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This dog food guide will help you to learn about dog food allergies symptoms, causes and treatment.
The best part?
Every possible treatment of dog food allergy in 2019
In other words, you don’t worry about your dog health keep reading.
Let’s start
The main reason for food allergies in the dog is a disturbance in the immune system.
Which type of disturbance?
Dog immune system reacts negatively towards commercial food, especially when it contains protein.
Vegetables and grains are the sources of proteins.
Addition of grains and vegetables in preparing wet or dry dog food may also cause dog food allergy.
Research proved protein in meat is not a reason for food allergies in dogs.
There are different food products which can cause health issues in dogs like:
- Eggs
- Dairy products
- Fish
- Soy
- Wheat
- Keep one thing in your mind; these all ingredients are the ingredients found in dry and wet food prepared commercially.
Are you confused between food allergy and food intolerance?
If your body cannot digest food properly then it’s called Food intolerance or you can say food type irritates your stomach is food intolerance.
Symptoms
- Gas
- Cramps
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Headache
- Nervousness
On the other side food allergy happens due to disturbance of the immune system, which helps to protect from disease.
When the immunity of a person decreases, our system can’t help to fight with dangerous diseases, and this leads to allergic reactions.
Sometimes immune system releases some chemicals like histamine, which can be the reason for dog food allergy.
Symptoms
- Breathing issues
- Coughing
- Vomiting
- Tightness
- Swelling
- Blood pressure issues
Types of allergies in Dogs
There are different types of allergies which can affect the dog’s health.
Skin Allergies
These are the most common allergic reactions in dogs called allergic dermatitis.
There are three noticeable causes of skin allergies like
- Food allergies
- Environmental allergies
- Flea allergy dermatitis
#Food allergies
Scratching and itchiness of skin is the main symptom of food allergy in dogs.
Food allergy irritates dogs; they feel itchiness on legs, tail.
Dogs try to bite their paws and tail to get rid of the allergy reactions.
#Flea allergy dermatitis
Some dogs are not feeling comfortable with flea saliva habits, and flea allergy may also cause itchiness and redness of the skin.
Environmental allergies
Most of the people and animals face climatic allergy, dogs irritated by dust particles and pollen grains.
In every allergic reaction, dog face itchiness on paws, ears, legs and tail.
Signs of food allergies
If you feel your dog is continuously itching and biting on the fur.
Check your dog routine maybe you changed food ingredients or medication.
Sometimes a change of shampoo becomes the reason for scratching.
There are different signs you will see is confirmation of dog food allergy like
- Constant itching
- Sneezing and coughing
- Itchiness on paws
- Hot spots and skin rashes
- Pigmented and leathery skin texture
- Scaly dry or oily skin
- Redness of eyes
- Hair dryness and hair loss
- Ear pain or infection
- Bacterial infection on any place of skin
- According to research, different body parts have a different ratio to get infected.
- Ears -80 %
- Paws – 61%
- Inner thigh/belly- 53%
- front leg area-33%
- Eye -33%
- Gastrointestinal Food Allergy Symptoms in Dogs
About 30% of dogs are suffering from gastrointestinal allergy. This type of allergy can be diagnosed with some signs of dog food allergies.
- Diarrhoea
- Damaging to pass stool
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Gas trouble
Uncommon Symptoms of Food Allergies in Dogs
Some dogs are not weak in the immune system, but sometimes they face some infections due to sudden reactions.
Such type of allergy can be identified by
- Nasal discharge continuously
- Severe breathing issues
- Urination problem due to bacterial infection in the skin
- Weight loss due to vomiting and diarrhoea
- Symptoms of dog food allergies according to behaviour
- You need to focus on these symptoms preferably
- Scratching constantly on skin and legs
- Restlessness
- Shaking of head and ears frequently
- Biting at paws due to itchiness
- Biting on paws
- Your pet avoids playing games
- Less intake of food
Allergy triggers in food elements
As I mentioned above, food allergy happens due to low functionality of the immune system, and it’s a negative response of certain chemicals or proteins.
