Pet Food Allergies? Check Out What’s In The Bag
Dogs, like their human companions, can have allergies to different varieties of food. Many times, the problem is that their bodies can’t handle the corn or wheat in the food, which can often show up as colitis.
Some symptoms of dog food allergies include: Vomiting bile or blood, bad appetite, diarrhea and blood in the stool, itching, dry coat and skin, chronic ear infections, loss of fur, lots of scratching, hot spots and skin infections, increased bowel movements and anything else out of the ordinary.
If you’re worried that your dog may have a food allergy or intolerance to a particular food, you should test to ensure that the food is what’s causing the problem. Other issues, such as parasites or infections, can cause similar symptoms.
It might be necessary to use a home made dog food, so you can control the ingredients, and the balance of proteins and carbohydrates.
The matter is further complicated because there are many additives in dog food, and it may be one of these which is causing the allergy rather than a certain kind of meat or grain.
Common allergy-causing foods for dogs are beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn, and soy. But these are the most common ingredients in dog foods!
You bet, and there is a correlation. The problem may have been caused by overuse of particular foods, like with humans who are lactose intolerant.
New recipes such as lamb and rice have been formulated because these are not traditional dog foods, therefore dogs have not had time to build up an intolerance.
These can really not be the solution to treat an intolerance nevertheless, as much of these trade names contains soybean, egg etc., so verify the ingredients.
There are many hypoallergenic dog foods on the market to address the increasing numbers of dogs with allergies. As with any comparison, dog food recipes may or may not be suitable or palatable for your individual pet, so these are just general guidelines.
One thing to consider is that many “healthy” dog foods may still cause allergies in your dog if they contain that trigger ingredient, and even human grade dog food might still be causing your dog stomach problems, so be prepared to compare dog food brands extensively.
An intolerance to wheat or dairy contained in dog foods, natural and high quality though they may be, will still cause the end result, just as it does in humans. Canine skin problems are another sign that your dog may have an allergy.
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