The food allergies in dogs can root a broad amount of redness of the skin, hair loss, itching (itching sensation), vomiting in dogs, and diarrhea. The good advice is that it is very easy to treat this condition once diagnosed. Diagnosis involves conducting a food experiment with the supervision of a veterinarian.
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It is a simple and non-surgical procedure:
Food accounts for about 15% of dog skin allergies. Unfortunately, veterinarians find it more difficult to diagnose food allergies. This is generally the result of mistaken owners trying to make what they think is the best feed for their pets.
Breeds are the most common sex affected by food allergies:
There is no specific strain, sex or age of dogs infected with food allergies. Any dog can be hypersensitive to food. It is important to accept that your dog can be hypersensitive to food for a long period of time as well.
Signs of food allergies in dogs:
Dogs usually show signs of being extremely wise when they are affected by food allergies. They may have red and irritated skin, flake, and chew in the fur. This may constantly lead to hair loss. A large part of dogs that cause food allergies arrive to have only one sign: recurrent ear infection.
Causes of food allergies in dogs:
The causes and intolerance of food in dogs are:
Immune response:
The immune response is the result of allergies, such as chicken or diary, which causes allergic reactions in the digestive system after absorption. Then the body installs a response against the allergens and this has effects on the body. Protein is generally the source of a dietary that causes a reaction in dogs. The most common is chicken, followed by beef, dairy products, eggs, then non-protein ingredients such as wheat.
Food intolerance:
Eating intolerance means that your pet can not digest food properly. This usually leads to vomiting, gas, dog stress, excess curiosity, and diarrhea. The element of food prejudice are not well understood.
Diagnosis of food allergic:
Fleas, allergens, scabies and reactions to medications can all cause skin problems similar to those caused by food allergies. It is important to see your veterinarian’s dog, conduct a physical examination, accurate history of the problem of you, and exclude other causes of skin conditions. The last step in diagnosing food allergies is to conduct a food-elimination experiment.
Food Elimination Trial:
A food elimination trial is the only way to confirm a food allergy. This consists of using a special diet for a period of at least 12 weeks. If, after 12 weeks, your dog is doing better, your veterinarian may recommend that you challenge them with the old food to see if the original signs reoccur. Interestingly, dogs tend to only have an allergy to one ingredient in the food and, by eliminating that ingredient, your dog will be on its way back to health. A food elimination diet does not mean simply giving your dog a brand or type of food that is different. Many over-the-counter foods contain similar ingredients to one another. Often, owners do not believe that their pet has a food allergy because they have tried many types of food and not seen any improvement.
Types of Diets Used in Food Trials:
Novel Protein Diets:
A novel protein diet is one that contains a protein source that your dog has never been fed before. Meats such as duck, venison, and rabbit are usually in this category.
New proteins can be helpful in certain cases, but are starting to become problematic when trying to diagnose food allergies. One issue is that owners often are tempted to supplement the novel food with snacks and those snacks can contain the ingredient the dog is allergic to. The other issue is that these proteins are becoming less novel as dog food companies have started mixing many of them, such as rabbit, into their regular food recipes.
Molecularly Smaller Proteins: Hypoallergenic Diets:
Using molecularly smaller proteins in food is another option for doing a food trial. These prescription diets have proteins so small that no immune reaction will usually occur. Examples include Hills Z/D formula, Purina Hypoallergenic formula, and Royal Canine Hypoallergenic formula. These seem to work fairly well, but they are expensive. There are also certain dogs that will still react even with these tiny proteins.
Special considerations during the food trial:
There are many things you need to do at home to ensure the accuracy of your dog’s food test results:
- No food other than what is provided
- Not treated unless approved by your veterinarian
- There is no human food
- No fishing for food abroad.
- Your dog will remain restricted during this period.
- No bones, flavor or toothpaste
- Can not access the cat litter boxes
- There is no medicine with flavor
Drugs can be used for short-term relief, but it is not a cure. Can be used during the initial part of the food experience to provide relief.
Steroids and / or antihistamines can be used for the first week or so of the food experience to help scratch.
Antibiotics can be used for secondary infections of chewing the skin. These infections increase the level of licking and need to be cleared before the results of the food experience are evaluated. Your veterinarian can determine whether topical creams or oral antibiotics are necessary.
References:
Predicting dogs with food problems is very good if the owner is willing to commit to following the rules of the dining experience to get the diagnosis and then stay with a diet that will not cause any immune reaction or intolerance by eliminating the offending substance.
Alternative treatments:
Essential fatty acids may help the dog coat while dealing with skin problems.
Hypoallergenic baths may help to soften the dog’s skin.
If the lick is in one area and the dog can carry a cone, it helps to reduce the risk of secondary injury from licking. It also allows for any topical medications that may be prescribed by your veterinarian.
Some believe that probiotics help to prevent and treat food allergies.
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