A regular came in not long ago and mentioned, almost as an aside, that her dog had started chewing on his front paws every evening — nothing she was worried about, she said, "he's just a weird dog." We got him up on the table, and the fur between his toes was stained a rusty brown from all the licking, with the skin underneath pink and a little irritated. That staining is one of the more reliable things we look for this time of year, and it's almost never about being weird. It's usually allergies.
Why This Stretch of Summer Is Rough on Sensitive Dogs
Grass is one of the most common seasonal triggers for allergic dogs, and it's had all spring and early summer to build up around St. Charles yards, parks, and trails. Ragweed is the next wave — the Missouri Department of Conservation's field guide confirms it grows throughout the state, and it's a well-known late-summer allergen once it starts releasing pollen. That means a dog who's sensitive to environmental allergens doesn't get much of a break — one trigger tapers off only for another to be right behind it.
What Environmental Allergies Actually Look Like in Dogs
Dogs don't usually get the sneezing, watery-eyed reaction people associate with hay fever. According to the American Kennel Club, environmental allergens like pollen, grass, and mold tend to show up on a dog's skin instead — and the areas with the least fur and the most direct contact with the ground and grass, like the paws, belly, groin, and armpits, tend to be hit hardest. The AKC also notes that recurring ear problems, especially in both ears at once, are frequently one of the first or only signs of an underlying allergy, environmental or otherwise. Left alone, all that licking and scratching can break the skin and open the door to a secondary yeast or bacterial infection, which is a separate problem on top of the original itch.
In practice, that means we're watching for a specific pattern at the salon: paw licking that's left the fur stained or damp, redness or a rash in the armpits or groin, a rough or thickened patch of skin, or ears that smell a little off or feel warm before a dog even seems bothered by them.
What We Notice at the Salon
Coat type changes how obvious this is. Blue, our Dachshund, has more hair around his paws and ears, so allergy staining tends to hide in the fur until we part it during a brush-out. Belle, our Weimaraner, has a short, close coat, so redness on her skin is usually visible right away without much digging. Either way, it's part of why we go over a dog by hand at every appointment rather than just looking at the coat from the outside — a lot of early allergy irritation doesn't show up until you actually part the fur or feel the skin underneath.
How Grooming Genuinely Helps
We're not able to treat an allergy — that's not what a grooming appointment is for, and it's not something we're positioned to diagnose. But regular bathing and brushing does real, physical work: it rinses pollen and grass residue off the coat and skin before a dog has all day to lick, roll, and rub it in further. An oatmeal-based shampoo, which we've written about in our guide to picking the right shampoo, can also take some of the edge off already-irritated skin between visits. A regular bath and brush or de-shed means less coat for pollen to cling to and an extra set of hands checking the skin underneath it — on a schedule that works for your dog, since bathing too often can dry out the skin just as much as the allergen itself was irritating it.
Some of this overlaps with what we've written about hot spots in Missouri summer — the itch-scratch cycle that starts with an allergy is one of the more common ways a hot spot gets going in the first place.
What We're Not Able to Do at the Salon
We'll always tell you what we see — staining, redness, a spot that looks more irritated than the rest of the coat — but we're not vets, and we don't diagnose allergies or treat skin infections. If your dog is licking or scratching more than usual, has broken or thickened skin, or keeps getting ear infections, that's a conversation for your veterinarian, who can test for and treat the underlying allergy rather than just the symptoms we can see from the outside.
What Actually Helps
- Rinse or wipe down paws after time outside in grass, especially during the heaviest weeks of pollen season.
- Keep up a bathing schedule your vet or groomer helps you dial in — regular enough to rinse allergens off, not so frequent it dries out the skin.
- Watch the paws, ears, armpits, and groin for redness, staining, or odor between visits, since those are the areas environmental allergies hit first.
- Loop in your vet early if licking or scratching is frequent or focused, rather than waiting to see if it passes — allergies tend to recur each year once they show up.
If your dog's had a case of the paw-licking blues this summer, or you'd like an extra set of eyes checking for early skin irritation, book an appointment here — we're at American Puppy in St. Charles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my dog has environmental allergies?
Look for licking or chewing focused on the paws, redness or irritation in the armpits, groin, or muzzle, and ear problems that keep coming back, especially in both ears at once. Dogs with environmental allergies tend to show it on their skin rather than sneezing or watery eyes.
What time of year are dogs most likely to have allergy flare-ups in Missouri?
Grass is one of the most common seasonal triggers and builds up through spring and early summer. Ragweed, which grows throughout Missouri, becomes a factor as summer moves toward fall, so sensitive dogs can go from one trigger into the next with little break in between.
Can grooming fix my dog's allergies?
No — grooming can't treat an allergy. Regular bathing and brushing physically rinses pollen and allergens off the coat and skin, which can ease irritation between visits, but the underlying allergy needs a vet to diagnose and manage.
Why does my dog keep getting ear infections in the summer?
Recurring ear infections, particularly in both ears, are frequently one of the first signs of an environmental allergy. If your dog's ears keep flaring up, it's worth mentioning to your vet as a possible allergy symptom rather than treating each infection as unrelated.
Is it bad to bathe an allergic dog too often?
It can be. Bathing helps rinse allergens off the coat, but bathing too frequently can strip natural oils and dry out the skin, which makes irritation worse rather than better. Your vet or groomer can help you find a frequency that works for your dog.
Do groomers check for allergy symptoms?
Yes — we go over the coat and skin by hand at every appointment, which is often when staining, redness, or early irritation gets noticed. We'll always tell you what we see, but diagnosing or treating an allergy is outside what a grooming appointment can do.