Food allergy in dogs: symptoms and treatment. What is the best food for a dog

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Today, almost every second family has a pet, which constantly needs scrupulous care. Animals, like humans, can develop various ailments, and allergies are no exception.

Approximately 20% of dogs with itching and redness of the skin are caused by food allergies. It can last from several months to one year. It is important to understand that allergies and food intolerances are not the same thing. With the manifestation of an allergy, the animal often begins to itch, and he also has various problems associated with the skin. Intolerance to any product has other symptoms, accompanied by vomiting and loose stools, which has nothing to do with the characteristic manifestations of allergies. It's more like a digestive disorder. If a dog is allergic to food, what should I do?

General information

Allergy is a kind of protective reaction of the body, which is triggered when a pathogenic substance enters the digestive system. Whereinit is not necessary that the substance be dangerous, but the immune system recognizes it as such. As a result, the animal develops various manifestations that require immediate treatment.

How do allergies manifest?

Signs of food allergy in dogs can vary widely, but the most common are:

• sneezing, coughing, sinus discharge;
• violation of the depth and rhythm of breathing, which can lead to the development of asthma;
• loose stools and vomiting. Can appear both together and separately;
• dizziness;
• otitis media with lesions of the soft tissues of the external passage and auricle;
• lacrimation, purulent conjunctivitis.

The most common symptoms associated with food allergies are itching and skin rashes all over the animal's body. If left untreated, rashes can lead to eczema and bleeding ulcers. In some cases, dogs may have swelling of the limbs, muzzle, digestive tract, and tongue. If left untreated for a long time, food allergies can destroy the immune system, and purulent conjunctivitis can lead to complete blindness.

External manifestations of allergies

How does an allergy manifest itself in dogs? According to its characteristics, food has a lot in common with the usual one. Its main external manifestations are rashes all over the pet's body. In addition, various ear infections can develop, which eventually become chronic. If you start giving your pet antibiotics, thenthese manifestations temporarily disappear, but after a while they return again. On the basis of appearances alone, it is almost impossible to distinguish a food allergy from other possible reactions that may occur in the animal's body.

Allergy Diagnosis

Determining a food allergy is fairly simple, but it's important to understand that many of the diseases that dogs very often suffer from are accompanied by similar symptoms, which, in turn, complicates the diagnosis. Therefore, before starting any treatment, you should try to find out if your pet is suffering from any diseases. For example, if a dog itches and hair falls out, it can be caused by scabies, fleas, overly sensitive skin, various intestinal parasites, bacterial infections, and thrush.

Causes of food allergies

So we already know how allergies manifest in dogs, but what are the reasons behind it? As mentioned earlier, this is the response of the immune system to any substance or product that it considers pathogenic.

Most often, allergies are caused by the consumption of the following foods by animals:

• any meat;
• milk;
• fish;
• eggs;
• soy;
• wheat;
• corn.

All of these foods are found in store-bought dog food, so allergies are very common. This is due to the fact that vegetable and animal proteins, regardless ofof different origin, have a similar structure. Thus, if you buy dog food with a protein allergy, your pet may get sick.

According to nutritionists, food allergies can be caused not only by intolerance to any ingredients, but also by using the same feed for a long period of time.

Fight Allergies

If a dog is allergic to food, treatment here is useless. The only solution to this problem is an elimination diet.

1. The first step is to transfer the animal to feeding a different food that you did not give before.
2. Feed unfamiliar food for at least three months. It is recommended to choose those types of feed containing proteins and carbohydrates that the pet has not eaten before.
3. For example, if the food contained beef before, then you can try to give diet food containing rabbit or venison meat. There are quite a few such feeds on sale.

What is better to feed a dog if the allergy does not go away for a long period of time? In this case, you can try types of feed that use proteins and carbohydrates of such a small molecular size that they simply cannot cause allergies. You can also completely eliminate dry food from the animal's diet and start giving homemade food.

When dogs are allergic to dry food, if you have several pets, then to a new dietit is recommended to transfer all animals. At the same time, feeding should be done in separate rooms so that a dog with an allergy does not have access to the food of he althy individuals.

During meals, the pet should be closed in the next room. This is necessary so that the dog cannot pick up food that has been dropped on the floor, since in this case you will have to start the diet again. If you have small children, be sure to wash their hands and face after eating.

Do not let your pet out alone, and do not let him off the leash during walks so that he is always under your supervision.

Feeding advice

Food allergy in dogs, the symptoms of which we already know, never completely disappears, but with the right diet, it can be completely eliminated. First of all, you should refuse to feed your pet with the usual products, after which it will be possible to start compiling a new menu. For example, if a dog's allergic reaction was caused by eating rice, then you should stop giving it anything other than rice. But also any other products that contain this ingredient.

When choosing a new diet, you should try to make it as balanced as possible. It is better to feed with those products that are similar in nutritional value to the previous feed. If this advice is not followed, then the lack of any substance can cause exhaustion, which, in turn, will only aggravate the situation.

