Beef Allergy in Dogs

Beef allergy is a type of food allergy caused by digestion of beef. Food allergies are responsible for about 10 percent of allergies found in dogs, with beef being the most common culprit. A beef allergy develops when a dog's immune system has a hypersensitive reaction to ingredients and/or proteins found in beef, which also can be called allergens or antigens. This adverse reaction causes your dog to produce a protein called IgE, which attaches itself to mast cells located in his skin. When this attachment occurs, various irritating chemicals such as histamine are released, which are responsible for symptoms such as itching.

  1. Why Beef?

    • Beef Allergy in Dogs

      According to PetEducation.com, the most common ingredient dogs are allergic to is beef followed by dairy products, chicken, lamb, fish, corn, wheat and soy. Beef allergy in dogs is largely due to the fact that it is the most common ingredient found in many types of commercial dog food. When dogs are over-exposed to this slightly more antigenic protein, they are more prone to develop a beef allergy over time. Also, beef can be hard for some dogs to digest and metabolize due to its protein structure.

    Food Allergies

    • Food allergies can occur in any kind of dog breed, male or female, neutered or intact dogs and at any age. Your dog can develop food allergies as young as 5 months or as old as 12 years. Your dog, however, will most likely develop a food allergy between 2 to 6 years of age. According to PetPlace.com, about 70 percent of dogs develop an allergy to a specific food ingredient after he has been eating it for a long time, usually for more than two years.

    Symptoms

    • Food allergies can be hard to diagnose at first because almost all dogs respond to any type of allergy with similar skin-related symptoms. Overall, itching and scratching are the most common form of reaction to a food allergy. Your dog may scratch his feet, ears, face, armpits, legs and around the anus. Also, your dog may experience frequent ear infections, red bumps or papules on his skin, excessive scaling and self-inflected skin injuries due to excessive itching. Also, your dog will usually have three or more bowel movements a day compared to the normal one and a half per day on average.

    Food Trial

    • Almost all veterinarians are in consensus that the only effective way to diagnose a food allergy is to perform a food trial. Blood tests do not have a proven track record of accurately diagnosing food allergies. Also, intradermal skin testing is usually only effective in diagnosing inhalant (atopy) allergies. A food trial consists of giving your dog a special diet for 12 weeks of only a particular protein and carbohydrate he has never eaten before, such as rabbit and potato, or venison and rice. The next step would be to add beef to your dog's food to confirm that he is indeed allergic to beef.

    Treatment

    • The best treatment for your dog's beef allergy is avoidance. You will need to eliminate all sources of beef from your dog's diet, which include treats, beef rawhide treats and beef-flavored medication. You can relieve your dog of allergic symptoms in the short-term by administering antihistamines, fatty acids and steroids. The best long-term treatment, however, is to provide your dog a beef-free commercial or homemade diet. You must be aware that your dog may develop a new food allergy to a different ingredient over time, so you might have to consult your veterinarian and perform another food trial.