When the pollen counts climb around Ottawa, a lot of dogs get miserable. Not sneezy the way people do. Dogs show allergies through their skin. The result is a dog that won’t stop scratching, licking, and chewing at themselves, often working a minor itch into a real problem over the course of a few hot weeks.
Seasonal allergies aren’t usually an emergency, but they’re genuinely uncomfortable for your dog, and left alone they tend to snowball into secondary infections that are harder to treat. Here’s what’s going on and what actually helps.
Why allergies show up in the skin
Environmental allergies in dogs are reactions to things like grass and tree pollens, weeds, mold spores, and dust. In people these allergens mostly hit the respiratory system. In dogs, the immune reaction plays out in the skin, triggering inflammation and a deep, persistent itch.
Dogs can absorb these allergens through the skin as well as breathe them in, which is part of why the feet, belly, and other areas that contact grass get so itchy. Ottawa’s summer mix of tree, grass, and ragweed pollen gives sensitive dogs a long season of triggers from late spring well into fall.
Signs your dog has seasonal allergies
The unifying theme is itching, but it shows up in specific places and behaviors:
- Frequent scratching, licking, or chewing, especially at the paws, belly, armpits, and groin
- Reddened, irritated skin, sometimes with a rash
- Constant licking of the feet (often leaving the fur stained a rusty brown)
- Recurrent ear infections. Look for head shaking, scratching at the ears, odor, or discharge
- Rubbing the face on carpet or furniture
- Hair loss in areas that get chewed or scratched raw
- Hot spots — sudden, angry patches of inflamed, oozing skin
The ear infection connection
Recurring ear infections are one of the most common ways summer allergies announce themselves, and a lot of owners don’t make the connection. Allergic inflammation affects the lining of the ear canal too, creating a warm, irritated environment where yeast and bacteria flourish. If your dog gets ear infections every summer, allergies are very often the underlying reason, and treating the ear without addressing the allergy means the infections keep coming back.
Signs of an ear infection include head shaking, scratching at one or both ears, a noticeable odor, redness inside the ear, and dark or waxy discharge. Ear infections are painful and don’t clear up on their own, so they’re worth treating promptly.
Hot spots: when an itch becomes a wound
A hot spot is what happens when a dog licks and chews one area so relentlessly that the skin breaks down into a raw, inflamed, often oozing patch. They can appear and spread alarmingly fast, sometimes seeming to develop in a matter of hours, and they’re painful. Summer’s heat and humidity, plus the moisture from licking, make the warm months prime hot spot season.
Hot spots usually need veterinary treatment. The area typically needs to be clipped and cleaned, and your dog often needs medication to break the itch-scratch cycle and treat any infection. They rarely resolve if you just leave them be, because the dog keeps reopening them.
Treatment options that work
The good news is that canine allergies are very manageable now. Treatment usually combines a few approaches:
- Anti-itch medications: Modern options can calm the itch quickly and safely, breaking the cycle before secondary infections set in. These include Apoquel and Cytopoint.
- Treating secondary infections: Antibiotics or antifungals for infected skin and ears
- Medicated shampoos and ear cleaners: They can soothe skin and rinse away allergens
- Omega-3 fatty acid supplements: Help to support the skin barrier over time
- Allergy testing and immunotherapy: They are recommended for dogs with severe, year-after-year allergies, to address the underlying sensitivity
Simple at-home habits help too: wiping your dog’s feet and belly after they’ve been in the grass, regular bathing with a gentle shampoo, and keeping up with flea prevention, since flea allergies can layer on top of environmental ones and make everything worse.
When to see a vet about allergies
Allergies themselves aren’t an emergency, but come in when the itching is constant enough to disrupt your dog’s sleep or quality of life, when you spot an ear infection or a hot spot, when the skin is broken, raw, or infected, or when whatever you’ve tried at home isn’t keeping up. Catching it before the scratching turns into an infection saves your dog a lot of discomfort and is usually easier to treat.
FAQ
Can I just give my dog Benadryl for summer allergies?
Antihistamines help some dogs but are often not very effective for canine skin allergies on their own, and the dose needs to be confirmed with a vet. There are far more effective allergy treatments available now, so it’s worth a conversation rather than relying on the medicine cabinet.
Why does my dog get an ear infection every summer?
Recurrent summer ear infections are very often driven by underlying environmental allergies. Treating each infection helps in the moment, but managing the allergy is what actually reduces how often they come back.
Are some breeds more prone to allergies?
Yes. Breeds like Retrievers, Bulldogs, West Highland Terriers, German Shepherds, Goldendoodles, and many others are more predisposed to atopic dermatitis. That said, any dog can develop seasonal allergies.
Will my dog grow out of allergies?
Usually not. Environmental allergies tend to be lifelong and often worsen over the first few years. The aim is long-term management to keep your dog comfortable, rather than a one-time cure.
Contact Us
If your pet is miserable with summer itching, ears, or hot spots, Galaxy Vets Urgent Care & Walk-In : Ottawa can help identify the underlying cause quickly and accurately.