what dog food to use for allergies
The Best Foods for Dogs With Allergies
Humans arent the only ones with allergiesour dogs can get them, too. Canine allergies can lead to numerous skin conditions that can be frustrating to manage. These allergies can be due to environmental causes or from the food our dogs eat.
Key Takeaways
- Dogs can be allergic to foods like beef, chicken, lamb, wheat, soy, eggs, corn, and nuts.
- Allergy tests for dogs are not reliable.
- The only proven way to tell what your dog is allergic to is to change their protein source or perform an elimination diet trial.
The most common symptoms of dog food allergies include:
Redness of the skin of the inner ears
Itchiness of the ears (chronic scratching of the ears or shaking of the head)
Ear hematomas
Chronic thickening of the ears
Chronic ear infections
Redness and itchiness of the feet or in between toes (foot chewing)
Chronic pododermatitis
Patchy hair loss along the neck and trunk
Chronic skin infections (with bacteria or yeast) that never seem to clear up
Skin issues are the most common dog food allergy symptoms. These are mostly seen as an allergic reaction to the proteins absorbed in food.
The reaction leads to the release of immune cells, which can cause weakening of the bonds between the skin cells, resulting in a weakening of the skin barrier. This change in the skin barrier leads to redness and itchiness, and it makes the skin more susceptible to infection with normal bacteria and yeast.
The most affected areas are the ears, paws, around the eyes, and sometimes the trunk (torso) and limbs.
What Are Common Dog Food Allergens?
The most common proteins dogs are allergic to are beef, chicken, lamb, and wheat. Other less common causes of dog food allergies include soy, eggs, corn, and nuts.
Dogs cannot be tested for food allergies like people can, as the available testing is unreliable. The only proven way to tell what your dog is allergic to is to change their protein source or perform an elimination diet trial.
During an elimination diet trial, you eliminate all proteins your dog has been exposed to for two to three months. This gives the body enough time to completely eliminate the old protein sources and heal from the chronic allergy stimulation.
How To Help a Dog With Food Allergies
An elimination diet trial withhydrolyzed foodis the best way to treat and diagnose a dog food allergy. Its easiest to start with a prescription diet, such asHills z/dorRoyal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein. Theseveterinary dietshave proteins that are too small to be recognized by the immune system.
An elimination diet trial takes approximately two to three months to complete. This time is necessary for the old proteins to leave the dogs system. Additionally, the dog must be on the diet long enough to see a difference from the previous food.
The most common mistake pet parents make is not waiting long enough before calling it quits on the diet trial. Changing what your dog is eating for just a week or two will not give you complete results, so taking the proper amount of time to test food and treats is crucial.
Another common mistake: feed a dog anything other than the elimination diet. During a diet trial, pets cannot have any table scraps or treats (unless the elimination diet has a compatible treat option).
Changing what your dog is eating for just a week or two will not give you complete results, so taking the proper amount of time to test food and treats is crucial.
If the symptoms do not resolve after two or three months on the hydrolyzed elimination diet trial, your dog most likely has some type of environmental allergen. Or something else is causing the problem, such as an autoimmune condition.
If you get a good response from the trial, try to feed your dog a new protein source, such as venison, fish, or kangaroo. If they are going to react to these proteins, you should notice a mild reaction starting within two weeks. If their allergy symptoms return, stop the new protein source and go back to the hydrolyzed food.
Try adding one protein at a time every two to four weeks. If your dog reacts, stop and keep things steady for another two weeks before trying a different protein.
Contact your veterinarian before starting any diet trial to get a prescription for a hydrolyzed diet. Its also important to see your veterinarian to make sure your pet doesnt have any concurrent infections, which can be common because of the disturbed skin barrier caused by the allergic reaction. Infections can look the same as dog food allergy symptoms, so you must make sure to clear all infections during the food elimination trial.
During the trial, remember:
Make sure the prescription treats and food are all that you are feeding your pet. You cant feed human food or regular pet treats with a food trial, as it can introduce the allergens youre trying to eliminate.
