Food allergies

Food allergies

 Food allergies are difficult to identify unless one is well aware of the baseline information about this type of allergy. The main symptoms of food allergies in dogs include facial itching, limb chewing, belly itching, recurrent ear infections, or skin infections. 

 Since dogs consume a lot of prepared food materials including various kinds of proteins, fillers, coloring agents, and more; in commercial food materials, the incidences of food allergies are more than one can imagine. Allergic reactions mostly involve the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. 

 If you come across your dog itching after the provision of specific food materials, then suspect the food allergy in this animal. However, conditions like fungal infections need to be ruled out in general before the conclusion of itching as a sign of food allergy.

 There are many recorded incidences of allergies of dogs to corn or wheat. However, food allergies vary from dog to dog. Read the labels clearly before feeding your dogs with pet food materials, on such occasions. Too many colored food materials may be avoided since they may cause allergies to your dog.

 Food allergies are often linked to the hyperactive behavior noticed in dogs. Added colors, preservatives, and a high-fat diet might cause such food allergies in the dogs and hence, one has to be careful in providing a new kind of diet to their dogs and closely monitor the dog for any signs of allergy.   

 There are many occasions that food allergies might be diagnosed in the dogs but the dog may have other problems like pancreatitis. To rule out the food allergies, observe your dogs every time you feed them, look for reasons to link the signs of dog with food given, specific signs encountered, differential diagnosis, etc. are the important features to be given emphasis.