Many dogs suffer from food allergies without their owners even realizing it. This is because food allergies are often mistakenly thought to be an inhalant allergy or other types of allergies. The symptoms for all allergies are often the same, and, instead of investigating the cause of the problems, many folks prefer to just treat the symptoms. If your dog experiences reoccurring ear infections, hair loss, excessive itchiness or chews his feet, a food allergy could be the cause. To know for sure, start a food trial, in which you eliminate certain components of your dog̵7;s diet. Many dogs are often allergic to the same common ingredients, and, by removing these from your dog̵7;s diet, you can determine if your dog̵7;s suffering is due to what he's eating.
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Proteins
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Most commercial dog foods contain the same common protein components, and many dogs are allergic to these ingredients. According to Doctors Foster and Smith, these protein culprits include beef, chicken, dairy, lamb, fish and eggs. These ingredients are the most used in commercial diets; therefore, dogs may become allergic to them after recurrent exposure. This is evident in the case of lamb. This protein was originally used in dog food that was made for those with allergies, because it was considered a ̶0;novel̶1; protein, or a protein that dogs hadn̵7;t typically had before. As lamb became more popular in diets for those other than those that were hypoallergenic, dogs started to develop lamb allergies.
Dogs who are allergic to certain proteins need food that doesn̵7;t contain them, such as venison and rabbit. Hill̵7;s, Purina and IVD are brands that offer foods that contain these novel proteins and are available at your veterinarian̵7;s office.
Carbohydrates
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If you remove the protein from your dog̵7;s diet and replace it with an alternative, but your dog's still displaying the same symptoms, perhaps it's another component that's causing the allergies. Often, dogs are allergic to corn, wheat and soy. Most dog food diets contain corn, which is used as a filler. Some experts, such as Dr. Ian Billinghurst, the founder of the BARF diet, suggest that dogs don't need carbohydrates to be healthy and shouldn't eat them. If you believe your dog has an allergy to one of these ingredients, consult with your veterinarian as to what you should feed him.
Preservatives and Sweeteners
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Most dog foods contain preservatives--some use natural preservatives, but most use artificial. However, even foods that claim to be all-natural can actually contain artificial preservatives. According to the Dog Food Project, dog food manufacturers only have to claim on the list of ingredients components that they've added themselves. Therefore, if ingredients that are bought from suppliers already contain preservatives or stabilizers, the dog food manufacturer doesn't have to list that information on the bag. Some dogs are allergic to the chemicals and artificial components that are added to these diets. If you've tried to eliminate common proteins and carbs from your pooch̵7;s diet, and he's still suffering, consider switching to an all-natural food that doesn̵7;t contain artificial preservatives.
Sweeteners are often added to poor-quality foods to entice dogs to eat them. You shouldn't give your dog sweeteners, and he can actually develop an addiction to the sweeteners. Eating foods that are artificially sweetened can cause diabetes and allergies, particularly if your dog's allergic to corn, and the food contains corn syrup. Stay away from foods that contain sugar, fructose, glucose, cane molasses, propylene glycol and corn syrup.
Dog food allergies are fairly common and quite bothersome. Determining what your dog's allergic to and not giving that can make a world of difference in the health of your dog.
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