Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Learn Food Allergy Information
• Part 2 of 4: Seeing Your Veterinarian
• Part 3 of 4: Put your dog on an elimination diet
• Part 4 of 4: Switch to regular meals
• Tips
• Warnings

Food allergy in dogs is quite rare and accounts for about 10% of all allergies in these animals. But despite the rarity, food allergies can seriously worsen a dog's well-being if the food that causes the allergy is not identified and removed from the diet. Food allergies can sometimes be difficult to diagnose and treat, so you need to see your veterinarian to work out a diet for your pet that is healthy and safe from allergies. British veterinarian Pippa Elliott (a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) explains this problem as follows: “Diet treatment is quite a challenge for the owners of an allergic dog, and the impossibility of treating a pet to a treat is simply frustrating.Nevertheless, the diet is worth the effort, as it allows you to identify the exact cause of the allergy and qualitatively change the life of the dog and its state of health. "

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Learn Food Allergy Information

1. 1 Find out what can cause food allergies in dogs. Dog allergy is an immune response to a specific food ingredient (usually a protein of some kind). Examples of foods that can cause allergies include beef, chicken, wheat, and dairy products.
   • The immune response is always at the genetic level, but it is also believed that the use of antibiotics early in life in dogs also makes animals prone to allergies. A dog's gut is an important immune organ, and antibiotics can have a negative effect on its immune function.
   • Remember, food allergies do not develop overnight. Although the symptoms of allergy may seem sudden to you, it is likely that the allergy accumulated gradually and manifested itself later in the dog's life.
   • In most cases, dogs develop allergies to several types of food at once.
   • Food allergies can affect dogs of any age or gender.
   • At the same time, the conducted studies did not reveal any dog ​​breeds, especially those predisposed to food allergies.
   • Mites are sometimes present in poor quality dry dog ​​food. They are able to breed when the feed is stored for a long time. In addition, ticks can cause an allergic reaction in dogs when consumed with food.
2. 2 Review the clinical symptoms of food allergy. The most common symptom of food allergies is itchy skin, which persists regardless of the season of the year. Itching can be common, but more often it is localized in the paws, head (muzzle and chin), armpits, or ears. At times, food allergies can lead to an itchy area around the anus.
   • Other skin problems, such as skin infections or hyperpigmentation, can result from the dog licking or chewing on the itchy area.
   • Chronic ear infections and indigestion are common symptoms of food allergies.
   • However, respiratory problems are not usually associated with food allergies.
3. 3 Understand the difference between food allergies and food intolerances. It is very important not to confuse food allergies with food intolerances. Remember that a food allergy is the body's immune response leading to an allergic reaction (such as itching). And food intolerance is a reaction of the body that not affects the immune system.
   • An example of an intolerance is food poisoning. It causes indigestion, but not an allergic reaction.

Part 2 of 4: Seeing Your Veterinarian

1. 1 Provide your veterinarian with detailed nutritional information for your dog. Food allergies can be difficult to diagnose because the clinical symptoms can be similar to other types of allergies and skin conditions. Diagnosing a food allergy involves eliminating potential allergens from your dog's diet. For this reason, the veterinarian needs to know the complete nutritional picture of your pet so that he can develop an elimination diet for him that will be free of potential allergens that the dog may have consumed in the past.
   • It is also helpful to tell your veterinarian when you first noticed clinical symptoms in your dog and how severe the itching was.
2. 2 Let your veterinarian do a full veterinary check-up on your pet. A veterinary examination is necessary so that the veterinarian can check the condition of the dog's skin and assess its overall health. Be aware that even if you have symptoms very similar to a food allergy, your veterinarian will likely want to do a series of additional tests to rule out possible skin conditions.
3. 3 Get a skin test. In addition to eliminating allergy-causing ingredients from the diet, food allergies can also be diagnosed by ruling out skin conditions. Your veterinarian may order skin tests, such as scrapings and skin cytology (analysis of skin cells), to make sure they are not present. However, it is generally not recommended to use a blood test in diagnosing food allergies.

