Dog Food Allergies

Dog Food Allergies – What About Your Dog?

Dogs show dog food allergies in a very similar fashion as they would react to other allergens, such as

dust and fleas, etc.  As far as dog food allergies, dogs can develop sensitivities and intolerances surrounding the digestive system, such as diarrhea and throwing-up.  This is because they are eating the allergens in their dog food!

dog food allergies

This directly hurts their stomachs, intestines, and colons.  The entire digestive system is at risk in this scenario.  Other things to look for to see if your mutt has dog food allergies is to see how they are acting in regards to their skin.  Are they chewing their paws?  Is their skin dry or extra moist?  Are their heat spots, rashes, or bald spots?  Does the dog get frequent ear infections?

The first thing to do to see if these ailments are dog food allergies is to isolate the problem, which means you should switch your dog over to a hypoallergenic dog food for about ten to twelve weeks and see if the problems continue to persist .  If they do then you can conclude that the problems are not dog food allergies.  If they stop, then you should continue your animal on hypoallergenic dog food.

Dog Food Allergies – What’s the Problem?

Dog food allergies begin when the pet dog begins to develop white blood cells and antibodies to specific ingredients of the food.  The idea is that the body overreacts to these offending attackers in the dog food.

These allergens could be in the dye, any chemicals, preservatives, and other food ingredients.  Any can be culprit because it depends upon the dog.  It could be eggs, beef, wheat, corn, fish, etc.  You have to stop feeding the dog these foods for a while, and be extra careful when you offer the dog his or her treats.

Those could be a problem as well.  After removing all of these items from the dog’s diet you can dog food allergiesbegin reintroducing them one at a time to see which one is causing the dog problems.  After you figure out which one you can then increase your dog’s food choices while keeping that one dog food allergen out.

There are some other options, such as feeding your puppy some medication for the dog food allergies.  These can be Benadryl to help with the itching.  In extreme situations, the dog can be given steroids.  The breed can be susceptible, the environment can be suspect, and other issues can abound.  But starting by checking if the dog food is the problem is a great place to start.  Do this by feeding your animal some hypoallergenic dog food.

Dog Food Allergies – Conclusion

If your dog is wheezing, snoring, and other signs of inflamation of the throat, or if there are some problematic skin conditions or gastrointestinal problems, than your dog is likely suffering from allergies.  Now, determining if those are dog food allergies is the goal.  Eliminate all allergens by changing over to a hypoallergenic dog food.