Dogs can develop most of the same illnesses as people can, and that includes allergies, sometimes to foodstuffs. Like people, dogs are omnivores (unlike cats, who are carnivores), but some foods can’t be tolerated and we’ve found the best dog food for allergies, veterinarian-recommended and easy to find. There are several common culprits that result in food allergies in dogs; the usual ones are wheat, corn, soy, beef and fish. Wheat is the most common and gluten intolerance is easily remedied. As long as you are not feeding your dog any of the foods that are considered toxic for dogs (this is a long list, but includes chocolate, onions and garlic, grapes and raisins, nuts, and avocadoes), if they are not tolerating their food, it’s probably an allergy. Symptoms of food allergies in dogs often include the itch/scratch cycle, excessive licking, or nibbling on their own bodies, mostly the legs. Be careful not to confuse food allergies with allergic reactions to other things like insects (including flea bites) or grass and trees. The best dog food for allergies cannot be determined instantly. It’s a process of elimination. One at a time, remove one of the ingredients in your dog’s diet [...]
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The term “natural” means different things to different people and is certainly over-used by advertising agencies and marketing companies these days, but it is possible to buy or make truly natural dog food for allergies. Part of a holistic approach to treating food allergies in canines, natural dog food for allergies can be wither purchased from a specialty pet food retail store, or made from scratch at home. If you opt to purchase commercially prepared natural dog food, read the label of the canned or dry food carefully to ensure that whatever foodstuffs your dog is allergic to are not part of the ingredients. Also, be ready to pay extra, in some cases 3 to 4 times the cost of regular dog food, for natural dog food. No matter what type of dog food you purchase for your pet or working dog, all such types of dog food are made in manufacturing facilities; the image of an old retired veterinarian cooking up dog food on his stove and then canning it for world-wide distribution is nonsense. Still, the good ones such as Merrick, Harrington’s, California Natural and Natural Balance take certain steps to ensure the quality of their products. Buyers [...]
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Most dogs can eat beef with no trouble, and it’s a good source of protein and iron for them, but if they cannot tolerate beef, there are excellent choices for dog food for beef allergies. When you consider dogs in the wild, they tend to chase and eat things that are smaller than cows. Rabbits, chickens and lambs are more common fodder; think of coyotes, a close relative to dogs, and wolves, their direct ancestor (all modern dogs came from the grey wolf, originally). Even a large dog would have a struggle killing and eating a cow. So, it makes sense that dogs may occasionally develop allergies to meats such as beef that would not have formed a part of their diet in the wild. Diagnostic tests can determine if your dog is allergic to beef, but you can also figure it out yourself by removing beef from your dog’s meals and seeing if what you assume to be an allergic reaction to beef disappears. What symptoms might indicate an allergic reaction to beef? Vomit and diarrhea are common ones, but those can be triggered from other things, such as a tummy bug, eating something unsuitable (watch out when you [...]
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Dogs love their treats; they’re part of their training and rewards discipline and give them something to look forward to, but what are the best dog treats for allergies when your dog cannot tolerate store-bought treats? There are all sorts of excellent treats that your dog will love, taste delicious for him or her, and not trigger allergic reactions. It’s always best, of course, to first determine what dog treats your dog is allergic to. This is normally achieved by a process of elimination; if the dog reacts badly (usually through diarrhea or vomit, or a skin rash, much like the hives that can appear on humans), then you know the dog treat has caused a bad reaction. What is important to remember when using this process is to ensure the dog treat was not ingested with any other dog food or dog treats. If it was combined with something else, there is no easy way to ascertain which item caused the reaction. A great way to determine what dog treats or dog food are causing allergic reactions is to keep a journal of what is fed to your dog. Include the date, day, time and other conditions, such as [...]
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When your dog is not tolerating any other type of manufactured or homemade food, or an acute or chronic condition is present, it may be time to try dog food from veterinarians. Formulated to address, through diet, various conditions and ailment, dog food from veterinarians is available on a prescription basis. Some of these prescription diets are ingested by dogs to rectify an immediate or acute problem; others are for long-term use. Hill’s is the prominent maker of prescription dog food in North America, and has a strong presence in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Hill’s produces a variety of prescription diet types, including these that address chronic (long-term) conditions: c/d for bladder health b/d to assist cognitive function in geriatric dogs g/d for genera geriatric dog health h/d for dogs with heart conditions k/d for kidney function issues l/d for lover disease in dogs r/d or w/d for weight issues t/d for oral health These prescription diets from Hill’s are for more acute conditions: p/d for recovering puppies who had sustained an illness in early life i/d for gastrointestinal health and digestive disorders (this is also used long-term with some dogs) d/d (with salmon or duck, both fairly [...]
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When a dog reacts to food he or she has ingested, dog food allergy symptoms will be what dog owners can use to figure out what the cause of the allergic reaction is. It’s pretty simple. If you feed your dog a portion of properly cooked, plain (no herbs, spices or any type of marinade) beef, and 1 to 4 hours later, he or she reacts (usually in the form of vomit and/or diarrhea), this may be the cause of the allergy. (It might also be food poisoning, but that takes longer, usually a minimum of 6 hours, to show symptoms.) There are assumptions to that, however: 1. that the beef contained no parasites, was fully cooked to a hot internal temperature, and was 100% healthy for consumption; and 2. that the beef was the only thing ingested by the dog at the time. If more ingredients were fed to the dog, it opens up the allergic reaction being to any one of those. Dog food allergy symptoms take one or more of several forms: Diarrhea. Assuming the dog normally produces firm stools, this is a sure sign, and it also depends on the normality of the timing of bowel [...]
