Many pet owners don’t want to visit a veterinarian clinic and want an easy solution for this problem. No worries, by reading this article you will surely be able to figure out what is the specific food that has been causing symptoms of allergies in your dog?

How to Diagnose Food Allergy in Dogs?

The best method to diagnose food allergy in dogs is the Elimination diet. In the method, your pet will need to completely leave the regular diet that he’s taking right now and for the next couple of months he should eat a hypoallergenic diet or prescription diet.

A hypoallergenic or prescription diet is specially designed to not cause side effects or reactions in pets. This diet doesn’t contain certain proteins that are responsible for causing allergies.

A prescription diet is only available on a valid veterinarian prescription. However, you may try to find hypoallergenic dog food from a drugstore online or from your nearby pharmacy.

Elimination Diet [Complete Guide]

If you’re trying to figure out the root cause of food allergy in a dog, you must be aware of the elimination diet. This method is simple and is the easiest way to diagnose a food allergy.

In this method, a veterinarian prescribes hypoallergenic dog food to the pet for one to two months. In this period of time, your dog is not allowed to eat food other than the prescribed one. The symptoms go out within a few days of leaving regular food and using hypoallergenic dog food.

When the symptoms completely vanish, you should try the regular food in your pet’s diet step by step. For one to two weeks try to add (only) chicken to your pet’s diet and see whether it causes reactions or the symptoms come back (reoccurs).

If the symptoms don’t come back then you can try other food like beef for the next one or two weeks and do the same procedure again for other regular diets, i.e. dairy products, grains, mutton, etc unless you find the main culprit.

Protein causes allergies in dogs

Commonly, it’s a protein present in foods that cause the symptoms of allergies in dogs. The body’s immune system misjudges the protein as an invader and shows the allergic response.

There is a difference between food allergy and food intolerance. The symptoms for both could be the same but the treatment for both are different.

In food intolerance, a dog doesn’t have the capacity to digest a certain type of food while in food allergy the immune system (a defense system) of a body is involved.

Common symptoms of food allergy in dogs

Below are the signs and symptoms of a food allergy in dogs;

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Itching
• Swelling or inflammation on the skin or other body parts, i.e. paws, face, etc
• Hives
• Rashes
• Gas & bloating
• GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)
• Flatulence
• Abdominal cramps or pain
• Ulcers in the stomach, intestines, or other parts of the body

Medicines for Food Allergy in Pets

I am not going to suggest or recommend any kinds of drugs for your furry pale. However, I want to share some highly effective medicines that have been used for dogs.

Benadryl

It contains the main ingredient, “diphenhydramine” which is an anti-histamine type of drug and is indicated for the treatment of allergic reactions in dogs. It can treat a broad range of symptoms caused by seasonal allergies, environmental allergies, and also food allergies.

The recommended dosage for this Over counter (OTC) medicine is one (01) milligram for a 01-pound dog. Consult an animal doctor before giving any kind of drugs to your pet.

Prednisolone

It’s a corticosteroid drug and is only available on a veterinarian prescription. You can’t find it over the counter. However, it’s a highly effective medicine for food allergies in dogs. It treats symptoms within a short period of time and gives long-term relief. However, the dose must be taken daily or as directed by the vet.

Medicines can help to treat symptoms and it’s a wise choice to give necessary medication to a pet that is suffering from a food allergy. We know that it’s not a permanent solution. The only way to treat a food allergy in dogs is to remove the specific food or other foods that contain the source ingredients from a dog’s diet permanently.