Chances Are Its Not A Food Allergy For Your Dog
Getting at the real reason your dog is having all those symptoms.
Your dogs skin is itching, perhaps to the point that he may even be licking his paws or chewing on his feet. Or he keeps vomiting or having diarrhea. It must be a food allergy, you think to yourself, so you put him on a special diet. But it doesnt work. Frustrated, you try other food combinations, finally bringing him to the veterinarian for help in figuring out which ingredient is causing the allergic reaction.
Suspected food allergy is a common reason people come to the nutrition clinic at Tufts, says Cailin Heinze, VMD, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist at the Cummings School. By the time they get here, theyve often tried five, six, seven different diets. But if they all have different ingredients and the dog is not any better, its probably not a food allergy. Of those dogs whose owners think they may have a food allergy, perhaps only 10 percent or less actually do.
Why do so many people believe their dogs are suffering from food allergies, besides the fact that the Internet is rife with articles and postings erroneously suggesting that food allergies in pets are quite common?
People want to help their dog, and if the problem is food, thats easy to fix, Dr. Heinze says. You just remove the food from the diet. So to some extent its wishful thinking. Add to that the fact that they keep reading online that food allergies are common, and it really snowballs.
Causes Of Food Allergies In Dogs
Allergies of all sorts are due to an abnormally strong defensive response to a protein that the immune system considers to be an invasive substance. It is estimated that around 60-70% of our immune system cells actually reside in the digestive system, and the same applies to our canines. The process of digestion is designed to break down our foods into their smallest parts, which are known as amino acids. These amino acids are then absorbed by white blood cells called enterocytes. When proteins are not properly broken down during digestion, these enterocytes see them as intruders and attack. Over time the response of these cells becomes more aggressive, and symptoms intensify.
Although any food can become an allergen, some foods are more likely to generate a reaction than others. Frequent offenders for canines can include:
What Are The Different Types Of Allergy
There are several ways of classifying allergies. Some examples of classifications include:
- Allergen flea allergy, food allergy
- Route the allergen takes into the body inhalant allergy, skin contact allergy, or food allergy
- Time it takes for the immune reaction immediate-type hypersensitivity, also called anaphylaxis or shock, and delayed-type hypersensitivity
- Clinical signs allergic dermatitis or allergic bronchitis
- Inherited forms atopy or seasonal allergies
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What Are The Signs Of Food Allergies In Pets
- Itching including licking, scratching, biting and rubbing of the skin of face, paws, back, limbs, bum and ears
- Redness of skin and ears
- Dryness of skin
- Sneezing and/or reverse sneezing
- Swelling of eyes or face
Most of the signs associated with food allergy are also signs associated with other more common allergies, including environmental allergy and flea bite allergy. Thus, the suspicion of food allergy should also be accompanied by other allergies, until the pet is comfortable and the cause determined accurately.
Only about 10-20% of all allergy cases in dogs and cats are due to food allergy. Despite food allergy not being very common in pets, food changes and evaluation of food allergy is often recommended. If a food change is recommended, it is not a diagnosis, rather a test to assess for food allergy. Knowing this and performing a good food work up can help prevent frustration and confusion as a pet parent. The information below should help understand the why and how of food changes, and help prevent an unending series of food changes for your pet.
Some pets may be affected by a combination of food allergy with other allergies. Thus, diagnosis of a food allergy does not rule out other possibilities.
Diagnosing Dog Food Allergies
Unfortunately, there are no reliable ways to test your dog for food allergies. The only way to determine which foods your dog is allergic to is through the process of elimination. Typically, your vet will prescribe a special, limited-ingredient dog food containing types of meat and carbohydrates that aren’t in your dog’s usual meals and seeing how he does on it. If your dog’s symptoms clear up on this special meal plan, after a period of time your vet may have you switch your dog back to his old food to see if the allergy symptoms reappear. If they do, that will confirm that you’re dealing with a food allergy.
The next step is to identify the specific ingredient causing the allergic reaction in your dog. This requires changing back to the limited ingredient food. Once your dog’s symptoms clear up, your vet may then have you add ingredients from his old food back to his meals one at a time and monitor the results in order to identify which ingredients trigger an allergic reaction.
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Environmental Allergies In Dogs
Dogs can develop environmental allergy as a result of a plethora of environmental irritants. The most common culprits can be classified as: outdoor inhalant allergens, that is ragweed, pollens, grasses and indoor inhalant allergens that is, molds, cigarette smoke, dust, mites and cleaning chemicals.
While we humans tend to exhibit environmental allergies through sneezing and coughing, dogs show their reactions through scratching and biting, as well as dog feet chewing and constant licking. A less common manifestation is recurrent ear infections.
Depending on the duration of the clinical signs, environmental allergies can be classified as: seasonal and non-seasonal .