There are different allergy triggers mentioned:
- Milk
- Fish
- Meat
- Eggs
- Beef
- Pork
- Chicken
- Wheat
- Corn
Most importantly, preservers affect a dog’s immune system badly.
How to diagnose a dog food allergy?
There are different conditions, and you need to keep in your mind during diagnosing food allergies in dogs.
- If you found symptoms of allergy at a very young age, it can be an environmental allergy
- If your dog travels from the dry area to humid place, then there are 80% chances to get seasonal dog allergies.
- Your dog is constantly facing vomit issue and gas trouble then it’s a gastrointestinal symptom.
Types of dog food allergy test
Another way to diagnose a food allergy; in this situation, we need to perform some tests.
- Blood tests
- Patch tests
Blood test
You can diagnose allergy by a blood test, but it’s not a reliable way, now a day’s different updates tests are in the development process, which is more effective than before.
Patch test
Another option you can use the patch test is a more accurate option than a blood test.
This test only conducted with the recommendation of dermatologists.
A protein solution mixed with petroleum jelly and apply on the skin for 2 to 3 days and inspect on 4th day.
If there is irritation or itchiness, then it is considered positive otherwise negative.
Dog food allergy treatments
Approximately 80 to 90% of allergic reactions can control with following easy treatments.
Check some time only fatty acid supplement required to add in diet plan to control their allergies.
As I mentioned three types of allergies, this treatment is going to help all affected dogs.
If you want to get rid of food allergies first diagnose which food ingredient disturbs your pet.
You can remove that ingredient from the diet chart for a short time until food allergy controlled.
Sometimes the addition of supplements can help to control the dog food allergies, but this is not a long term solution to this problem.
Remedies used to cure dog food allergies
There is a different type of allergies, but seasonal allergies can treat by natural remedies as compared to medication or steroids.
You can help your pup without any chemicals but discuss with your vet before using any medicine.
Here are some remedies which help to treat your dog from food allergies.
Bromelain & Papain
If you want to feed your dog low protein food, then choose bromelain and papain.
From where we can get?
It comes from papaya. It helps to reduce inflammation, burning and pain from body parts, especially from the mucous membrane.
Oat Baths
Oat is a pure source of carbohydrates, so keep one thing in your mind if your dog is facing itching issue then avoid oats.
But you must provide an oat bath to get rid of the itching problem and allergens.
How can we use?
- Take water in a bowl
- Boil water in low flame
- Also, boil oat straws
- Mix all solution in the bathwater of the dog.
Colostrum for Dog Allergies
There is no doubt the mother’s first milk is very helpful to develop the immune system and digestive system.
According to research, colostrum helps to eliminate allergy symptoms from the dog.
Commonly colostrum provides antibodies to reduce allergens.
Keep one thing in your mind colostrum in dogs only used during seasonal and environmental allergies.
How much colostrum your dogs need?
You can use it daily for the first month until your dog gets relief from allergy symptoms.
We can get Colostrum in two forms in powder form or in a capsule it works when you give in empty stomach.
Your dog will like to eat colostrum with yogurt.
You need to give one capsule twice a day to a small dog and two capsules for large dogs.
Nettles helps to resolve dog food allergies
Nettles are herbs for pets helps to resolve dog food allergies.
This is a plant which stimulates the body parts to protect their self from allergy symptoms
Nettles have some effect of quercetin, which boosts antibodies to reduce allergy effects.
How Much Nettles Dogs requires?
You can use nettles for your dog allergies by making tea or premade tincture.
A dog requires 2 to 10 drops per 10lbs; also, it depends on the weight of the dog.
Keep one thing in your mind wear gloves while taking nettles.
Conclusion
Dog food allergy is not dangerous, we can resolve it by proper medication, and by following some precautionary measures.
Keep in your mind always take opinion from your veterinary doctor for your pet to avoid dangerous disease.
This Dog Food Allergies the Ultimate Guide site has helped me many times in health problems.
This book helped me to heal and feel better for my dog