Dog food allergies come in a lot of symptoms. Your dog may suffer from digestive problems, a runny nose, and eyes, or itchy skin. Most importantly, you need to make the issue clear. Some dogs may get dog food allergies due to the weather. It’s best to talk to your vet about health concerns.
In this article, we will help you understand about dog food allergies. Also, you will know how to treat it. Let’s check out to get more.
Definition of A Dog food Allergy
This problem happens when your dog’s immune system overreacts to a harmful substance. Your pet can be only allergic to an ingredient added to the food. There are certain ingredients that are common in dog food allergies, including chicken, dairy, beef, fish, and egg. The main reason is animal proteins.
Other Dog Allergies
Actually, pet food allergies are not as popular as we think. They may be caused by a food sensitivity or intolerance. Even, this problem also can be caused by other allergies. In fact, there is a wide range of possible allergens in addition to food. They can lead to ear infections, itchy skin, as well as a runny nose and eyes.
Your dog can get allergies due to flea saliva. As a result, he will get extremely itchy skin. Besides, a dog allergy can be caused by pollen. It’s hard to avoid this because most dogs love being outdoors. Your dog may even get allergic because of other pets in the house. That’s why you should keep your dog’s environment clean.
Signs And Symptoms
There are 2 common digestive symptoms, including diarrhea and vomiting. You can also see some common skin symptoms like itchy skin, red skin, and skin infections. In addition, you can see some other symptoms when your dog gets food allergies as bronzing around his lips or watery eyes.
The fact is that most dogs that suffer from allergies can also have environmental allergies. You can determine if your dog has a food allergy basing on his history of symptoms. Once you think your dog is suffering from a dog food allergy, it’s time to take him to your vet.
How To Feed A Dog With Allergies
If your vet informs you your dog suffers from allergies, you should ask him/her what to feed your dog then. Sure, your vet will ask you to prevent your pet from exposing to the allergen. It’s best to feed your pet foods with no allergen.
The most common food allergens include chicken, beef, and dairy. So, it’s not essential to provide your furry friend a grain-free diet. We suggest you choose a prescription limited ingredient diet instead of a brand you see in a pet supply store.
In addition, making a homemade diet with no allergen is also a great idea. At the same time, don’t feed your dog human food for at least six weeks. You even may have to take about 12 weeks for a new diet. Remember to provide your dog with the new food exclusively at the end of the week.
Once you want to switch from a commercial diet to a homemade one, don’t forget to talk to your vet. In this way, you can make sure that you are feeding your dog a complete and balanced diet.
Other Treatments For Dog Food Allergies
In addition to diet, we have other dog food allergy treatments. There are many allergens such as grasses, mites, pollens, and molds. It may be a challenge to eliminate allergens.
You should use flea prevention products for dogs with flea bite allergies. You also should consult your vet’s advice about ways of treating allergy-related skin diseases. Your vet may give you the immunotherapy.
Some natural treatments for dog allergies
Colostrum
It’s easy to find colostrum in all mammalian mother’s milk. It’s great to develop the immune system. Also, it’s essential for protecting a newborn from the disease.
Moreover, it can help allergies. Indeed, it can be able to remove allergy symptoms due to the proline-rich polypeptide. Plus, PRP is important in controlling the immune response. Colostrum is available in 2 forms, including powdered and capsule form. For small dogs, you should give 1 capsule twice per day. And, 2 capsules twice one day for medium to large ones.
Quercetin
This can be able to turn off histamine production in order to manage inflammation as well as itching. Also, it can reduce allergy symptoms. You can find it in foods such as apples, broccoli, and green tea. It’s available in pill and capsule form. It’s best to give it to your dog when his stomach is empty.
Sprouted Seeds
The fact is that sprouted seeds have highly bioavailable vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and probiotics. Your dog can get the same probiotics and prebiotics as in nature when he eats sprouted seeds. If your dog wants to eat grass, let him do.
Licorice
It’s similar to codeine when mentioned to the antitussive effect. It can be able to reduce inflammation in the digestion. It can help to remove mucus from the respiratory tract. But, you need to use the right dosage. It’s best to start with 12 to 20 drops twice a day.
Green Tea
It offers an anti-inflammatory to soothe your pet’s inflamed itchy skin. You only need to make a green tea bag wet. Then use it into the reddened or hives skin.
Aloe Leaf
You can use aloe leaf for all kinds of skin ailments. It’s easy to buy it at many grocery stores. You even can use it even for three days when keeping it in the refrigerator. It has enzymes to heal itchy skin as well as reduce inflammation.
Final Words On How to Treat Dog Food Allergies
For many pet owners, it may be a challenge to handle food allergies. In order to prevent future allergies from starting, you need to determine the reason why food allergies start. Once your dog gets allergies, you need to have knowledge and patience as well.
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