Coping With Dog Food Allergies

Dealing with allergies of any kind can be incredibly uncomfortable and frustrating, never mind dog food allergies which can be rather difficult to pinpoint. Just what is it in that 20-ingredient pack of food that is causing these dog food allergies? How can you perform testing to see just what your dog is allergic too? Heck, how do you even know that your dog is suffering from dog food allergies?

Dog allergies all tend to have similar symptoms, all of which involves the scratching and pawing and chewing of some part of the body. The part of the body that is usually being scratched and chewed is related to his area of allergy. If a dog is having a food allergy, it may be the face that is being pawed, or your dog may be chewing at his abdominal area. As a result of the chewing, licking and scratching, dog skin problems may also arise due to a food allergy.

If you are wondering how you can start to determine and treat your pet's dog food allergies, then you have come to the right place.

1) Substitute his food: A great way to start the process of determining dog food allergies is to substitute the meat portion of your dog's food with a different meat. For instance, if the food you are feeding your dog is beef-based, switch it up with a lamb-based food and see if that cures the problem. Lamb is a safe choice as it is thought to be "non-allergic".

NOTE: You can also choose to buy some "allergy free formulas" of food, but this may not necessarily be the best dog food for your pet. Check out a number of different mixes, and always aim to purchase foods that do not include a lot of chemical preservatives, dyes, colors, or "filler" foods.

2) Introduce new foods slowly: though you may be anxious to try a new food with your dog to see if it helps his allergies, you need to introduce any new foods to your diet gradually over a week. Start off with a 4:1 ratio of old food to new, and build it up from there to a 3:2 ratio, a 2:3 ratio, 1:4 ratio and then a full serving o the new food.

3) Consult your Veterinarian: Vets do have the ability to perform some allergy tests on your dog to see what may be the issue. If the allergy is not very severe, they you may want to treat it symptomatically (with anti-histamines, cold compresses and medicated baths); however, if it is a severe allergy, then the cost to have the allergy testing done is well worth it.