Dog Food Allergies
Does Your Poodle Have Dog Food Allergies? Does your Poodle itch and scratch excessively? There may be a reason for all that scratching that you may not have thought of – food allergies! Usually, we first think of fleabites, inhalants, or dry skin and coat that are making our Poodle scratch, which is usually the case. Actually, only about 10% of dogs and cats seen by veterinarians have allergies. Even though you’ve been feeding your Poodle the same food for years, an allergy can pop up at any time. There is not one specific breed of dog that is predisposed to them. It can affect male and female dogs or neutered and intact dogs equally. Young and old dogs can be affected, but it is generally seen in dogs between 2 and 6 years. There is a difference between food allergies and food intolerances. Food intolerances usually result in diarrhea or vomiting. An allergy has the symptoms of itching and skin problems. A food intolerance is just like when you eat food that is too spicy. Symptoms of Dog Food Allergies Itching and scratching is generally the main symptoms that show up in food allergies. Some of the other ones to be aware of are:
Food Allergy Ingredients Due to the varied amounts of ingredients in dog foods, it can be difficult to determine which ingredient is causing the allergy, but studies show that some ingredients are more likely to cause food allergies than others, including:
Finding the Cause and Treatment Once you have worked with your vet and come to the conclusion that it is probably a food allergy that is causing all the itching and scratching, he’ll probably want to start your Poodle on an elimination diet. So, what exactly is an elimination diet you ask? It is a diet that doesn’t have any of the ingredients that are listed in the above list that might be causing your dog’s allergy. You have two choices to feed your Poodle when using elimination diet, either a grain-free commercial food and add a protein, or prepare the meals at home. A good commercial grain-free food is Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health or Sojourner Farms new Europa formula. With either of these you can add one of the proteins, such as fish, duck, venison or rabbit for a week. If you decide to make the meals at home, they should include two parts starch and one part protein, such as fish, duck, venison or rabbit. Don’t use lamb as the protein, since it is widely used in commercial dog food these days. Potatoes are preferred over rice as the starch as rice is sometimes not a reliable substitute. Also, since homemade meals aren’t as nutritionally balanced as commercial foods, don’t feed the homemade food for any longer than about eight weeks or so. Whatever diet you decide to use, be sure it is the only food your dog consumes during the elimination period. No scraps, dog treats, dog bones, vitamins, supplements or even chewable heartworm pills are to be given. You should also work the elimination diet into your Poodle’s regular diet over the course of about six days, slowly increasing the amount of the elimination diet each day. It’s also important that your Poodle isn’t allowed to run free during this time as it may find an unwanted source of protein like a mouse! Also, keep it away from the cat litter box and those delicious cat biscuits they seem to love. Once your Poodle has been on the diet for a week with one protein, you can substitute another one for a week and see how that goes. If there is not reaction to any of the proteins, then it probably was a reaction to one of the grains. You can then start adding grains back in to the diet to find out which one was the offending culprit! Once this is discovered, you should be able to find a nutritious hypoallergenic dog food by reading the labels. Your Poodle should then be on the road to a healthier itch free life! Dog Allergies Return to Home Page from Dog Food Allergies Page
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