Real Estate Innovation

Pet Food Allergies? Check What’s In The Bag

Dogs can have similar problems as humans have, with allergies to some types of food. It’s possible that it could be an intolerance to specific ingredients such as wheat or corn, or a general complaint which is provoked my many types of food, such 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 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.

The most common allergy-causing foodstuffs in dogs are beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn, and soy. “What?”, I can hear you say, “These are the most common ingredients in dog foods!”

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.

An intolerance has not been built against lamb or rice, so many of the pet foods now are including these in their recipe varieties.

These might not treat the intolerance though, as many of these brands contain soy, egg etc., so check 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.

However, consider that many healthy dog foods may still cause allergies in your dog if they contain that specific ingredient he is allergic to, and even human grade dog food might still be causing your dog stomach problems, so be prepared to compare dog food brands until you find the one that works.

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.