Many common health problems that dogs have can be traced back to allergies. Various ingredients in your dog’s food can cause allergies and make your dog not feel well. We’ll examine some of the symptoms of dog food allergies and what you can do to help give your dog some relief.
Common dog food allergies include allergies to grains, proteins, additives and fillers in the food. Cheap dog food is made up of fillers consisting of grains such as corn. Allergies to corn, wheat, soy and other grains are very common in dogs. Protein allergies are also common and list includes beef, lamb, eggs, fish, chicken and dairy products. When looking for the best dog food for dogs with allergies, examine the list of ingredients and choose dog food that doesn’t include cheap fillers. Dog food with oatmeal is a good alternative to corn. It is better for your dog and most dogs don’t have a problem with it. There are also all-natural dog food brands that only contain a few ingredients for the specific purpose of minimizing the chance of creating a problem with dog food allergies. Look for them at your pet store.
Dog food allergies symptoms can include a variety of things. The dog may develop chronic ear infections causing them to constantly scratch their ears and you may notice a brownish substance in the ear. Also, they may scratch the back of their elbows or other parts of their body when there is no indication of fleas. Plus, they may also lick and bite at their feet causing them to become red and irritated. In order to rule-out environmental allergies such as pollen or other inhalents, you’ll know that it is a food allergy if the symptoms occur during the winter or all-year-round instead of just during the spring when the pollen count is high.
Dog food allergies treatment involves avoiding the food(s) that are causing the allergies. The only way to accurately find out which foods are causing the problems is to do a food trial. A food trial is bascially choosing a protein and a carbohydrate source that your dog has not eaten before and feeding that to your dog for at least 12 weeks. If the symptoms have disappeared or have been greatly reduced, then you can conclude that your dog has food allergies. The important thing to note about doing a food trial is that the dog must only be given the protein and carbohydrate and nothing else such as treats, human food, eatable dog bones, etc. Short term treatment for allergies can be achieved by administering steroids, antihistamines, etc.
Although allergies are most likely the cause of most common ailments mentioned, there may also be other reasons why your dog is having the same symptoms. In order to rule out other causes such as sarcoptic mange, bacterial infections or parasites, it is important for your dog to be examined by your veterinarian.
Great information. Thanks for putting this out there, so people are more aware.