The treatment involves two main steps the first step is identifying the allergen, while the second step is eliminating the identified allergen. If the allergen cannot be identified or eliminated, the dog will need a lifelong treatment with corticosteroids and antihistamines. If possible, immunotherapy may be the treatment of choice.
Prednisone is a short-acting steroid that can be used orally. It is considered to be safer than other long-acting steroids. If combined with antihistamines and Omega fatty acids as well as frequent bathing, this short-acting steroid can be used effectively in a lesser amount.
Over a period of time , the dog becomes desensitized to the allergens and no longer exhibits allergic reactions to them. Desensitization is quite effective, but also quite expensive.
Your Dog Has Chronic Ear Infections
Relatedly, many dogs with allergies will experience ear infections that recur frequently or never seem to fully go away. As with the feet, this problem is often caused first by the allergies.
The allergies break down the healthy skin barrier, then opportunistic bacteria or yeast create an infection, which all further contributes to the itch .
Dogs that have gone years with allergies that are either undiagnosed or undertreated will often have ears that are raw, smelly and thickened.
In severe cases, ear infections may become so resistant to treatment that surgery to remove the ear canal may be required. To avoid this situation, it is important to have your dog examined by your veterinarian as soon as you suspect that your dog may have allergies or ear infections.
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How Is A Food Allergy Diagnosed
The best and most accurate method of diagnosing a food allergy is to feed a hypoallergenic diet for eight to twelve weeks as a food trial called an elimination trial. To be a true elimination trial for your dog, this special diet must not contain any ingredients that it has eaten in the past. It also requires that no other foods, treats, or supplements are fed during the trial period, including flavored vitamins and certain parasite preventives.
If your dog’s allergy symptoms resolve while on the food trial, the next step is to perform a food challenge by re-introducing your dog’s old food. If your dog’s symptoms resolve with the food trial AND return within one week of a food challenge, your dog has been definitively diagnosed with a food allergy.
There are blood tests that may indicate whether the dog is allergic to specific foods. These are called serum IgE tests, and your veterinarian will discuss whether they would be of benefit in diagnosing your pet’s condition. There is some evidence suggesting that this blood testing is not as effective as food elimination trials.
Best Limited Ingredient Dog Food For Allergies: Wellness Simple Natural Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food Salmon & Potato
If youre looking for a limited-ingredient dog food, Wellness Simple Natural Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food Salmon & Potato is formulated with fewer ingredients to be easily digestible for dogs with food sensitivities, allergies, or food intolerance. Starting with a single source of protein and mixed with easily digestible carbohydrates , Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Salmon & Potato offers the complete nutrition your dog needs, without any fillers or artificial additives.
Every ingredient serves a real nutritional purpose in this food. Both the salmon and flax seed are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that will help our dogs skin sensitivity and build a healthy coat while the chicory root is a natural prebiotic to help aide his digestion. Wellness does nothing by accident and the limitations on the ingredient list is very likely to help any of your dogs allergies.
Over 500 people felt so strongly about this dog food that they came back to review it on Amazon. That tells us that the overall rating of 4.7 stars definitely has the support to make it a believable rating.
Wellness Simple Natural Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food Salmon & Potato Key Features:
- All-natural, limited ingredients single-source protein
- No wheat, soy, corn, gluten, artificial additives, or fillers
- Prebiotics and probiotics to support healthy digestion
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Tips For Making Your Own Dog Food At Home
PETA
Making your own food from scratch is hands-down the most reliable way to ensure your dogs diet has not come into contact with anything theyre allergic to. Weve got some healthy dog food recipes to share with you and some great dog food recipe hacks to make cooking for your dog less of a chore.
We hope this guide to dog food allergies helps you find a solution to your dogs symptoms. As a reminder, please always talk to your vet before introducing your dog to a new food.
Can Dogs Have Allergies
Dog allergies are much like humans when it comes to triggers and symptoms. Some breeds like Terriers, Retrievers, Pugs and Bulldogs, for example, are more likely to have this sort of reaction, but any dog can develop allergies regardless of their breed.
The most common triggers are the already known offenders. Grass, pollens, dust, feathers, smoke, dander, cleaning products and perfumes may give your dog a sneezing fit. However, canines can also develop an allergy to some drugs, food, dog shampoo, plastic and even fleas.
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Treating Itchy Skin And Ear Issues Caused By Food Allergies
The only way to treat a food allergy is to remove the offending food from the dogs diet, but there are options for temporarily treating the symptoms caused by food allergies.
Oral and topical medications are sometimes prescribed to help minimize itching. Any secondary problems, like skin or ear infections, will also have to be addressed.
If youre concerned about any symptoms your dog is experiencing, or youre simply wondering whether the food youre offering is the best choice for your pet, speak with your veterinarian.
