Canine Food Allergies

If your dog appears to be sick for no reason at all, he may be allergic to his food. Although if you haven't regularly given your dog vaccinations he might be seriously ill, canine food allergies are a likely culprit.

Dogs can develop allergies to just about anything, but are most likely to become allergic to things they eat frequently. Most dog food is made from beef, chicken, dairy, wheat and corn and those are the things that most commonly cause reactions. Often switching to lamb or rice can resolve the issue because the dog has not had time to develop an allergy.

Symptoms of food allergies include itchy skin and bald patches where the dog scratches himself. Often a dog with some kind of food allergy will also be allergic to fleas or other parasites. Adhering to proper dog grooming instructions will ensure that your dog does not have fleas. Since fleas can often spark a food allergy flare-up, removing them can help keep the symptoms of food allergies to a minimum.

The best way to treat canine food allergies is to remove all possible offending foods from the diet and feed only specifically hypoallergenic food. Then, questionable foods can be gradually introduced back into the diet. If any of them prove to not cause problems, they may be kept in the diet while the next subject is tested. Although this may take some time, your dog's health will be worth it.