Treat Dog Food Allergies

Dog food allergies are relatively uncommon, making up about 10% of all allergies in dogs.[1] Despite being uncommon, a dog food allergy can make your dog feel pretty miserable if the ingredient causing the allergy is not identified and eliminated from his diet. Food allergies can be difficult to diagnose and treat, so you will need to work with your veterinarian to feed your dog a diet that will keep him healthy and free of food allergies.

Steps

Learning About Food Allergies

  1. Learn what causes food allergies in dogs. Dog food allergies are an immune response to a particular ingredient—usually a protein.[2] Foods that commonly trigger allergies in dogs include beef, chicken, wheat, and dairy.[2]
    • The immune response always has a genetic basis, but it has also been suggested that receiving antibiotics early in life could make a dog more prone to developing food allergies. Your dog’s gut is an important immune organ, and the antibiotics could negatively affect the gut’s immune function.[1]
    • Keep in mind that food allergies do not develop overnight. Although the allergy may appear suddenly to you, it is likely that the allergy was slowly building up over time and manifested itself later in your dog’s life.[1]
    • Most dogs have an allergy to more than one type of food.[1]
    • Food allergies can occur at any age and with either sex.[3][4]
    • Research has not identified any dog breed that is particularly predisposed to developing food allergies.[4]
    • Mites can sometimes be found on the grains of low-quality dry dog food. The mites can multiply when dry food is stored for a long time. In addition, the mites, when ingested with the food, can produce an allergic reaction in your dog.[5]
  2. Recognize the clinical signs of food allergies. The most common clinical sign of food allergies is itching that persists regardless of season.[6] The itching can be generalized, but is usually localized to the feet, face (muzzle and chin), armpit, or ears. Sometimes, food allergies will lead to an itchy spot around your dog’s anus.[4][1]
    • Other skin problems, such as skin infections or hyperpigmentation, could develop as a result of your dog licking and/or biting at the itchy spots.[4]
    • Chronic ear infections and digestive upset are common signs of food allergies.[1]
    • Respiratory problems are usually not associated with food allergies.[4]
  3. Learn the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance. It is important not to confuse what your dog is allergic to and what his body cannot tolerate. Remember that a food allergy is an immune response and causes an allergic reaction (e.g., itching). A food intolerance is a reaction that does not involve the immune system.[4]
    • An example of food intolerance is food poisoning—it can cause digestive upset, but is not an allergic reaction.[4]

Taking Your Dog to Your Veterinarian

  1. Provide a detailed history of your dog's diet to your veterinarian. Food allergies can be difficult to diagnose because the clinical signs are similar to those of other allergies and skin diseases.[3] Diagnosing a food allergy involves eliminating ingredients out of your dog’s diet. Because of this, your veterinarian will need to know your dog’s full dietary history so that he or she can design an ‘elimination diet’ that excludes any potential food allergen that your dog has previously eaten.
    • It would also be helpful to tell your veterinarian when you first started to notice your dog's clinical signs and how severe his itching has become.
  2. Conduct a physical examination. Your veterinarian will do a full physical examination of your dog to examine his skin and assess his overall health.[7] Be aware that, even if your dog’s physical presentation closely matches a typical food allergy presentation, your veterinarian will probably want to do some extra testing to rule out other skin diseases.
  3. Perform skin diagnostic tests. In addition to eliminating the ‘culprit’ ingredient(s) from the diet, food allergies are also diagnosed by ruling out other skin diseases. To rule out these other diseases, your veterinarian may perform various skin tests, such as skin scrapings and skin cytology (examining the skin cells). Blood tests are generally not recommended to diagnose a food allergy.[4]

Feeding Your Dog an Elimination Diet

  1. Develop an elimination diet with your veterinarian. Conducting a food trial with an elimination diet is the best way to diagnose a food allergy. There is no ‘one size fits all’ elimination diet, so you will need to work your veterinarian to come up with a diet that eliminates all potential food allergens but still meets all of your dog’s nutritional requirements.[4] The detailed dietary history that you provided will be very helpful in creating an elimination diet for your dog.
    • The elimination diet should contain one protein source that your dog has not been exposed to (a ‘novel’ protein) and one source of carbohydrates (e.g., starch, rice).[4][2] Examples of novel proteins are duck, salmon, and kangaroo.[2]
    • Feeding your dog a home-cooked elimination diet will ensure that you know exactly what you are feeding your dog.[8] However, a home-cooked diet is very labor intensive and still may not meet your dog’s nutritional requirements if you create it without consulting your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist.[4]
    • Commercial diets are nutritionally balanced and will save you time and energy. Your veterinarian can recommend which hypoallergenic commercial diet could work for your dog. Keep in mind that not all hypoallergenic commercial diets have been tested in dogs with food allergies, so you cannot fully guarantee that your dog will not have an allergic reaction to the diet.[4]
    • Some commercial diets will have what is called a hydrolyzed protein. A hydrolyzed protein has been broken down into its amino acid components, making it less likely to cause an allergic reaction and more easily digestible.[4]
  2. Feed the elimination diet for eight to twelve weeks. It usually takes at least eight weeks for all food products to be eliminated from your dog’s digestive system.[3] For this reason, the elimination diet will need to be fed for at least as long as it will take to make sure all of his original diet is out of his system.[3]
    • Once his original diet is out of his system, the new diet will have a chance to demonstrate whether it is effective in eliminating the symptoms of your dog’s food allergy.
    • The elimination diet should be fed until your dog’s allergy symptoms go away.[7] Many dogs will start to experience symptom relief within four to six weeks of eating the elimination diet, but some dogs may take much longer to respond.[2]
  3. Do not feed your dog anything other than the elimination diet. Any food other than the elimination diet is strictly off limits during the food trial. Do not feed him treats, table food, or any flavored medication.[7] If necessary, you may need to ask your veterinarian for the non-flavored version of his medication during the food trial.
    • These other foods may contain the ‘culprit’ ingredient. You do not want to compromise the results of the food trial by feeding him anything that he has eaten before.
    • Your dog’s monthly heartworm preventative chew may be flavored.[3]
    • Chew toys and supplements are also off limits during the food trial.[4]
  4. Keep a dietary log. Keeping a record of your dog’s daily eating habits during the food trial will give your veterinarian a good idea of how your dog is progressing with the elimination diet.[4] If you feed him some of his previous food by accident, you should make a note of that in your log.
    • Along with recording what he is eating, you should also record observations of his clinical signs. Ideally, you should see his clinical signs lessen the longer that he is on the elimination diet.
    • It is possible that your dog will not respond to the elimination diet. This could be because the new diet has an ingredient that your dog is allergic to.[4] If this is the case, you and your veterinarian will need to go back to the drawing board and decide on another diet for your dog to try.