Common Food Allergies In Dogs Explained By A Vet
Diagnosing food allergies in dogs can be tricky. Learn about common culprits, plus allergy treatment options.
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As many of us can confirm, allergies are super unpleasant. In basic terms, allergies are caused by the body mistaking a foreign substance as harmful, even if it isnt. The immune system responds by creating antibodies to attack the antigen. This reaction leads to symptoms like sneezing and runny eyes, itching, swelling, and rashes, and/or gastrointestinal distress.
Unfortunately, allergies are among the common conditions affecting both humans and dogs alike. While human allergies affect up to 50 million Americans each year, the estimates for dog allergies are harder to calculate. One reason is that theyre often mistaken for food sensitivities, which may involve similar symptoms, but dont cause immune responses.
Dogs with environmental allergies can also show the same symptoms as those with food or flea allergies . It can be challenging to determine the cause of the allergy, especially since environmental allergies are far more common than food allergies. However, true food allergies do exist in dogs, and they can be dangerous if left untreated.
Understanding how to recognize and treat your dogs food allergies is important for any pet owner, and the knowledge may just end up saving your dogs life.
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How To Treat Dog Food Allergies
Unfortunately, theres no cure for allergiesthe best treatment is simply avoiding the causes of allergic reactions. If your dog is currently having an allergic reaction, however, there are medicines that can be used to stop symptoms and help your dog feel more comfortable.
Discovering what food your dog is allergic to may be difficult, especially because most dog food contains a blend of many different proteins. Unfortunately, there is not an accurate test to diagnose a food allergy. While there are several on the market, they are not recommended due to their lack of validity. The only way to test is to go through an elimination diet trial. There are two major styles of an elimination diet trial to determine the causes of your dogs allergy symptoms:
- Hydrolyzed protein diet. Hydrolyzed protein dietsutilize a process where large protein molecules are broken down into much smaller fragments and can bypass the negative immune response and prevent the food allergy. Like the novel protein elimination diet trial, this diet must also be fed for at least 8-10 weeks and no other food items can be given during this time.
Food Allergies: What Foods Are My Dog Allergic To
Any dog can experience food allergies, even dogs eating premium kibble. However, its becoming increasingly difficult to find dog foods that dont contain fillers, preservatives, or common food allergens.
If you suspect that your dog is experiencing food allergies, its important that youre able to identify food allergy symptoms and what ingredients are the most likely culprit.
Today, we are sharing EVERYTHING you need to know about food allergies in dogs, what the most common food allergies are from A to Z, dog food allergy symptoms, treatments for dog food allergies, and alternative dog food that may benefit your pup if they have food allergies.
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Dog Food Elimination Diet
The most reliable way to determine if your dog is allergic to a food item is to conduct an elimination diet. During an elimination diet, feed your dog a new protein and new carbohydrate for 8 weeks. This means the foods have to be something your dog has never eaten before, such as venison and potato, rabbit and pea, fish and potato. Another option is alligator and coconut.
During the 8 weeks of the elimination diet, you cannot give your dog any other foods. No table scraps, no treats, no supplements of any kind. Once youve completed the 8 week elimination diet, you will reintroduce the foods your dog was eating before. If your dog has a reaction or breakout, its a pretty good indication your dog was allergic to that food.
Your Dogs Feet Smell Like Corn Chips And They Wont Stop Licking Them
While most humans think that the corn chip smell is normal for a dogs feet, its actually a sign of bacteria. If your dog is also licking their feet, its not because theyre cleaningtheir feet are itchy.
If your dogs hair is a light color, you may notice fur staining of the feet, a symptom in which the fur takes on a dark red, coppery color due to the dogs saliva.
The classic corn chip odor of the feet, which many people believe to be completely normal in dogs, is caused by skin infections, either from bacteria or fungi . So how is this symptom related to allergies?
The inflammation associated with skin allergies breaks down the normal skin barrier over time. As a result, opportunistic microbes like yeast and bacteria can go from resting peacefully on the surface to diving deeper, where they set up infections and cause problems.
Addressing these secondary infections will be one of the first steps that your veterinarian will want to take in treating your allergic dog.
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Does My Dog Have A Food Allergy
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Many dog foods on the market make claims about being good for allergies, but how well do these claims hold up? How common are dog food allergies? And is hypoallergenic dog food right for your dog? To learn the truth about food allergies in dogs and what hypoallergenic dog food really means, keep reading.
Are Food Allergies In Dogs Serious
Yes, especially if the symptoms persist daily. Even in non-life-threatening cases, allergies provide significant quality of life issues in dogs. For instance, some dogs get so itchy, they create wounds on their skin from scratching and chewing at themselves. These can lead to severe infections that may spread to the bloodstream and become life-threatening.
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