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Pet Food Allergies? Check What's In The Bag

By: Rebecca Foxton Just like humans, dogs can have allergies to certain types of food. It may be an intolerance to individual ingredients such as wheat or corn, or a general complaint which is provoked my many types of food, such as colitis.

An animal with dog food allergies may experience any of the following symptoms: Vomiting bile or blood, poor appetite, diarrhea and blood in the stools, itching, dry coat and skin, chronic or recurrent ear infections, hair loss, excessive scratching, hot spots and skin infections, increased bowel movements and other unpleasant conditions.

Should you suspect that your dog is allergic to a certain food, you need to do some testing to make sure that it is indeed food which is causing the problem, as other medical complaints can also cause similar symptoms, like parasites, skin infections or any other.

It might be necessary to adhere to a diet of home made dog food, so you can control the ingredients, feeding a simple balance of protein and carbohydrates.

Further complicating the issue, there are many additives in dog food, and it may be one of these instead of a certain kind of meat or grain, which is causing the allergy.

Dairy products, wheat, chicken, chicken eggs, soy, corn, and beef are the common culprits found in a dog's diet that cause allergies. "But aren't these the most common ingredients in dog food?", you might ask.

Yes, and there is a reason for that. Just like people who cannot tolerate lactose, being overexposed to these ingredients could be the root of the problem.

Rice and lamb are common among many of the new recipes which have been formulated to be non-traditional dog feeds; hence dogs do not build up intolerance during this period.

These may not actually be the solution to treating an intolerance though, as many of these brands contain soy, egg etc., so check the ingredients.

Now that there are more dogs now than ever before with food allergies, the market is full of hypoallergenic dog foods to meet those needs of those dogs. The usefulness of these standards is limited by the unique constitution of each pet, but does provide some structure.

Be prepared to compare dog food brands extensively, since one thing to consider is that many "healthy" dog foods may still cause allergies in your dog if they contain that trigger ingredient. Even human grade dog food might still be causing your dog stomach problems.

Just as in humans, an intolerance to wheat or dairy contained in dog foods, natural and high quality though they may be, will still cause the end result. Canine skin allergies are another sign that your dog may have an allergy.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Author Rebecca Foxton can help you give your pet brilliant health with Fortiflora. For an excellent source of nutrition tips for pet owners, read her dog food articles on Dog Buffs.

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