Dog Food Allergies - Suffer No More!
Food allergies are not only for humans. They can be found in your pets and are difficult to diagnose because dog food allergies can appear so rapidly. The greatest problem, of course, is the pet can’t let you know what his symptoms are and these are oftentimes confused with other problems.
Some symptoms of dog food allergies are: excessive scratching, hair loss, skin infections, as well as ear infections. Many times antibiotics are used for skin infections and they will clear up briefly, only to return again when the antibiotics are completed. An animal with itchy skin that doesn’t seem to improve with the use of antihistamines or steroids, might possibly be suffering from a dog food allergy.
There are many differences between dog food allergies and food intolerance. Intolerance to certain foods may cause your dog to have diarrhea or frequent bowel movements and vomiting. Fortunately, food allergies and food intolerance can both be treated once they have been diagnosed.
Beef, chicken, wheat, eggs, soy, and dairy products are what most dog food is made from. So therefore, it should not come as a surprise that most dog food allergies are going to be to one of the major ingredients found in the food.
Most dog food is made from beef, chicken, wheat, eggs, soy and dairy products. It should not be a surprise that most dog food allergies are caused by one of these ingredients. When pet companies began producing lamb and rice formulas, many dog food allergies seemed to disappear.
Most veterinarians agree that it is not because of something special in the formula that reduced the dog food allergies, but merely, that the dog’s diet had not been one the dog had developed intolerance for.
Dietary Change To Test For Food Allergies
Once other causes have been ruled out, like flea bite allergies, intestinal parasites, yeast or bacterial infections, a dietary change may be needed to reduce the symptoms of dog food allergies.
A new food containing protein and carbohydrate should be the only diet for the pet for about 12 weeks to determine which ingredients in their old food was causing the allergic reaction.
The food source must be completely different form what the animal was used to and cannot be supplemented with treats or other types of food if the testis to be effective. Once it is determined the pet is not having an adverse reaction to the new diet, different foods can be added to develop a more diverse diet. Any addition must however, go through the same procedures to see if there is any reaction. The new addition will need to be eliminated.
