Symptoms of Dog Food Allergies - Family - Pets

Allergy also known as atopy is a type of immune system disorder. It is type I or immediate hypersensitivity and involves rapid reaction of body to a particular substance that is called allergens causing inflammation. There is production of antibody which results in an increase of number of white blood cells and basophils. Allergic reactions include hay fever, asthma, eczema, hives and food allergies.Allergic reactions caused to due edibles and food is called food allergy. It is difficult to diagnose food allergies as dog food allergy symptoms are not very clear and specific indicating allergic reaction and if diagnosed then its difficult to find a treatment or cure for them. The best way of curing dog food allergy is to give diets free of that allergic agent but as most of the time dog food has a mixture and variety of ingredients, it is difficult to know which one is the culprit. If there is any dog food allergy then it should be carefully examined and the food or diet gi ven should be noted along with timeline to find the exact root cause agent. As allergy can be due to any inhalant or due to any food also, it does not become clear why the allergic reaction is there, that is either due to food or some other external agent. The symptoms for allergy remain the same even if the causative agents are different. The most common symptom for dog food allergy is skin reaction, itching, inflammation, swelling and redness. Other symptoms are hair loss, hot spots, skin infections, scratching, ear infection and dryness. There is one more condition called food intolerance that differs from food allergy. Food intolerance involves symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting so both can not be treated as the same. There is a clear distinction between both the problems. Food allergy in dogs is very common and is responsible for 10% of the allergic reactions seen in dogs. Dog food allergies are not dog specific or dog breeds specific, it can occur to any male or femal e dog, of any age, neutered and healthy animals as well. Dog food responsible for allergies generally includes corn, soy, diary products, beef, wheat, lamb and rice. Several findings show that the food allergies develop due to chemical additives, preservatives and colors present in manufactured foods but it has not been proved as the only cause as dogs eating natural food also show allergic reactions.

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