Even a habitual diet can cause an undesirable reaction in a pet – itching, gastrointestinal disorders, changes in behavior. The good news is that this problem can be dealt with. We tell you how and why allergy occurs in dogs, how it differs from food intolerance, how to treat allergic reactions and whether it is possible to insure against them.
January 19, 2023
January 19, 2024
Food allergies in dogs. Reasons and solutions
Even a habitual diet can cause an undesirable reaction in a pet – itching, gastrointestinal disorders, changes in behavior. The good news is that this problem can be dealt with. We tell you how and why allergy occurs in dogs, how it differs from food intolerance, how to treat allergic reactions and whether it is possible to insure against them.
What is an allergy?
An allergic reaction is a malfunction of the immune system, which can be caused by genetic factors (innate predisposition) or provoked by any external factors. With food allergy, the immune system causes the body to react to food as something dangerous. As a weapon, the body secretes histamine and other compounds that cause itching, swelling, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, etc.
The reaction may follow immediately, or it may develop over several months or even years. Such a “prolonged” allergic reaction is called cumulative (as opposed to instantaneous – the one that makes itself felt immediately).
Most often, an immune response is provoked by an encounter with a food protein. And the larger the molecule, the easier it is for the immune system to recognize and attack it. Therefore, high-molecular proteins are in the top allergens: beef, dairy products, wheat and chicken meat. They account for 78% of all cases of food allergy in dogs.
Interestingly, 32% of this number is the “merit” of beef and only 15% is chicken (which is generally feared the most). This is evidenced by the data provided by the scientific journal BMC Veterinary Research. At the same time, chicken is represented in the feed much more often than beef. With an equal ratio, beef would cause food allergy in dogs even more often.
Less often, allergy is caused by mutton, eggs and soy, as well as preservatives and other food additives. Sometimes a dog may be allergic to several food products at once.
Food allergy and food intolerance:
what is the difference?
Food allergy is often confused with food intolerance — for example, lactose or gluten intolerance. No matter how similar the symptoms are (we’ll talk about them below), it’s important to distinguish one phenomenon from another.
Food intolerance:
- it does not involve the immune system; the main reasons are problems in the digestive tract and digestive glands
- it is most often expressed in reactions from the digestive system
- the severity of symptoms depends on the amount of food consumed.
Food allergy:
- affects the immune system
- it can cause a serious reaction even after a small portion of food containing an irritant
- it persists throughout the life of the animal
- it usually manifests itself with repeated consumption of food with an allergen
- it is more often expressed in the form of skin problems
- it develops gradually. That is, a new food consisting of components that the dog is guaranteed never to have tried, cannot give a rapid manifestation of symptoms. The immune system takes time to develop a reaction to the antigen – and this time is always different.
Sometimes the so-called dietary indiscretion is mistaken for a food allergy. This is when a pet eats something that it shouldn’t eat, and logically feels bad. For example, a dog was treated to spicy cheese, or it itself stole a moldy piece of sausage from the bin. Vomiting and diarrhea in this case are a normal reaction to abnormal food. But with allergy, the opposite is true. An allergy is an abnormal reaction to normal food.
How often does an allergy occur?
Unlike food intolerance and dietary indiscretion, food allergy is rarely diagnosed. Thus, an international study mentions that it is detected only in 1-2% of cases of all diseases of domestic animals and in 5% of all dermatological diseases.
That is, in most cases, an undesirable reaction to food does not occur due to allergy. Much more often, the cause is intolerance to any component or an incorrect transition from one diet to another (we will also tell you more about this).
It is believed that some dog breeds are genetically more prone to developing allergy. They include Shar Peis, Dachshunds, Golden Retrievers, Pugs, Shih Tzus, Yorkshire Terriers, Irish setters and Cocker Spaniels. In general, purebred and domestic animals suffer from allergy more often than hybrids and homeless animals: their immunity is reduced due to the frequency of inbreeding.
Of course, it is better not to get even in 1-2% of cases of a true allergy. Therefore, it is important to reduce the risk of this disease to zero, or at least recognize it in time.
Symptoms of food allergy in dogs
Usually, a food allergy does not kill a dog, but it greatly worsens its quality of life.
Food allergy can develop at any age, but most often in puppies under the age of six months or in adult dogs over five years old. The most common symptoms include:
- Skin problems. Itching, redness, rash, wet spots, peeling, dryness, scab (crusts) formation, hair loss, hyperpigmentation. An allergic reaction on the skin usually occurs within 6-24 hours after eating the food. In most cases, the paws, the area of the ears and tail are affected.
- Nasal discharge, watery eyes.
- Shortness of breath, coughing, sneezing, snoring.
- Disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. It is much less common (according to statistics, only 10 to 30% of dogs with food allergy suffer from symptoms from the digestive system). It can be diarrhea (both with blood and/or mucus in the stool, and without it), vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain.
- Inflammation of the ears, eyes, genitourinary system, etc. (otitis, blepharitis, cystitis). They can develop against the background of secondary yeast or bacterial infections. As for otitis, it is usually bilateral and indicates that the allergy has been around for a long time.
- Swelling: dogs usually have swollen lips, eyelids and/or auricles.
- Changes in behavior. The pet may become sluggish or, conversely, hyperactive; show aggression, refuse food. It begins to rub against corners, furniture, the legs of the owner, as well as constantly scratch and bite itchy areas on the body. Pay attention to how the dog moves: if it tilts its head sideways or begins to have difficulty walking, contact the veterinarian as soon as possible.
What happens if allergy is not treated? Usually, a food allergy does not kill an animal, but it greatly worsens the quality of its life and indirectly shortens its duration. Allergies can lead to secondary skin infections, chronic digestive disorders, anorexia and other serious health problems.
