How To Test Your Dog For Food Allergies

By: Valerie Goettsch

Does your dog suffer from skin problems and/or scratch constantly? Does he have hot spots or recurring skin infections? He may suffer from dog food allergies. Food allergies can appear in dogs any time in their lifespan, from puppyhood to senior. There are certain food ingredients that tend to be problematic. Among them are dairy products, chicken and chicken eggs, soy, corn, wheat, and even beef.

Conduct a Food Trial

To diagnose your dog’s potential food allergies you can conduct a food trial, which means feeding your dog a unique diet for up to 3 months. You will need to feed your dog new foods it has never eaten before, such as venison and oats. Lamb and rice diets used to be prescribed for dogs with potential allergies, but they are no longer considered unique foods. Many commercial lamb and rice dog foods also contain soy, eggs and other allergens.

Special foods are available through your vet or you can make your dog’s special diet at home using your vet’s recommendations. The special diet must be followed consistently, no other foods allowed including treats or rawhides. Continue with the diet until you see marked improvement in your dog’s symptoms. Then go back to his regular diet. If symptoms return, then you know your dog is allergic to one or more ingredients in his regular food.

Food Allergy Treatment

Once you have confirmed your dog has a food allergy, you will need to continue with the special diet. If you are not sure which ingredient of the old food is causing the allergy, you could try a home made diet and add back in one of the potential allergens, such as soy. Until you narrow down the exact foods your dog is a allergic to. Then you can either keep your dog on the special diet or try a commercial dog food that does not contain the problem ingredients.

Because symptoms can be similar with airborne allergies such as dust and mold as well as flea-bite allergies, it is important to test and eliminate them as suspects first.

Summary: Does your dog suffer from skin problems and/or scratch constantly? Does he have hot spots or recurring skin infections? He may suffer from dog food allergies. Food allergies can appear in dogs any time in their lifespan, from puppyhood to senior.

Related Topics on How To Test Your Dog For Food Allergies

Conquer Allergies In The Great Indoors Tricks To Help Asthma And Allergy Sufferers Take Back Their Homes
More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies and 20 million suffer from asthma, according to...
Contact Dermatitis- How To Go About It?
...types of contact dermatitis are the following: • Irritant Dermatitis- This is the most common type of contact dermatitis....
Did You Know That Horses Can Get Hay Fever
...horses for quite some years but I have never heard this allergic reaction described as hay fever (as in the same problem that...
Nasal Polyps- A Primer
Nasal polyps are a well known cause of sinus pressure and pain...
Now You Can Control Your Allergies
...millions of people's lives miserable everyday and the allergies control at least some aspects of the sufferer's lives. This...


Important Information YOU Need For A Healthier Life CLICK HERE!


A Guide To Allergies Allergic To Your Dog Or Cat? Allergies To Pets Allergies And Asthma - Differences And Similarities Allergies In Children Dust Mites Allergy: Controlling Those Unavoidable Dust Mites How To Reduce Food Allergies I'm Allergic To My Cat!

Books Allergy

That's what discount prescription drugs can do for you.

To cleanse your body is to safeguard your health.

This is where drnatura has found a niche market by providing exactly what consumers are looking for in their colon cleanser.

You will want to learn more about the different recovery methods that an alcohol treatment washington state

What you need is to do a natural cleanse so you can live a healthier life.

Good alcohol rehab facilities readily provide help for immediate recovery of alcoholics.

Search Exchange

Web Portal

SpyderMap