we live is raging in pollen. At what point does one consider "allergies" to be commonplace and minor, or a problem for breeding stock? Thanks very much.

allergies are very heritable, and a health issue that is a true pain to live with ( both for the owner, and the poor dog ); I would spay and place her in a pet home.

She started licking and scratching a bit one month ago! You would spay and place a dog for that? That is really severe and very unfortunate advice.

Is she coming into heat? Did you put any flea/tick products on her or in her environment? Any other changes you can think of?

That said, yes, allergies are a big problem, but generally don't present until the dog is 2-3 years old. Take her to an allergist to find out what's going on if you can't solve it soon!

wow remind me not to sell a puppy to you..not to be mean but WOW. The 1 year old is simply licking, OP is questioning and youre saying to spay? Did I say WOW. Could be nothing more then a flea or just spring pollen as OP said. To the OP... are you having problems with ears staying clean? that would be a good sign of a food problem perhaps but before you do anything so hars, let the puppy grow up a bit more and if you still see signs of a POTENTIAL problem, see a board certified dermatologist to get a correct diagnosis. Most GP vets are not going to be able to do that. Good Luck

Allergies in dogs appear, not as hayfever in people, but in skin itchiness and problems of the skin and ears. Usually it begins around two years of age. I would not breed a dog or a bitch who had an allergy problem. It is very heritable and not something to pass along. elie

Thanks for the advice. This girl just came out of heat, and is treated monthly with Frontline Plus, like all of my dogs. My everyday vet said to give two Benadryl twice a day and monitor the situation closely. I really am grateful for any reasonable advice on how common this is in Labradors and I am NOT rushing off to spay based on two weeks of licking hocks and a little belly scratching. We have a lot of vegetation growing and a ton of pollen, but I do have access to a good dermatologist.

You might try testing her with bloodwork, for allergies. We had a dog that seemed to be reacting to something and we started with changing her food, only to find out months later that she is allergic to grasses mostly. We placed her. She was the cutest bitch, but I could not bear to think of producing more dogs that had allergies.

Yes, that is what I would do if one of my dogs had allergies. health is extremely important to me, and allergies are not to be taken lightly. sorry, but pollen reaction IS an allergy. there are enough labs in the world already,to breed any without stellar health and soundness is unethical to me. OP asked for advice, and that would be mine. if you don't agree, that's your right.
I wouldn't want to buy a dog from you , since we have different opinions of healthy breeding stock, and you are hiding your identity, a cowards way out.

I think once you experience living with a dog who has allergies then you tend to rethink keeping it in your breeding program. We had our allergy girl for 9 yrs, she was bred one time only which about the time she developed bad allergies. I thought it was hormones from nursing but they never went away. Sure enough most of her puppies developed allergies to one extreme or another, needing shots, prednisone, lots of hot spots, lick granulomas, digging at their itches.
Our current lines do not have allergies thank goodness. Everyone has to pick what they can live with when they chose to breed as we all know there are no perfect Labradors out there as far as pedigrees go. Allergies are at the top of my " Can't live with " list and gaging on the feelings of the poor families who adopted the pups out of our allergy girl, they weren't too thrilled either. They love their dogs but what a pain to constantly be takign care of hot spots, keeping the dog from licking it's paws and those dreaded lick granulomas. I think our girl spent most her life with the cone on around her head.

I asked a question in good faith and signing "Cecile" means zip to me, by the way. Thank you to those who were helpful, and now I can see that this is a serious issue.

I just finished teaching a course on immunology- my 4th time through on this topic, so I have a pretty good grasp on what is covered in the best textbooks on the field. I do not consider myself an expert on vertebrate immunity, however.