Alwaysintroduce a dog to a new diet slowlyto avoid stomach upset or diarrhea.
The Best Dog Food for Allergies
Hydrolyzed Dog Foods
Hydrolyzed foods are the best dog food for allergies because the proteins are broken down into pieces that are so small the body cant recognize them. Some of these foods include:
Novel Protein Foods
Novel protein diets include proteins that your dog has not been introduced to before, such as duck, fish, venison, and kangaroo. Some examples of novel protein diets are:
Foods for Puppies With Allergies
While its rare for puppies to have food allergies, there are some documented cases in pups as young as 6 months old. If you think your puppy may have a food allergy, lamb and rice formulas, such asPurina Puppy Lamb & Rice Formula, would be a good place to start for a novel protein.
If allergies are severe and your vet recommends a hydrolyzed diet, Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein does come in a puppy formulation.
WRITTEN BY
Robyn Gallucci, DVMVeterinarian
Dr. Gallucci started her career in veterinary medicine as a kennel assistant in high school and began training as a technician in college....
Allergies in Dogs and Puppies: Signs, Causes, and Treatment
Does your dog or puppy itch, scratch, chew, or lick themselves excessively? These are all signs that your dog may have allergies.
Allergies are common in dogsin fact, they are one of the top reasons for veterinary appointments. Dog allergy symptoms most commonly affect the skin and ears.
While humans often outgrow allergies, allergies in dogs tend to worsen as they get older. So how do you know if your dog has allergies, and whats causing them? Whats the best allergy treatment for dogs?
Heres what you need to know about dog allergies signs and what you can do to relieve your dogs allergies.
Key Takeaways
- Dogs can be allergic to many different triggers, including fleas, food, and items in their environment.
- Common signs of dog allergies include itching, licking, hair loss, and rashes.
- Treatment for dog allergies depends on what your dog is allergic to.
Types of Allergies in Dogs
Here are a few of the different types of allergies a dog can have.
Flea Allergies
An allergy to fleasis the most common skin disease seen in dogs. The bite of just one or two fleas per week is enough to make affected dogs itch. Flea saliva is believed to be the allergen that causes the itchiness.
Seasonal/Environmental Allergies
Also known as atopy,seasonal or environmental allergiesare caused by substances that exist in your home, backyard, and anywhere else your dog spends time.
These allergens can be inhaled, as with pollen, or absorbed through the skin when your dog touches them. Common triggers (allergens) for these allergic reactions include pollens, plant or animal fibers, dust mites, and mold spores.
Food Allergies
These are also known as adverse food reactions. Dogs can develop an allergy to a particular food at any point during their life, regardless of whether they have eaten these brands or types of foods in the past.
The most common food allergy for dogs is to a protein source in the diet, but sometimes the allergy is to grains and/or other ingredients.
Dog Allergies Signs
Dog allergies signs can include:
The type and severity of these signs depend partly on the type of allergy your dog has.
Signs of Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Dogs
The most common symptom of flea allergy dermatitis is itchy skin and irritation at the base of the tail, although other areas of the body may also be affected.
Seasonal/Environmental Allergy Signs in Dogs
Common symptoms include scratching/itchy skin, licking (especially the paws), and face rubbing. Affected dogs may also experience red skin, loss of fur, and recurrent skin and/or ear infections. You may see red skin or fur loss on your dogs paws and lower legs, face, ears, armpits, and belly.
Signs of Food Allergies in Dogs
The symptoms of food allergies are often the same as for seasonal/environmental allergies. There may also be GI signs, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or an increased number of bowel movements per day.
Is There an Allergy Test for Dogs?
Yes, but allergy testing in dogs is done for seasonal/environmental allergies only. Studies have shown thatblood testing and skin testing for food allergiesare not accurate in dogs. Studies have also shown that hair and saliva testing for seasonal or environmental allergies in dogs are not accurate.
Prior to performing allergy testing, your veterinarian should rule out other causes for your dogs allergy symptoms. Allergy testing should not be used to confirm that your pet has seasonal/environmental allergies, but to determine the specific things to which your dog is allergic.
