How do you diagnose a food allergy?
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07-01-2022
You often hear that a dog has a food allergy. Just like people, dogs can also develop an allergy to a certain nutrient. Do you suspect that your dog is not reacting well to the food he is given? Then it is good to determine whether it is actually a food allergy. Certain symptoms can also indicate a flea allergy or something else.
So let's first briefly discuss what a food allergy is.
A dog is allergic when its immune system overreacts to one or more ingredients in its diet. This can occur at any age, but is more common when the dog is under a year old.
Unfortunately, it cannot be cured, but it can be treated well by no longer giving the nutrient through a composed nutritional diet. Your best friend can still live a healthy and happy life!
What are the indications?
- vomiting and diarrhea;
- flatulence;
- weight loss;
- excessive licking or scratching (often due to itching and can lead to a rash);
- chronic ear infection.
In this case, contact your veterinarian for further investigation.
Most dogs are allergic to proteins in (certain) meats and dairy. But a flea allergy is also common, which results in a red irritation of the skin or even a hot spot. The vet will therefore first try to determine whether it is not an allergic reaction to, for example, fleas, dust mites, grass, etc.
After this, an elimination diet will be used to determine a food allergy. A long process, so patience is required.
An elimination diet involves feeding your dog a special diet. You focus on one specific type of meat for a period of 4-6 weeks and see if there are any improvements. If not, you switch to another type of meat. When there are fewer symptoms, you know that your dog is not allergic to the meat you are currently feeding, so that is good news! You then continue with another new nutrient. Until you have a good indication of what your dog reacts well or badly to.
Because the body has to adapt to the diet, it takes a few weeks before you see a change. And that again every time you introduce a new main ingredient.
Most dog foods are based on beef and chicken, so we skip those because they are likely to be allergic to them. Less common are lamb, rabbit, duck, salmon or turkey. So start with ingredients that you know/think your dog has not eaten before.
The important thing with an elimination diet is that you really only focus on 1 type of meat at a time. Then adjust your snacks accordingly. Do not mix different types, because then the diet is no longer reliable.
And does your dog like to eat what can be found on the street? Then it is wise to wear a muzzle for this period, so that she really does not ingest anything else.
Our webshop offers a wide range of food for an elimination diet.
For example, we have durable sausages from Darf . These sausages are made from one specific type of meat, of which the meat content is 97% and the rest millet or tapioca.
Millet is a gluten-free grain that belongs to the grass family. Tapioca or cassava flour is a binding agent that is often used in food. This is also completely gluten-free.
Darf sausages do not contain any chemical additives. The fresh meat is also steamed, so you can store them unopened outside the fridge or freezer.
We also offer natural snacks, which consist of 100% of that particular meat. Click here for the full range.
The above also applies to cats. So cat owners can also get started with an elimination diet to determine a food allergy. Darf sausages and some of our snacks are also suitable for cats. Do you want to view our collection for cats? Then click here .
After trying different types of meat, you can eventually determine a well-composed diet. This is the diet you will continue to feed your dog.
Now it may be that he does well on just one type of meat, so not much variation. We humans benefit from variation in our food, not only because of the taste. Most dogs have less need for different tastes. That way they will not quickly get bored of the same food every day. Of course you can switch between fresh meat and kibble or have variation with snacks (of the same animal species). For example, vary with snacks made from meat, organs, then the ears or paws of the animal.
NB:
When doing an elimination diet, skip tripe at first. There are dogs that are allergic to beef tripe but can eat beef without any problems. If you eventually have a good idea of the types of meat that your dog responds well to, you can also introduce tripe once.
Source:
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/pet-health-hub/conditions/food-allergies-in-dogs
https://darf.nl
https://nl.wikipedia.org
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