Dogs suffering from food allergies may display various symptoms, from skin issues such as itching and rashes to digestive symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, not to mention chronic ear infections.
Most veterinarians agree that an elimination diet is the most reliable method for diagnosing food allergies in dogs. Only this approach can identify which ingredients your canine might be sensitive to.
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Elimination Diets
Food allergies are triggers that activate an immune response in pets, often leading to itchy skin, hot spots, ear infections or other symptoms in them. Allergies tend to be more prevalent than food sensitivities or intolerances which don’t trigger this response but nonetheless have their own set of symptoms.
An elimination diet can help your dog determine which ingredients are triggering his/her allergies or sensitivities by restricting all possible allergenic foods before gradually reintroducing them in small doses until one or more trigger symptoms.
Begin by compiling a list of all of the animal proteins your dog has consumed (including treats and treats), including those contained within their current food. Substitute these with novel protein diets beginning with half and gradually adding in more new food each week until you reach 100% novel protein diet adherence. At this time, avoid feeding other foods, snacks or treats at this time.
Immunotherapy
Dogs suffering from food allergies typically exhibit skin conditions like itching, redness, rashes and crusty spots; vomiting and diarrhea may also arise as side effects.
Elimination diet trials are often the best way to accurately identify food allergies in pets. Your vet may suggest feeding your pet an experimental diet for 8-12 weeks and slowly adding back foods one at a time in order to discover which ones cause reactions.
Oral medications like prednisone and cyclosporine can be effective ways of controlling allergy symptoms, but can come with negative side effects that make long-term use unfeasible. New nonsteriodal immunosuppressants like Atopica and Apoquel offer allergy relief without negative side effects; they begin working within four hours and can be stopped or started anytime without repercussions.
Medication
If a dog has an allergic reaction to an ingredient in its food, they may experience symptoms including itchy and red skin patches, excessive chewing or paw licking behavior, itchy ears or vomiting and diarrhea symptoms. Hyperactivity, weight gain or loss and aggression could all occur as a result of constant scratching and itching.
Food allergies in pets can be determined through either a blood allergy test or an elimination diet trial, in which your vet will administer an exclusive food for eight-12 weeks without adding other foods, treats or supplements until gradually introducing different ones to see which ones cause reactions in them.
Allergy medications like corticosteroids can provide temporary relief of severe symptoms; however, due to potential side effects they should only be prescribed as short-term solutions until other therapies become effective. Nonsteriodal immunosuppressants like Apoquel (oclacitinib) and Atopica offer effective protection from airborne allergens while having reduced side effects.
Surgery
Food allergies in dogs can produce various symptoms, the most prominent being itchy skin and paws. Allergies may also lead to vomiting or diarrhea as well as anal sac irritation and/or loss of appetite in some dogs.
Elimination diet trials with novel ingredients are the best way to diagnose dog food allergies, which involve feeding your animal a completely new food for around 8 weeks and then gradually adding back ingredients one at a time until identifying which ones they’re sensitive to. Blood tests and skin swabs may be used, though these methods tend to be less reliable. Your veterinarian may recommend prescribing or creating homemade hypoallergenic recipes aimed at helping soothe symptoms – this may be recommended if other forms of treatment have failed.