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Less than 50 years ago pet dogs and working dogs were mostly fed dog food from table scraps, until the burgeoning pet food industry was established. Arising out of the long-established animal feed business, that catered to farm animals, pet food manufacturing was a science and a marketing cash cow (pun intended) because it tapped into the need for busy people to provide nutritious food for their dogs and other pets. In the last few decades, cats and dogs have risen from status as mouse-catchers and best pals to bona fide members of the family, and dog owners have high requirements for the food that they feed their beloved canines. The pet food industry will claim they built their business on that market demand, but is it true? Yes and no. Pet food is big business, and big business fills niches where, hopefully, both the manufacturer and consumer benefit, but are table scraps suddenly, after being the mainstay of meals for dogs, no longer nutritionally adequate? Certainly urban dogs whose owners have access to supermarkets will vouch for pet foods; they’re convenient, and contain the necessary vitamins and minerals to make a complete and balanced diet for most dogs. Commercially [...]
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What can cause dog skin allergies? There are several culprits, internal and external, that can make dogs’ skin react in what appears to be a allergic condition, but not all of the causes are allergies, per se. It’s important to consult your veterinarian before concluding that a skin problem on your dog is an allergy symptom. If you self-diagnose and come to the wrong conclusion, you may be treating your dog for the incorrect affliction, and might do him or her harm, by accident. A dog’s skin can react in what appears to be an allergic way to: food allergies that also create diarrhea and/or vomit prescription medication toxic or unsafe foods, such as chocolate or grapes sickness or injury stress, perhaps from moving house or having been injured grief; this may seem odd, but dogs do suffer grief when a human parent or other family pet dies insect stings, poisonous or non-poisonous allergies to grasses, trees and other pollens anesthetic; dogs can develop conditions such as hives in reaction to general anesthetic alopecia and other type of hair loss hot spots from bug bites or other external attacks the environment, especially in a cold climate where there is central [...]
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Perhaps it’s a result of the increased amounts of additives and preservatives in all foods these days, but dogs seem to be exhibiting allergic reactions more than ever, so it’s important to identify the dog food for allergies that is safe for your pet. What is pivotal to know is that some foods that humans can safely ingest are toxic for consumption by dogs. Topping the list is any form of chocolate; it can kill a dog. This is more than a dog food allergy, it is a toxic chemical that dogs cannot tolerate in their systems. Carob, an alternative to chocolate, is safe. There is a difference between foods that dogs cannot ingest and ones they are allergic to. Dog food for allergies most often excludes wheat, beef, and white potatoes. Among the best meats to be included in dog food for allergies are: lamb chicken salmon or trout a soya protein meat substitute (may cause flatulence) A few dogs have allergic reactions to chicken, and lamb is widely considered to be the most hypoallergenic meat for dog food. Never feed your dog the skin of chicken (it is too high in fat for their systems to properly and [...]
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If your dog has chronic diarrhea, vomiting or is constantly sneezing or scratching, you may be seeing dog allergy symptoms. Dogs, like people, can be allergic to airborne particles such as pollen or foodstuffs like nuts. If you suspect your dog has allergies to airborne or material items (for example, the nylon on your broadloom carpet), your veterinarian can help you determine, through tests, what the allergy might be. Dog allergy symptoms to those types of things usually manifest in sneezing or coughing (make sure it’s not kennel cough, which is a sometimes-dangerous bacterial illness), especially when the dog sniffs at the item he or she is allergic to. People can be allergic to dogs, but can dogs be allergic to people? Yes and no. No, dogs do not develop allergies to people, per se, but can be allergic to such human accouterments as perfume. That will make a dog sneeze! Dog allergy symptoms show up distinctly when there is a long-term or even temporary allergic reaction to food. Normally, this results in severe diarrhea that generally only lasts one bowel movement. If it becomes chronic, odds are good there is some form of allergy to a specific food ingredient; [...]
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Other than the foods you should never feed your dog (chocolate, avocadoes, mushrooms, nuts, grapes and raisins, and onions and garlic), most dogs can eat just about anything and never suffer from dog food allergies. Now and then, a dog will be born with an allergy to certain types of food, or, more likely, develop an allergy as he or she ages and the stomach lining changes accordingly. Sometimes when people eat too much of one food item, they, too, develop an allergic reaction to it; the same holds true for dogs. If you feed your dog the same food day in and day out, it’s possible he or she may become allergic to it or react to it in a way that appears allergic. There are also some foods that are more prone to triggering dog food allergies and when symptoms appear, that is the time to withdraw a suspect food and then slowly reintroduce it a few days later, monitoring the results; it is essentially a process of elimination because your dog can’t tell you what is upsetting his or her tummy. There is no need to despair over dog food allergies if your dog develops them. It’s [...]
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