Most dogs are able to eat readily available dry and wet commercial food without incident. However, some dogs have a problem tolerating certain food ingredients and will develop diarrhea due to a food allergy.
-
Identification
-
Commercial dog food is made from readily available ingredients. Chicken, corn and wheat are three ingredients widely used to make dog food. These ingredients are frequently a cause of food intolerance.
Effect
-
Dogs can develop intolerance or an allergy to certain ingredients in dog food. Often, it is difficult to determine which ingredient the dog is allergic to or which its body cannot tolerate.
Solution
-
A food allergy trial diet may need to be implemented to determine which ingredient is causing the diarrhea. The dog will be fed a food with a novel protein source (venison, lamb or duck) along with a novel carbohydrate source (rice or potatoes).
Time Frame
-
If the dog's diarrhea stops after a few weeks of eating the new diet, the ingredients from the normal diet will be reintroduced one at a time for a week or two to see if the diarrhea redevelops.
Considerations
-
Another option is to draw a blood sample and have it tested for allergens to common food ingredients. Many times this test is not conclusive and a food allergy diet trial will need to be performed.
-