Food Allergies in Dogs
Allergies in dogs seem to have become more and more common over the years. Whether this is just because we are getting better at diagnosing them is debatable, but certainly the pet food manufacturers have had an important role to play in dealing with this phenomenon. Although a food allergy is thought to be non curable, the good news is that with proper diagnosis and management it can be well controlled in virtually 100% of cases.
What is a food allergy?
A more appropriate term for a food allergy is an adverse food reaction. It is where ingestion of a certain ingredient in the diet causes itchiness anywhere on the body and recurring skin or ear infections with Malassezia yeast and bacteria. Food allergies can also cause digestive tract signs too, such as fecal mucus, blood in the stools and increased frequency of defecation. They have also been associated with increased flatulence.
The root cause of these adverse food reactions is unknown, but research points towards an increase in permeability of the gut wall, or a failure of the gut associated immune system. Though it has never been proven that certain breeds are affected worse than others, some breeds do seem to be over represented. The age of onset can range from a few months to 12 years old.
What are the ingredients that dogs are most commonly allergic to?
There are 7 ingredients that are frequently responsible for adverse food reactions:
1. Beef
2. Milk
3. Eggs
4. Chicken
5. Soy
6. Wheat
7. Corn
Statistically, beef and soy are the biggest offenders. Many dogs will be allergic to more than one of these ingredients, and may also be allergic to things in their environment, such as pollen, certain grasses or fleas.
How can a food allergy be diagnosed?
If a dog has had general itchiness that does not lessen in the winter months, recurrent skin and ear infections or intermittent soft stools, it is worth investigating for a food allergy.
There are 3 recognised diagnostic methods:
1. A blood test to measure antibodies to various ingredients.
2. An intradermal skin test where allergens are injected at various points on the skin and the reaction is measured.
3. An elimination diet.
The intradermal skin test is thought to be very inaccurate, and the jury is still out on the blood test. The elimination diet is seen as the most reliable, and the cheapest of the three options. It does however require a motivated and disciplined owner in order to achieve meaningful results.
Elimination Diet
There are three basic elimination diet choices:
1. Home cooked food
This is not generally recommended as it is time consuming for the owner and can also provide an unnatural and nutritionally unbalanced diet. However, if the dog is incredibly fussy and the owner cannot bear to force it to eat a commercial diet, the best ingredients are one of either lamb, fish, duck or turkey, plus one of either rice or potatoes. The two ingredients selected (the former high in protein, the latter a carbohydrate source) should be ones that the dog has preferably never eaten before.
2. A commercial, limited antigen diet
If one of these diets is to be recommended, suitable ingredients would be venison, rabbit or oatmeal. Remember, we are looking for ingredients that your dog has never eaten before, so cannot possibly already be allergic to.
3. A commercial, hydrolysed protein hypoallergenic diet
These contain proteins that have been broken down to the extent that they are no longer capable of causing an allergic reaction. They are often referred to as prescription diets because they are usually purchased via a veterinarian, although they can be obtained over the counter without a prescription. They are significantly more expensive than limited antigen diets, so it is wiser to try a limited antigen diet first as if the elimination diet is successful, the dog will remain on that food for life.
The elimination diet must be given for a minimum of 6 weeks, and possibly up to 10, in order to observe the maximum response. Owners must not give their dog ANYTHING else during the trial period, meaning no titbits, treats or vitamin supplements. For example, many owners do not realize that rawhide chews are made from cow derivatives and that with beef being the most common culprit in allergies, these chews could be the root of the problem. During the trial period, nothing must enter the dogs mouth apart from the chosen diet and water.
If the symptoms in question are intense itchiness, many vets will prescribe antihistamines or steroids during the first few weeks of the trial in order to make the dog more comfortable. If the dog gets better as the trial goes on, and the initial drugs to provide temporary comfort have worn off, then it is suggestive of a food allergy. If this occurs, the dog is then challenged with its former diet to see if the symptoms return and therefore confirm the diagnosis. It usually takes between 3 and 7 days for the symptoms to return after initiating the challenge.
If there is a partial improvement in the dogs condition, it is likely that the dog indeed has a food allergy but also has other allergies at the same time. The dog will then be kept on the elimination diet while other potential allergies are investigated, such as flea bite sensitivity and atopy. These can be checked for via intradermal testing or blood tests.
If a food allergy is confirmed, the owner can either continue to feed the same food given during the elimination trial indefinitely, or can persevere with dietary trials by introducing the 7 most common allergic ingredients (see above) one by one until it is ascertained exactly what the dog is allergic to.
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Can food allergies cause hyperactivity in dogs?
My dog had food allergies awhile back that gave him skin problems. After eliminating the skin problems, the vet told me I could try to ease him back into certain foods that had been eliminated during treatment, so I’ve been doing that. My dog’s skin looks fine, but he’s been acting really hyper. Could it be the allergies?
