All you need to know about food allergies in dogs

Knowledge about Food Allergies

Food is the necessity and a delicacy to relish. Succulent taste is just not enough to identify whether the food is properly balanced and healthy. Even if it is, the pet might be allergic to it. Food allergies are not so common yet so common in the pets. Any allergy to a food item is a result of an over-reaction of the pet’s immune system to it.

It is not like that a pet will develop allergies to an ingredient that he has never tasted but to those which they have had and now their immune system is confused whether to accept it or not.

Allergies can develop at any time and they are hard to identify. Especially hard if you have to find out the ingredient they are allergic to.

A few identified symptoms of food allergies in pets are itching – which leads to chewing, rubbing and scratching, hair loss, redness, diarrhoea, vomiting, ear infections.

According to a research study, the most common causes of food allergy in the dogs include beef, mutton, chicken, wheat, corn, soy, dairy foods and eggs.

While chemicals such as preservatives, additives or food dyes may also be a part of allergies. The most common causes of food allergy in cats are fish, beef and dairy products.

The diagnosis of the allergen that is the culprit behind these itching activities can be done through Elimination Trial of Diet. In this process, a food trial is taken for 8 weeks when a new food/diet is introduces to the pet.

Note: Avoid treats, flavoured tablets, rawhide chews and table scraps.

After you have provided this diet for 8 weeks, after that re-introduce the old diet and you will get to know whether the symptoms are recurring or not. For more help and advice, consult a vet who can properly guide you through this phase.

Always ensure that you feed your pet a nutritionally balanced diet. Not only does that improve the health and maintain their fitness but also the less number of ingredients makes it easier to find the triggering component of allergies.

Allergies are not just caused because of food; there are various other factors like environmental, which is a great contributor as well. A balanced diet ought to fix all the issues – be it food or surrounding related.