How to distinguish food allergy from non-food allergy?
Only a doctor can diagnose a true food allergy. But the owner can theoretically distinguish it from other types of allergies (for example, to the environment or flea bites) according to the following signs:
- If symptoms occur in puppyhood, dogs under 1 year old usually do not suffer from environmental allergy.
- If the symptoms are not related to seasonal changes, moving or traveling to countries with different climatic conditions.
- If the dog has both skin and gastrointestinal symptoms.
What should a veterinarian know?
Tell your doctor in detail about all the symptoms and possible changes in the diet.
Tell him about all the changes in the pet’s appearance, well-being and behavior (even if you are not sure whether they are related). Describe the animal’s diet in detail, including in this list not only food, but also all the treats, as well as food additives, medicines, and even flavored toys and toothpaste.
Try to remember other possible triggers. For example: did the dog come into contact with other animals from which it could catch parasites? Has your apartment been cleaned for a long time (that is, could the pet have been exposed to dust mites or detergents, especially strong ones)? Have you traveled to nature (where a dog could have “familiarity” with pollen, dangerous plants, etc.)? All this will help the veterinarian exclude allergy of non-food origin.
How to confirm food allergy in dogs?
The first step to treatment is to identify the ingredient that causes an allergic reaction. Some veterinary clinics offer to identify food allergy using blood tests and skin scrapings. However, most experts agree that all these tests are not accurate enough.
Today, the only diagnostic method that has proven its effectiveness is the elimination (exclusion) diet. It is carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian.
The conditions are simple: the pet needs to be put on a diet consisting of foods that it has never eaten. To do this, you will need to stock up on homemade or industrial food with ingredients unfamiliar to the dog, for 8 weeks. It is important that the new diet is balanced. For example, Cosmodog , a hypoallergenic food with turkey and entoprotein, would be a good choice. It is characterized by a high concentration of hypoallergenic protein and useful substances that improve digestion, strengthen the immune system and energize.
Throughout the entire period of the diet, the dog should not eat anything extraneous: no treats, no flavored dietary supplements. Make sure that no one at home gives it pieces from the table and that the dog itself does not visit the cat’s bowl.
If the symptoms gradually disappear, it will be possible to talk about food allergy. But that’s not all. The next step is the so-called provocation: the pet will need to be returned to the old diet. If itching, rash and other symptoms return, you will need to start a special diet again and wait until the dog’s condition improves. After that, enter one ingredient from the previous feed and check the reaction.
If the symptoms return after the second provocation, the doctor can make the desired diagnosis. But if the hypoallergenic diet does not help at all, most likely the symptoms are caused by some other problem.
All this takes weeks and even months, so not every owner can withstand an elimination diet. But this is the only way to make sure that the animal really has a food allergy, that you discovered it together with the veterinarian, and did it without depriving the dog of all the nutrients it needs.
Allergy in dogs: treatment
Elimination (exclusion) diet is the only method of allergy diagnosis that has proven its effectiveness.
The doctor may prescribe antibiotics against otitis, blepharitis and skin inflammation, as well as antihistamines, ointments and shampoos that relieve itching. However, all these are remedies for relieving symptoms. The cause itself can only be removed by transferring the pet to a new hypoallergenic diet. And the elimination diet is just the beginning of treatment.
By the time of diagnosis, you will already know which components need to be excluded from the diet. But what should you leave in it? The working option is to stay on the diet that was used for diagnosis (of course, with the approval of the veterinarian).
In general, a hypoallergenic nutrition plan can be made according to one of two schemes:
A hydrolyzed diet. That is, with a feed that includes hydrolyzed (split) proteins. Their molecular weight is too small, so the animal’s immune system does not recognize them – therefore, the risk of developing allergy is reduced.
A diet with a new type of protein, previously unknown to the dog. It should be added gradually and again under the supervision of a specialist. “Safe” sources of protein include lamb, duck, venison, rabbit, turkey and veal. For those who have already tried all this, there are exotic options: for example, kangaroo meat. Or an innovative component — entoprotein.
Insect flour is not in vain called a product of the future (or rather, of the present). For dogs, in a sense, this is also the past. In their natural habitat, animals have been eating insects throughout their evolution. Which is not surprising, because larvae contain much more protein than beef and chicken. If 100 g of beef contains 19 g of protein, and 100 g of chicken – 20 g, then 100 g of cricket contain 25 g of protein. And 100 g of larvae of the black soldier fly – as much as 40 g (and 62 g – in a low-fat soldier fly).
BSF Entoprotein , a concentrate from the larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF), in general, deserves special attention. Its advantages:
- It is hypoallergenic (this is due to the fact that the larvae do not have time to accumulate toxins in themselves)
- It is easily digested, so it is suitable even for animals with sensitive digestion.
- It contains antimicrobial peptides that contribute to the suppression of pathogenic flora and enhance the protective properties of the body.
Check with your veterinarian if Cosmodog, a holistic product with a unique BSF entoprotein and an appetizing turkey, is suitable for your dog.
And do not forget that the transition to a new diet should be carried out smoothly, within 7 days. From the first to the third day, 75% of the old feed and 25% of the new feed should be in the bowl. The fourth and fifth days – old and new feed 50% each. The sixth and the seventh: 25% old, 75%. Only on the eighth day the dog can be completely transferred to a new diet.
Is it possible to get rid of food allergy and how to prevent it?
Due to unpredictable genetic factors, it is impossible to prevent food allergy completely. It is also impossible to get rid of it 100%. There are several ways to alleviate its manifestations — for example, very slowly and gradually introduce a new product into the animal’s diet. But the best treatment for food allergy in a dog is to eliminate contact with the allergen completely and select a diet that meets the needs of your pet.