Being hyper-aware of changes in your dog's behavior and mood is a key component of being a good dog parent. If your dog is experiencing something different, an allergic reaction can occur in many ways. This may be an indication that your dog is having trouble digesting one or more ingredients.
How can you be sure that your dog is eating food that is not only wholesome but also agrees with your dog's stomach?
What are dog food allergies & intolerances?
If your dog has an allergy to something edible, it basically means that its body doesn't recognize it as food and responds defensively to its presence. Uncomfortable symptoms develop in your dog as a result of the immune system's overreaction. Uncomfortable symptoms in your dog may arise and to combat the substance, one needs to produce antibodies.
A food intolerance, on the other hand, means that your dog's body might not be able to tolerate a particular food.
Dog food allergy symptoms
It's important to keep an eye out for any change in any of the following symptoms in your dog because they could sometimes be mistaken for common behaviors and lead to food allergies:
A rash, lesions, or itchy and sore skin
Vomiting
Sore tummy
Streaming eyes
Diarrhoea
Saliva staining
Behavioural issues
Excessive wind
Exclusion diets for allergies to dog food
The next step is to examine the foods that your dog eats. Veterinarians will advise you to do an 'exclusion diet' where you have to exclude all the ingredients they typically eat. This refers to foods that are all-natural and hypoallergenic, sometimes as basic as potatoes and fish.
The goal is to stop giving your dog any of the foods they normally eat and essentially remove anything that might be causing an allergic reaction. The next step is to reintroduce the foods you used to feed them after the 8–12 week period is over. This is essentially a "food challenge" to find the perpetrating ingredient.
Even if your dog's severe symptoms have died down since you changed his diet, you might be hesitant to subject him to this, but there is no other way to be certain of identifying the "bad" food and preventing allergy symptoms in the future.
Best dog food for allergies
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