The Shiba inu suffers from an allergic skin disease. All biting Shiba inu dogs need a food elimination test to rule out a food allergy. Food allergies are common. The most common food allergens are beef, wheat, and dairy, but there are many others. Preservatives are to blame, but they are rarely responsible. The immune system only recognized large molecules as proteins. Food allergies often start as soon as the dog begins to eat solid food. If your dog has itchy anus and patina + has ear infections all the time and this all started in the first year of life, London to a brick is diet related. Food-allergic dogs often rub their faces after eating because their lips are itchy. Food allergic dogs need a proper food elimination test.

The Shiba inu also suffers from canine atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is an allergy to pollen, dust mites, and household spores. It is rare that this begins in the first year of life (although not impossible). In the early stages, these dogs appear to itch even though the skin appears completely normal. The skin is dry due to a defect in the skin barrier. Sphingosine is missing in the protective ceramide layer on the outer skin. Allergens pass through the skin and water escapes. Dogs start scratching, but there never seems to be a reason. The skin may be a bit dry with dandruff, but nothing else seems wrong. Unfortunately this progresses and severe rashes develop as the Shiba inu ages. Rashes tend to appear where there is no covering of hair, such as between the toes, groin, abdomen, armpit, and the inner surface of the ear. Atopic dermatitis is frustrating. You can have skin tests and blood tests, and currently the only cure is desensitization with diluted allergen vaccines. This works in 70% of dogs. For those who cannot afford these types of tests, prednisolone is the only inexpensive option. Cyclosporine works well but is expensive. Some natural treatments can really help, and it is helpful to avoid exacerbating factors.