Common dog food allergies - do you know them? Just like some people can be allergic to milk or peanuts, there are also a wide variety of dog allergies that you need to be aware of. If you don't then the consequences could be deadly as some common foods can even cause your dog to go into cardiac arrest. In this article, I will tell you a little bit about the most common and most important ones that every dog owner needs to know.
Dogs suffer from food allergies just like us although it is not always so obvious because they don't make any attempt to try to communicate this to us. From outside, it may seem that your dog is OK but on the inside he could be suffering on a daily basis. Here are some common allergies and how to identify them in your dog.
Dog Allergic To Meat
Dogs can be allergic to one or more types of meat. For example, chicken, beef, lamb and even fish. We often assume that dogs are made to eat meat due to their canine teeth and the chunks that you see in most commercial dog foods but some dogs are allergic to meats and specifically their protein content.
If your dog is allergic to one type of meat then there is a good chance that he or she is also allergic to other types too. However, often your dog will have one type of meat that he or she can eat OK. For example, many dogs can eat lamb and rice or are OK with eating fish. Beef and pork are more common culprits when it comes to producing allergic reactions.
There is no hard and fast rule and it is not uncommon for your dog to have no problems at all and then to suddenly develop a meat allergy. The most common symptom is itching but this can be hard to spot and you need to be vigilant. Although meat allergy can produce diarrhea, this is not as common as itching.
Canine Dairy Allergy
Allergies to dairy are also among the most common for dogs. In fact, did you know that many human beings are also allergic to dairy? This often occurs for exactly the same reasons: an intolerance to a substance in milk and other dairy products called lactose. The condition is also known as canine lactose intolerance.
There are a wide variety of symptoms that can present with a canine dairy allergy but the most common are diarrhea, bloating and gas. Hence, you should more easily be able to spot the symptoms of this allergy. However, you may not realise at first it is due to dairy because dairy is hidden in many foods, especially commercially prepared dog foods.
Grain Allergies In Dogs
Another common one is an allergy to grain. This is because a great many dog foods contain grain in order to bulk them up and as a source of fibre to help give good and regular stools. Dogs with this allergy have a terrible time as every meal that they eat may contain grain.
Not all types of grains will cause allergies but the labelling on food will often not let you precisely identify the culprit so you are better off just eliminating grain entirely (there are non-grain foods, for example) and then going from there. You can always reintroduce a food later and see what happens.
What Can You Do?
If your dog has allergies then you are not alone because over 15% of dogs have such allergies. Some breeds (e.g. terriers) are more susceptible than others. Also, it is not only the symptoms described above that can present because others include increased bowel movements, vomiting, sneezing, hair loss appetite loss, breathing problems and even an itchy rear end!
This is such a big problem that vets have started to sell hypoallergenic dog foods that are free of one or more of the above common culprits. Unfortunately, they mark it up heavily and such food will set you back a great deal of money.
It is much better to simply make your own homemade dog food. Compared to making your own meals, this is very easy indeed. Preparation time and effort is very low as dogs like their food mixed up anyway so your main tool will be a blender (many people don't even bother with one).
Making your own food the added advantage that you can control everything in your dog's diets. No longer will it contain carcinogens like acrylamides and other harmful toxins that are present in most commercial foods (health regulations for dog food are low) but you can also ensure that your dog gets the right amounts of vitamins and minerals that they need. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to do this as there are easy to follow dog food recipes available for this purpose.
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