Dog Food Allergies

Just like people can have many allergies so can dogs. Dogs can be allergic to fleas, dust and even food. Food allergies are not always evident due to the many conditions dogs can have and their inability to speak our language. A dog food allergy may appear out of nowhere, even if the dog has been eating the same food for years.Therefore diagnosis becomes essential and a trained veterinarian can help.

It is hard to predict which dogs will develop an allergy as science has failed to detect a difference among breeds of dogs. Any dog, whether male or female, spayed or neutered could develop a food allergy at some point in its life. Proper diagnosis and treatment then becomes essential.

Just about any food a dog can eat may have an allergen that one day will affect him. When one identifies that a dog is affected by a food allergy and not another condition, then one will need to begin the treatment process (See Below). Common dog foods that may trigger allergic symptoms include but are not limited to:

• Additives or fillers in commercial dog food
  
• Beef
• Corn
  
• Dairy Products
• Eggs
• Fish
• Lamb
  
• Soy
• Wheat

Dogs exhibit symptoms just like people when they have an allergy. What makes identifying the symptom as a food allergy difficult is there are many illnesses and other causes that could be responsible. Dogs can become allergic to a food they have eaten for years, so a food allergy may not be the first thing to come to mind.Some of the common allergy symptoms can include:

• Dry or Flaky Skin
• Ear Infections (Recurring)
  
• Hair Loss
  
• Hot Spots (Recurring)
• Increased Bowel Movements
  
• Itchy Skin
• Itchy Paws (Dog chewing paws and feet)
• Skin Infections
• Skin Rashes (Recurring)
  
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea (Uncommon)
  

When a dog begins exhibiting symptoms affecting its skin or you notice other changes in his behavior, it is time for a visit to the veterinarian. The symptoms above can be common to a host of other illnesses and proper diagnosis is key. What could be food allergies may also be flea hypersensitivity, sarcoptic mange, inflammation and yeast infection to name a few. If your dog receives a clean bill of health, then odds are it will be a food allergy and it's best to work with your vet in designing a new diet.

The most common form of treatment for a food allergy in dogs is to run a Food Trial or Elimination Diet which includes giving your dog a single protein and carbohydrate that he does not usually eat for about 10-12 weeks.

There are both homemade and commercial remedies available. Common homemade diets can include one of the following proteins and carbohydrates: lamb, venison, rabbit and fish for protein and potatoes, rice, oats and yams for carbohydrates. The key is consistency. This means no treats, rewards, flavored chew toys, flavored vitamins or pills or any sort of food based flavoring that could interrupt the trial. Unflavored vitamins and medicines can still usually be given. You will have to make sure the dog does not wander and begin eating other pets' food, garbage, kitty letter or otherwise try to eat foreign objects. Any food trial should be done with veterinarian consultation.

If after twelve weeks, the symptoms have improved odds are that your dog is suffering from a food allergy. Now comes the stage where you begin introducing one food at a time and waiting to see if symptoms return. This is why it is also called an elimination diet. If symptoms do not return, you move on to the next ingredient and so on down the list of the dog's original diet. If symptoms begin appearing after a specific food is added, then the dog is allergic to that ingredient and should be fed the elimination diet again until symptoms disappear. Then continue once more going down the ingredient list.

The entire process is a bit time consuming but necessary to determine what food your canine is allergic too. Before beginning any food trial and throughout the process, you should stay in consultation with your vet as they can offer advice and feedback.