How To Tell If Your Dog Has Food Allergies?
Food allergies occur when the immune system responds unnaturally to common, usually harmless substances like pollen, food or insects.
You can tell that your dog has food allergies if he is showing some of these symptoms:
- Itchy, Scratchy Skin.
- Ear Infections.
- Gas And Digestive Problems.
- Licking And Foot Chewing.
- Skin Infections And Skin Bumps
- Loose Stools And Diarrhea
If your dog shows these symptoms, you should consider consulting a qualified veterinarian for specific treatment and care instructions.
The elimination diet ( Testing For Food Intolerance )
If you suspect food is the problem, an elimination diet is the way to sort it out.
For 8 to 12 weeks, start feeding your dog a protein, and a source of carbohydrate that he doesn’t normally eat.
For example, if your dog eats chicken and rice, try to feed him fish and sweet potato and absolutely nothing else.
Keep away all other food from your pleading dog, and be strong in front of those big brown eyes.
Stick to this diet (plus water) – no treats, no snacks, no leftovers, and no sneaking him a bit of food under the table at mealtimes.
If this method clears up the symptoms, it’s probably safe to say that the food is what caused problems for your dog. Also, you’ll be able to select the foods that are least likely to cause an allergic reaction.
Once you have established that the symptoms are gone when your dog eats only two foods and water, the next step is to start adding new foods, one at a time.
If you’re used to feeding your dog chicken and rice, try adding lamb, and see what happens. If your pooch doesn’t show any adverse reactions, Introduce fish and rice, then try fish and green beans.
You must make one change at a time; otherwise, if the symptoms reemerge, you won’t be able to identify which foods are causing the trouble.
If your dog reacts badly to a particular food, make a note of it and don’t feed it to him ever again Over time, you will end up with a list of foods that don’t trigger a reaction, and that can be fed to your dog safely.
Here’s a list of the top common food allergens for dogs:
- Beef
- Milk
- Corn
- Chicken
- Pork
- Eggs
- Turkey
- Fish
- Wheat
- Soy
- Yeast
Commercial Dog Food for Allergies
Many owners have found that dog foods designed for allergic dogs have done wonders for their pets. These “simplified diets” or limited ingredient dog food for allergies, usually contain one single source of protein and carbohydrate.
You will need to be patient if you consider switching your dog to a simplified diet or limited-ingredient food. It’ll take eight to twelve weeks to notice an improvement in your dog.