What Is A Dog Food Allergy?

Unfortunately many dog food allergies normally manifest in your pet in a way that we can not see. However one way of knowing if your dog may have a dog food allergy is that their skin becomes itchy. Often this results in them scratching themselves on the feet, legs, chewing of the tail, shaking the head, loss of hair, rubbing of the face, anal itching along with recurrent ear infections and sores appearing. But more often than not a food allergy in a dog can be overlooked as it is assumed that their skin problems are being caused by other health issues. This may include fleas, mange or external allergens such as pollen and dust.

But where food allergies are concerned in a dog they may also be other symptoms apart from a skin reaction. This includes:-

1. Vomiting
2. Diarrhea
3. Flatulence
4. Sneezing
5. Asthma like symptoms (seem to have difficulty breathing and wheeze)
6. Some may even have seizures whilst other their behavior may change.

However in some cases a food allergy may not be suspected as the dog has been eating the same food for years without any reaction to it. But just like us a dog can develop a particular sensitivity or allergy towards a product that they have had not problems with before. This may occur because the manufacturer has made a change in the ingredients that is now using and so an allergic reaction may occur. What is important to remember is that a food allergy can appear at any age in any dog as well as in both dogs and bitches even if no alterations have been made to the product that you use.

One of the best ways of treating a dog who has a food allergy is by using an elimination diet. Although this will help to remove the symptoms it does not always provide your dog with nutritionally complete meal. So the best way to do this is by producing specially tailored home prepared meals. But for those of you who do not have the time to prepare such a meal then there are a wide variety of dog foods around which provide a vast selection of alternatives. So the best thing you can do is read the ingredients on the product carefully and closely observe your dog for at least a couple of months in order to determine whether the food you have selected is appropriate as well as being allergen free.

So if you are concerned that your dog may be suffering from a dog food allergy then talk to your vet and look at what sorts of alternative foods you can give them.
source : dogbreeds123.com