Allergies are tricky. There are hereditary influences. Some genes that promote susceptibility to allergins are in genes that would increase allergies in general. Others are less predictable in their effects. Nine different genes have been linked to allergy susceptibility in humans. Some of these are polygenic. There also is an environmental component to allergies. The IgE /eosinophil division of our immune system that is most commonly involved in allergies has as its main purpose fighting infections with large parasites such as various types of worms. Somewhat counterintuitively, infection with worms seems to make one less likely to develop allergies! Many researchers feel that people are more prone to develop allergies if they do not come into contact with many foreign substances and full-blown infections while their immune system is maturing. Statistically, children exposed to more infections and at younger age have fewer allergetic reactions.

I have bred a few dogs with allergies over the years. There didn't seem to be any pattern to their appearance. Only one dog that lived with me had allergetic tendencies. Something that bloomed in August would occasionally make him itchy, and the one time my crew got infected with fleas, he was the one that really suffered. I bred him only twice and kept a pup from one of those breedings. The daughter that I kept did not have any allergies, nor did her littermates or most offspring, as far as I know. One daughter I seem to remember had an allergy that did not keep her from earning a SH in the field and living to be 14 in good health. Another dog I sold as a pet was allergic to grass. His littermates were not affected. One was bred and did not produce allergies. I am now four generations removed from his sister with no allergies. In my lines allergies have been rare and very hit or miss. Now I'm knocking on wood, as I would not want to keep a line going in which allergies are common and severe. But I do think it would be quite rare to have a breeding program of many years duration without producing a few cases of allergies.

You need to determine if these are true allergies, then make a decision you can live with. She is young yet, I would have a vet familiar with allergies see her and watch her carefully. If she does have allergies, I wouldn't breed her if she were mine. Only you can make that decision if she continues in this direction and continues to get worse.

I have my 1st allergic bitch. My vet says most allergies in dogs are not food related and are environmental. I did make food changes just in case. They did nothing to help. I tried grainless 1st and then ProPlan SSS salmon, neither helped. It's worth trying a food change but don't expect miracles.

Yeast accompanies my girl's allergies with an odd feel to the coat and blackened areas, the yeast above the areas that itch. She scratches and chews herself constantly anywhere she can get to now. It's a pity to see her when itchy especially in the spring, summer & fall. :-( Winters are better but still not good.

She is currently once again on pred, cyclosporin and has been on cephalexin, ketoconazole and shampoo that is taking the place of Malaseb taken off the market, 1 time weekly.

I understand allergies can be hereditary. We have it in the family in humans. Human father, son and daughter all have allergies and are asthmatic but in different ways. It was absolutely passed on through their father & his family. I have slight allergies in the spring but not like they do and certainly not in my lungs.

I am glad I never bred my allergic girl, this began around age 3. Her littermate brother already had other health problems so I was not going to breed either of them. 1 month after that decision due to him, she became allergic which made me realize I made the correct decision. It might be the auto-immune system in both but I'll never know. Blood work has shown nothing in wrong in both related to auto-immune problems.

There are medications that can be used after things are cleared up, atopica and a few others. The current allergy attack should be cleared up before beginning a drug like atopica. Benedryl can help but not as well as in humans. :-( It works differently on dogs then us.

I wouldn't deliberately breed a bitch or dog with allergies. It can be a major problem and quality of life in any allergic dog can be altered due to allergies. I wouldn't want my puppy buyers to have to deal with what I do. I know my girl has serious allergies because they worsened slowly and steadily. I don't want to pass it on to any dogs so her and her brother will be spayed & neutered soon.

Wait and see how she does and then you make your own decision. If she has allergies, I wouldn't breed an allergic dog after what I've seen in 18 mo. Jmo.

Hi.. I cannot really add anything as I've yet to deal w/ allergies. However, I would find out for sure through a dermatologist(not a gen. vet or other breeders, etc.) before you make your decision.

This thread jogged my memory about something that I wanted to share w/ you. There was a lab bitch once whose handler was dealing w/ the itchies in this bitch, etc. She would get relief w/ weekly bathing. Her food was changed(didn't work). I was consulted about this and I told her to take the bitch to the vet and have her skin scraped... Lo and behold, she had mites.

So, just a thought for you and something you may wish to check out~

Good luck