What are the best foods to include in the diet?

What is the best food to feed a dog with food allergies? This question interests many people who have a dog at home. Nutritionists argue that it is not so much the products themselves that are important, but the principle of feeding the animal. It is based on eating those foods that the pet has either never tried before or has not used for a long time. Only one type of meat and grain should be used to prepare dog food.

This method of feeding will allow you to determine which substance caused the allergic reaction if you introduce one new ingredient into the diet every two weeks.

What foods should not be given?

Food allergies in dogs should avoid feeding your pet certain foods that can be potentially harmful.

These include:

• sea fish;
• rabbit meat, turkey and beef;
• today's dairy products;
• buckwheat, oatmeal and rice cereals;
• pears, apples, carrots, zucchini.

Feeding with special types of feeds with a therapeutic effect is allowed, but they should be selected together with a nutritionist. The specialist will perform a sensitivity analysis, after which he will be able to choose the food that is best for your dog. But you should not abuse these feeds too much, since their composition is very poor, and they cannot provide the animal with the necessary amount of nutrients. With food allergies in dogs, it is very important not only to eliminate the allergen from the diet, but also to create a good diet foran animal that can be fed permanently.

Together with dietary nutrition, the veterinarian may prescribe symptomatic drugs that are aimed at reducing the content of histamine in the body, relieving inflammation, and also alleviating the clinical manifestations of food allergy in dogs. If the condition is too neglected, a course of taking immunomodulatory drugs may be necessary. But no medication can ever completely and permanently rid an animal of an allergic reaction without a special diet. At the same time, do not forget that pampering a pet is not the best solution, since even a small piece of treat containing an allergen can completely nullify all your efforts.

How long should I follow a therapeutic diet?

For dog food allergies, it is very important to choose the right diet. But how long should you stick to it? Doctors advise to follow a diet for at least three weeks, but, as practice shows, it is not uncommon for an allergic reaction to a product to make itself felt after a longer period of time. In most cases, in four-legged friends, an allergy to a new product introduced into the daily diet of an animal appears approximately 12 weeks after the start of feeding. Therefore, the diet should be followed throughout this period.

If the manifestations of allergies begin to gradually decrease or disappear altogether, then it will be possible toreturn the pet to a normal feeding regimen using the same products. This is necessary in order to make sure that the animal has intolerance to any product that provokes the development of allergies.

If dog food allergies reappear, a veterinarian can accurately diagnose the problem and begin treatment. If there is no re-confirmation of an allergy, but if it is strongly suspected, you can try feeding your pet with other types of food.

Laboratory Diagnosis

To date, in medical practice, there is no method of research that could establish with absolute certainty that a dog is allergic to food. The most commonly used blood test, but it is ineffective.

As for intradermal tests, which are used to diagnose ordinary allergies, in the case of food they do not give absolutely no results. Therefore, the only way out in this situation is to use the elimination diet, which was described earlier in this article.

"False" allergy

An allergic reaction is manifested due to an increase in the level of histamine in the animal's body. This substance is produced by the immune system in response to the appearance of an allergen in the body. But there are times when histamine is not produced by the immune system, but enters the body along with some food. All this leads to the development of the so-called "false"food allergy in dogs, which is very similar in its manifestations to food allergies.

The whole problem with this is that the use of special therapeutic feeds and diet changes are ineffective, since not one, but all foods that contain a large amount of histamine and tyramine will have to be removed from the diet. After that, the veterinarian will have to calculate the allowable level of these substances at which the dog will not develop an allergic reaction. In addition, a special diet will have to be drawn up, consisting of foods containing histamine and tyramine. The purpose of this diet is to accustom the body of the animal to the normal perception of the products used by the dog for food. In this way, the dog's sensitivity to allergenic substances will decrease over time, and the "false" allergy will disappear.

Dog food recommendations

If the dog itches and hair falls out, then this is the first sign of an allergic reaction. After completing the course of treatment, in order to avoid its recurrence, it is necessary to choose high-quality food for the pet. In this case, it is recommended to adhere to the following tips and recommendations:

1. When choosing food, consider the age and activity level of your pet. This will help you to correctly calculate the nutritional value of the feed.
2. Consider your pet's nutritional needs. The food must be balanced and contain the optimal amount of proteins and carbohydrates so that the dog ishe althy and strong.
3. Before buying food, consult your veterinarian and check with him what kind of food is best to use for feeding your pet. The specialist will suggest the most optimal option, taking into account the state of he alth of the animal.
4. Never rely on advertising when choosing pet food. Its main purpose is to increase sales, not to help consumers choose a quality product.
5. Do not use different types of food. Give your dog either canned or dry food.

Adhering to these tips, you will be able to choose high-quality food for your four-legged friend, from which he will not have any allergies.

If you decide to have a pet at home, remember that this is a big responsibility. He needs some care: regular walks, proper nutrition, as well as attention and care from the owners.