Maybe . Depends on the food and the dog itself.
Food suggestions for dogs with food allergies.?
We recently brought our dog to the vet for his allergies (he’s been on Benadryl for about 6 months) and since he has not responded to the antihistamine treatment the vet suggested putting him on a food trial. We have to switch to a food that is completely (down to the last ingredient ) different from any food we’ve give him in the past. We have only fed him Iams puppy and Science Diet puppy dry food. I am looking for any suggestions on dog foods that have a short list of ingredients (less filler stuff) and don’t contain chicken, beef, corn, or the other really common dog food ingredients. I am also willing to cook for my dog if necessary so any links to good sites with recipes for dogs would be great too!! Any suggestions at all would help me start looking for a healthier food source for our dog. There are so many foods out there that a few starting points would be much appreciated. Thanks!!
i would suggest solid gold dog food. heres a link to the website.. its sold at petco as welll.
can anyone recommend a good dog food for dogs with food allergies?
I have two dogs, a maltese & cockerspaniel. The cocker got agressive from sevear ear infections, to calm him down he was neutered had a tonsilectomy & 2 ear scopes, antibiotic drops, oral meds. an allergy shot every 6 weeks and I have also been using a home made remedy made from vinegar, alchol and borac acid. Now non agressive dog, Better but still some problem with ears. Changed their food to Royal Canin 30 small bites. They loved it. Beautiful hair, the eye staining from tearing is gone! After eating it for 2 months the maltese started turning red around her hind-end and on her back legs, she started biting these areas until they were raw. I was told she was having problems with corn gluton in the food. Natural balance duck and potatoe formula was recommened. Been giving them this for 2weeks. They would not eat it at first so I had to mix the dry with can. They eat it but not very well. This is very expensive & It does not come in small bites, would another royal canin work?
My maltese did that butt/tail chewing thing off and on for 15years. There was no reason that I could see. A lot of the time I think it was nerves. Has anything changed in your household to make her/him feel upset. I know it sounds silly, but little dogs as well as big can be greatly affected by changes in their enviroment. Have you tried just giving the dog a half a benadryl. This works wonders on dog allergies and doesn’t cost as much as essentially the same drug the vet would give. Best of luck.
I also always recommend Nutro dog food.
I have dogs w/food allergies. The food from the vet is expensive. Does any one know of a cheaper food?
8mo. labs. although uncommon this early in there life, they suffer from skin and food allergies. I got them from amish puppy mill and have been committed to giving them a good home. I currently have them on Hills prescription diet from there vet. I was wondering if any body else dealt with this and found a cheaper brand or idea. They are also fatty acid supplement. They are really great dogs.
I have a yellow lab with food allergies too. You have to do some research on dog foods. You want to find a dog food that has chicken and rice or lamb and rice. I found one called Exclusive that really works for my lab. It’s chicken and rice, and it’s low fat too. My lab has been one this food for about a year and has only had one out break ine that time and it was a little one. Do your home work and you’ll find one that works for you dog.
food allergies in dogs?
I have a 11month old neutered great pyr who has what the vet diagnosed him with severe food allergies and/or staff infection. I lived in Northern Ga and moved to down to lower Alabama and that’s when all the problems started. He will scratch himself until he is bald and bleeding. He has plucked his hair out around the back of his legs and anus. I have tried a lot of dog foods like, nurto, nutro natural, science diet, avoderm, and bill-jac. My dog goes once a month to get a depo shot and to get a medicated bath but I just don’t feel like this is curing the problem. I’m trying z/d now and the vet recommened fish oil pills. I need to start some type of eliminating process to find out what the cause is but where do I even start? Also he will have bm’s 3-6 times a day? I’ve heard his is related to allergies. Anyone else experience this?
Lots of dogs are allergic to grains like corn. None of those foods you listed are very good and they all have grains. Science diet is a very crappy food. You should try a grain free, high quality food and see if he gets better. Wellness, merrick, acana, taste of the wild, blue buffalo, by nature, natural balance, fromm, orjen, zwiki peak and a raw diet are all good.
Ann Imal, its not a grain free food if it has grains in it. You need to read the ingredient list and find a food with no grains. The dog could be allergic to a protein source or something else but its usually food allergies are cause by grains. Why would you want to feed a carnivore grains anyway? Like someone else said, that science diet crap is stopping the itching, not the actual problem. Example, before I knew any better I put my cat on w/d because he had crystals in his urine. I did some reasearch and it turns out the kind of crystals he was getting were because he was not getting enough moisture in his diet. I switched him to raw and high quality canned and he is healthier than ever. He has not had crystals since, he does not have dandruff, he sheds less, and the fatty started to lose weight. So far he has lost 2 pounds.