Part 3 of 4: Put your dog on an elimination diet

1. 1 Develop an elimination diet with your veterinarian. Testing different foods with an elimination diet is the best way to diagnose food allergies. However, there is no single elimination diet that works for all dogs, so you will need to work with your veterinarian to develop a specific diet to eliminate all potential allergens from your dog's diet while still meeting the animal's nutritional needs. When creating an elimination diet, it will be very helpful to refer to a detailed description of what the dog has eaten in the past.
   • The elimination diet should contain one source of protein that the dog has not previously eaten (new protein) and one source of carbohydrates (such as starch or rice). Duck, salmon or kangaroo meat can be used as new protein.
   • Putting your dog on a homemade elimination diet will allow you to know exactly what your pet is eating. However, it is difficult to prepare food on your own, and without consulting a veterinarian, the finished product may not meet the nutritional needs of the dog.
   • The ready-to-use dietetic food is completely balanced and saves time and energy. Your veterinarian may recommend a ready-made, hypoallergenic food that is right for your dog. However, it should be remembered that not all hypoallergenic prepared foods have been tested on dogs with food allergies, so it cannot be fully guaranteed that your pet will not have an allergic reaction to them.
   • Some ready-to-eat foods contain hydrolyzed protein. Hydrolyzed protein is a protein that has been broken down into amino acids, making it easier to digest and less likely to develop an allergic reaction.
2. 2 Keep your dog on the elimination diet for 8-12 weeks. It usually takes a minimum of 8 weeks for all traces of old food to be cleared from the dog's digestive system. For this reason, keep the animal on an elimination diet for at least this period, so that all possible allergens have time to leave the dog's body.
   • Once the body is cleared of old food, the new diet can show how effective it is in fighting food allergy symptoms.
   • Keep your pet on an elimination diet until the allergy symptoms go away. In many dogs, symptoms improve after 4-6 weeks of diet, but some dogs take significantly longer.
3. 3 Do not give your dog anything other than what the elimination diet suggests. Any food other than dietary food should be strictly prohibited during the allergy diagnosis period. Do not give your dog treats, food from your table, or any flavored medications. If necessary, during the diagnostic period, you can ask the veterinarian to prescribe unflavored medications.
   • Any other food may include an allergy source. You should not violate the results of the elimination diet by treating your pet with something that he has eaten in the past.
   • Dog chewable anthelmintic tablets may contain flavorings.
   • Toys that can be gnawed and filled with treats are also prohibited during the diet period.
4. 4 Keep a dietary diary. Keeping records of your dog's diet and behavior during the diet will allow the veterinarian to assess your pet's response to the elimination diet.If you accidentally give your dog something that he used to eat, be sure to write about it in your diary.
   • In addition to dietary records, clinical symptoms should also be reported. Ideally, the clinical symptoms of food allergy should gradually subside throughout the elimination diet.
   • However, it is possible that there will be no positive reaction to the elimination diet. This may be due to an ingredient in the diet that causes the dog to be allergic. If this is the case, you and your veterinarian will need to go back to developing a new elimination diet for your dog.

Part 4 of 4: Switch to regular meals

1. 1 Transfer the dog to the original food. At this point in the diagnosis of food allergy, the dog's original diet becomes a test diet. If the dog becomes allergic to it after 8-12 weeks of the elimination diet, this will confirm the diagnosis of food allergy.
   • An allergic reaction can occur within one hour or 14 days after returning to normal diet.
2. 2 Go back to the elimination diet. Despite a confirmed diagnosis of food allergy, the veterinarian still needs to figure out the exact ingredient that is causing the dog to be allergic. To do this, you will need to go back to the elimination diet again before the food allergy symptoms disappear. Once the symptoms have subsided, you will start feeding the dog into the dog's food, one at a time, until the allergic reaction occurs again.
   • You can introduce chicken into your diet by adding chicken pieces to diet food. You can also sprinkle wheat flour on the diet feed to introduce wheat into it.
   • Introduce each new ingredient individually and feed the supplemented dog for up to two weeks. If an ingredient causes allergy symptoms, then that ingredient is the cause.
3. 3 Eliminate the allergenic product from your dog's diet. The only way to keep your dog free of food allergies is to avoid feeding him food that contains the allergen ingredient. It will be helpful for you to continue to work with your veterinarian to keep your pet on a healthy, hypoallergenic diet.
   • Fortunately, it is unlikely that your dog will develop allergies to other food ingredients as it ages.
   • Prescription hypoallergenic foods are usually better than those available without a prescription, but they also cost significantly more.

Tips

• Although allergy is the body's immune response, treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids is not effective in dogs with food allergies.
• If you live with a family, make sure that all family members follow the rules of the elimination diet and subsequent transition to a normal diet.
• The quality of the dog food does not make the dog more or less prone to developing food allergies. Remember that the allergy is caused by the specific ingredient, not the quality of the food to which the dog is allergic.
• To prevent mites from breeding in dry dog ​​food, buy food in small packs, sprinkle it in quality freezer bags, and store excess food in the freezer. Remove food from the freezer one bag at a time and transfer to an airtight container for a while. Only after defrosting the food, give it to the dog.
• During the period of food allergy diagnosis, the dog may need to be treated for clinical symptoms. For example, your veterinarian may recommend treating the irritated area with an antibiotic ointment if it becomes inflamed. Your dog may also need a medication to treat a digestive upset.

Warnings

• If your dog's symptoms worsen and persist after a few weeks of a hypoallergenic diet, consult your veterinarian. The dog may need a different diet or additional veterinary attention.
• In addition to food allergies, a dog may have a skin allergy, which further complicates the diagnosis of food allergies.
• Diagnosis of food allergies is often a lengthy and expensive process, which can sometimes be quite frustrating for allergic pet owners.