Dog Food Allergies: A Deceiving Disease

Canine food allergies are perhaps the most hard-to-diagnose pet ailments today. The effects and symptoms of this problem can make life difficult and uncomfortable for your four-footed friend.

There is not one symptom that points to food allergy as the main source of your pet’s health problem. This is actually why the condition is a little too difficult to treat. Instead, there’s a group of symptoms that can be associated with dog food allergy and the symptoms can vary significantly from case to case.

The most common signs shown by a dog suffering from food allergy are itchy skin and itchy feet and paws. This condition usually leads to biting and chewing at the paws, dry skin, flaky skin, and hair loss. Skin rashes and hives would tend to develop as well. Symptoms like recurrent ear infections, yeast infections, hot spots, chronic vomiting, chronic diarrhea, and frequent bowel movements may occur as well. In several cases of dog with food allergies, the symptoms may wax and wane over time. However, new symptoms may occur as the others seem to improve.

Food allergies can literally occur overnight and the allergen could be the actual food or an ingredient of that food that the dog has eaten. It could even be foods that it has eaten for years without any problem. Food allergy is confusing and frustrating for pet owners. Puzzled dog owners can consult with the vets to further help address the problem. The most common foods known to trigger food allergies are beef, chicken, eggs, dairy, wheat, corn, and soy.

The best cure for a dog with food allergies involves an exclusion diet. An exclusion diet usually involves eliminating one ingredient at a time from the dog’s meals for a period of two weeks. This may also mean serving special dog food varieties or a homemade diet until the offending food or ingredient has been identified.

Enjoy this site and feel free to explore for more great info about dog.