Re-challenging Your Dog With His Original Diet

  1. Feed your dog his original diet. At this stage of diagnosing a potential food allergy, your dog’s original diet becomes the ‘challenge’ diet. If your dog develops an allergic reaction to his original diet after being off of it for eight to twelve weeks, then this will confirm the food allergy diagnosis.[4]
    • The allergic reaction will occur within one hour to 14 days of re-challenge with the original diet.[6]
  2. Feed the elimination diet again. Although the food allergy has now been confirmed, your veterinarian will still need to identify the specific ‘culprit’ ingredient. To do this, you will need to feed the elimination diet again until the clinical signs of the food allergy disappear. Once the signs disappear, you will incorporate the potential allergens into your dog’s elimination diet—one at a time—until the clinical signs reappear.[4]
    • You can add chicken back by including slices of chicken into the elimination diet. You could also sprinkle wheat in his food.[2]
    • Add each ingredient individually for up to two weeks. The ingredient that causes the clinical signs to reappear is the one causing the food allergy.[6]
  3. Remove the allergy-inducing ingredient from your dog’s diet. The only way to prevent your dog’s food allergy is to feed him a diet that does not contain the ingredient identified as causing the allergy. It would be helpful to continue working with your veterinarian to keep your dog on a healthy hypoallergenic diet.
    • Fortunately, it is unlikely that your dog will develop allergies to new ingredients as he gets older.[6]
    • Hypoallergenic diets that are available only by prescription are usually better than over-the-counter hypoallergenic diets,[2] but are also more expensive.

Tips

  • Although a food allergy is an immune response, anti-inflammatory treatments like steroids have not been shown to be effective in treating a food allergy.[3]
  • If there are other members of your household, make sure that everyone follows the rules of the food trial and subsequent re-challenge.[3]
  • The quality of your dog’s food does not make him more or less prone to developing a food allergy. Remember that it is the ingredient, not the quality of the food, that your dog is allergic to.[9]
  • To prevent a mite infestation of the dry dog food, buy the food in small quantities, empty it into high-quality freezer bags, and place the bags in your freezer. Take one freezer bag out of the freezer at a time and transfer the food to an air-tight container to let it thaw before feeding it to your dog.[10]
  • Your dog's clinical signs may need to be addressed while his food allergy is being diagnosed. For example, your veterinarian may recommend an antibiotic ointment if the area of irritated skin has become infected. Your dog may also need medication to treat his digestive upset.

Warnings

  • Dogs may have a skin allergy in addition to a food allergy,[3] which can make diagnosis of a food allergy difficult.
  • Diagnosing a food allergy is often time-consuming and expensive, making it very frustrating for dog owners.[4]
  • If your dog’s symptoms get worse or do not resolve after several weeks on the hypoallergenic diet, consult a veterinarian. Your dog many need a different diet or medical attention.



Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/caring-for-a-dog-that-has-food-allergies
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 http://www.petmd.com/dog/centers/nutrition/evr_dg_best-dog-food-for-dogs-with-food-allergies
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/allergy-general-in-dogs/428
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 https://www.vetlearn.com/_preview?_cms.fe.previewId=d928dda0-b240-11e0-8712-0050568d3693
  5. ↑ http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/grains-in-dog-food-1/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 http://www.merckvetmanual.com/pethealth/dog_disorders_and_diseases/skin_disorders_of_dogs/allergies_in_dogs.html
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/allergies
  8. ↑ http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/caring-for-a-dog-that-has-food-allergies?page=3
  9. ↑ http://www.animalmedcenter.com/faqs/category/canine-allergic-dermatitis-causes-and-treatment-options
  10. ↑ http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/faqs-about-house-dust-mite-and-storage-mite-allergies?id=&sk=&date=&pageID=2
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