Signs And Symptoms Of Dog Allergies

The sad fact of the matter is that dog food allergies treatment is becoming very common. Many dog breeds are prone to allergies but the upside is that they can be easily treated. Many people are not aware that dog food allergies are very common with true allergies manifesting as skin infections rather than digestive problems.

Such symptoms of food allergies can take some time to show itself even when the dog has been eating a specific kind of food over a length of time.

Contrary to popular belief, most dog food allergies occur as a reaction to a familiar food that your pooch has been eating quite happily for years, rather than to a new food that you’ve just introduced him to. In fact around 70% of dog food allergies are caused by a food that has been well tolerated for more than two years. An allergic reaction to a food almost never happens on first exposure, but on second or subsequent ones.

Dogs can show an intolerance to some kinds of food but this should not be mistaken as an allergy. Being intolerant to a type of food and being allergic to it are different things. Skin itching and irritation are usually caused by allergies. Food intolerance, on the other hand, causes diarrhea and/or vomiting but the skin related symptoms would not be present as when they would be for dog dander allergy symptoms.

It is a mistake to think that by feeding your dog uncommon food such as lamb and rice, you can keep allergies away. This is at best a short detour because the dogs have only started on this new diet. Which is why the allergies have not had time to develop. Do not be surprised that the dogs start to show allergies after eating this diet for some time.

As a means of solving the allergy problem, you need to give your dog a diet that does not include problem causing food items. The method is by the elimination process where you replace the dog food with a new diet and then adding the suspicious items one at a time, each time checking for reactions.

It can take more than a month to know for sure that a food is causing the allergy. This is because allergens already present in your dog will need time to be removed.

To ease the suffering of your dog, bring it to the vet for blood tests and other diagnostic procedures as this will enable the causes to be determined more efficiently under advisement.

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