Food Allergies in Dogs

Food allergies account for about 10% of all allergies in dogs. It is the third most common cause after flea bit and inhalant allergies. They can show up as early as 5 months and as late as 12 years of age although a majority of cases occur between 2 and 6 years. Many animals with food allergies also have inhalant or contact allergies.

There is a difference between food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies are true allergies and show the typical symptoms of itching and skin problems. Food intolerances can result in diarrhea or vomiting and do not create a typical allergic response. Food intolerances in pets would be similar to people that get diarrhea or an upset stomach from eating spicy or fried foods. Fortunately, both food intolerances and allergies can be eliminated with a diet free from allergy agents.

Treatments

The owner of the animal with allergies has two choices. They can choose to feed the animal a special purchased prepared diet or a homemade diet. If the owner chooses to feed the homemade diet, then they can periodically change things up with new ingredients and determine which ingredients are causing the food allergy. For example, if the animal's symptoms subsided on a diet of beef and potatoes, then the owner could add chicken to the diet for two weeks. If the animal showed no symptoms, then they could then add fish for two weeks. If the animal began to show symptoms, then it could be assumed that fish was one of the things the pet was allergic to. The fish could be withdrawn and after the symptoms cleared up, a different ingredient could be added until all of the offending ingredients were identified. A diet could then be formulated that was free of the offending food.

 

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