Food Allergies

Food allergies are something that is difficult to identify unless one is well aware of the baseline information with regard to this type of allergy. The main symptoms of food allergies in dogs include facial itching, limb chewing, belly itching, recurrent ear infections or skin infections. 

Since the dogs consume a lot of prepared food materials including various kinds of proteins, fillers, coloring agents and more; in the commercial food materials, the incidences of food allergies are more than one can imagine. Allergic reactions mostly involve the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. 

If you come across your dog itching after the provision of specific food materials, then suspect the food allergy in this animal. However, conditions like fungal infections need to be ruled out in general before the conclusion of itching as a sign of food allergy.

There are many recorded incidences of allergies of dogs to corn or to wheat. However, food allergies vary from dog to dog.  Read the labels clearly before feeding your dogs with pet food materials, on such occasions.  Too much colored food materials may be avoided since they may cause allergies to your dog.

Food allergies are often linked to the hyperactive behavior noticed in the dogs.  Added colors, preservatives, and a high fat diet might cause such food allergies in the dogs and hence, one has to be careful in providing a new kind of diet to their dogs and closely monitor the dog for any signs of allergy.   

There are many occasions that food allergies might be diagnosed in the dogs but the dog may have other problems like pancreatitis. To rule out the food allergies, observe your dogs everytime you feed them, look for reasons to link the signs of the dog with food given, specific signs encountered, differential diagnosis etc. are the important features to be given emphasis.