Seasonal/environmental allergy testing can be performed in dogs by either skin testing or blood testing. Skin testing is the most accurate type of allergy test, and its generally performed by board-certified veterinary dermatologists.
Allergy testing should not be used to confirm that your pet has seasonal/environmental allergies, but to determine the specific things to which your dog is allergic.
For skin testing, mild sedation is required. The fur is clipped in a small area, and a series of very small amounts of allergens are injected into your dogs skin. The degree of the allergic reaction to each allergen determines whether your dog is allergic to it. The cost of these tests can range from $300$700.
Dog Allergy Treatment by Type
Treatment will depend on what the vet determines your dog is allergic to. Here are a few examples of how your vet might approach treating allergies.
Treatment for Flea Allergies
Treatment for flea allergy dermatitis is aimed at reducing the symptoms of itchy skin and irritation until the fleas are eliminated. To eliminate allergy symptoms in a flea-allergic dog, strict flea control is required.
There are many highly effective flea control products and medications available. Some are topical and come in the form of a liquid that you squeeze onto your dogs skin, such as Advantage, Revolution, or Vectra. Others are given orally in the form of chews, such as Simparica, NexGard, or Comfortis. Consult with your veterinarian to determine your best option.Oral preventions tend to be more effective than topical, but use cautionsome of the oral preventions have flavorings your dog might be allergic to.
In severe cases, a dogs environment must be treated for fleas as well. Vacuum thoroughly to remove eggs, larvae, and pupae, and discard the vacuum bag. You can use insecticides inside and outside your home to treat allflea life stages.
It is important to use an insecticide containing an insect growth regulator, such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen, to halt the development of flea eggs and larvae. You can hire a professional exterminator, but you should specify that the treatment is for fleas.
Treatment for Food Allergies
The treatment for food allergies in dogs is to feed a hypoallergenic diet for at least 12 weeks. This is the only way to determine if your dog has a food allergy.
Hypoallergenic diets either have limited ingredients with an uncommon protein source or are processed in a special way (hydrolyzed) to be less likely to cause allergic reactions. The concept is that a dog cannot be allergic to a food that they have not been exposed to before.
Consult your veterinarian to choose the proper diet. Over-the-counter foods are not recommended for a proper food trial. Treats, flavored medications, and human foods will also have to be eliminated during this trial period.
Other allergy treatment for dogs are aimed at reducing the symptoms while waiting to see if the diet change is helpful. Cytopoint, Apoquel, or steroids may be used to help control itching while waiting to see if a hypoallergenic food trial results in improvement of your dogs allergy symptoms.
Treatment for Seasonal/Environmental Allergies
If allergy testing has not been performed, then the treatment is symptomatic, meaning that it aims to reduce or eliminate your dogs symptoms. Treatments can include:
Oral medications, such as Apoquel, Atopica, or antihistamines
Injectable medications, such as Cytopoint
Fatty acids
Steroids
Frequent bathing and other topical therapies, such as sprays, wipes, or a mousse
Steroids should not be used long-term in the management of allergies due to the risk of significant side effects.
If an allergy test has been performed, then the ideal allergy treatment for dogs is avoidance of the allergen. This is possible in a few, select circumstances, but most dogs are allergic to a variety of substances that can be difficult to avoid completely.
Most dogs are allergic to a variety of substances that can be difficult to avoid completely.
Other treatment can include an allergy vaccine, also known as immunotherapy, which is given either by injection under the skin (allergy shots) or by mouth. The goal of immunotherapy is to make the immune system less reactive to the allergy-causing substances.
The success rate of immunotherapy is 6070%. This is the best long-term approach to allergy control, especially in younger pets that experience symptoms most of the year. Symptomatic treatment can and should be given while starting immunotherapy. It may be many months before any improvement in symptoms is seen from immunotherapy alone.
Featured Image: iStock.com/bruev
WRITTEN BY
Leigh Burkett, DVMVeterinarian
Dr. Leigh Burkett was born and raised in Northeast Tennessee. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Wake Forest University...
