Dog Food Allergies: The Struggle Is Real

Food Allergies.  When I hear that, I usually think about human food allergies.  You hear stories about kids that are allergic to peanuts or strawberries.  I knew that dogs could also have food allergies, but didn't have any personal experience dealing with it.

That was before, and this is now. Now, I have a little experience because my newest adoption, eight year old Lil Bit, is allergic to chicken.  When I adopted him, he had a skin condition that appeared to be a fungal infection, but he had also chewed his feet so much that they were infected.  He was given prednisone, OTC antihistamines like benedryl and zyrtec (not together!), antibiotics, and an antifungal.  He had a small amount of improvement, but the condition and his misery persisted.  I took him back to the vet and we discussed his environment and food.  

Grains are usually a culprit of food allergies, and when I first adopted him, he was eating a food that contained grains.  I had transitioned him over to a food that was grain free though, because my other two dogs eat grain free food.  His skin improved a little, but not much.  Since he was eating a high quality grain free food, we decided to see if the protein, or meat source was the issue.  He was eating a chicken based food.  I normally rotate feed different brands and proteins, so my dogs usually get a rotation of beef, chicken, and fish proteins.  The vet suggested we switch to a fished based diet.  

Wow, did I find there is chicken in EVERYTHING! My vet said to avoid all chicken including chicken meal, chicken fats, chicken organs (liver), and eggs.  I did a lot of research and tried to find a fish based  kibble that wasn't terribly high in fat (under 12% is ideal since I have an overweight dog).  I compared reviews on sites like www.chewy.com (where I tend to buy dog food) and also reviews on DogFoodAdvisor.  To make my life easier for a few weeks, I decided to switch all of my dogs to the same fish based food.  it would help to make sure my chicken-allergic dog wasn't accidentally fed food with chicken.

Ultimately, I chose a food that contained 8% fat, 26% protein, and 394 calories per cup.  Since this food is much higher in calories than my dogs normally eat (they are usually 320-345 per cup), I reduced the amount of kibble, but did add in some extra veggies to help them feel full and get some extra nutrition.  I posted about the kind of veggies I use as food toppers, but pretty much any fruit or vegetable that is safe for them to eat works pretty well.  In order to find a food with no chicken that met my other requirements, I ended up getting a limited ingredient kibble, so the extra veggies help supply some important nutrients.

I also had to check the labels on treats because while many of theirs are homemade, like my three ingredient cookies, some treats like their dental treats, I do buy.  I found that even the beef flavored treats had at least chicken broth in them.  I finally found a vegetarian dental treat made by Blue Buffalo that didn't have any kind of chicken product.

My tips for finding a food and/or treats for food allergic dogs:

• The most common ingredients for dogs to be allergic to (in order of likelihood) are beef, dairy products, chicken, lamb, fish, chicken eggs, corn, wheat, and soy. 
• Check the ingredients! Even if the main protein is different, you may find the many foods will use more than one, especially in the form of meal (i.e. chicken meal).
• Consider Grain Free, since many allergies are related to grains.
• You may need to even consider vegetarian, if your dog is allergic to multiple proteins.
• Consider an unusual protein source, like rabbit or kangaroo.  Dogs seem to be allergic to the most common proteins, chicken and beef.
• You have to keep your dog on the new food and avoid the suspected allergy for several weeks to see real improvement.
• Common signs of allergy are itchy skin, recurrent ear infections, hair loss, paw biting, and excessive licking.  Keep an eye on your dog whenever switching foods and watch for these symptoms.
• Keep in mind, medicines like heartworm preventatives may contain the ingredient your pet is allergic to.
• If you end up feeding a limited ingredient diet, you may also need to supplement with a variety of fruits and veggies, and/or with a canine vitamin supplement to ensure proper nutrition.

Share your struggles with dog food allergies - and share how you found relief for your dog!

Please either share here by posting a comment or on our facebook page!

Sources:
Pet Education
DFA 

Head Shaking: Why does my dog do it?

If your dog shakes his head only very occasionally, it's usually nothing to worry about and your dog may just need his ears cleaned.  But if you notice your dog shaking her head a lot, or very hard, or simply more than usual, it may warrant a trip to the vet.

Your dog may have a bacterial or fungal infection, or may even have mites! Any dog can get an ear infection, or Otitis Externa, but those with longer or floppy ears are usually more susceptible. The most noticeable sign of an ear infection is head shaking and ear flapping, or your dog may show off her flexibility and use her feet to rub or scratch at her ears.

The first thing you should do is clean your dogs ears.  I like to use a cleanser such as Virbac Epi-Otic or Zymox Ear Cleaner.  There are two ways most people clean their dog's ears.  You can soak a cotton ball with the cleaner, then gently wipe inside your dog's ear.  Use a fresh cotton ball for each ear, and you may need a dry cotton ball to get all of the debris out.  Their ear canal is "L" shaped, so you can feel pretty comfortable cleaning their ears without worrying about going too deep.  The other method is to squirt a little bit of the cleaner in each ear, then massage the ear with your fingers to work the cleanser in and help break up debris.  Then you wipe out the ear with a tissue or cotton ball.  My vet has told me that it's safe to clean my dog's ears everyday as long as I am getting debris (or have a dirty cotton ball after wiping out the ear). You may need to clean your dogs ears daily until the head shaking subsides, then less often  such every other day, once a week, once every two weeks - whatever works and keeps your dog's ears from being dirty and getting infected.

Your dog may have a bacterial or fungal infection and need to see the vet for diagnosis and treatment. Usually, the vet will swab the ears to determine the cause, then prescribe ear drops.  Your dog may moan with relief when you rub her ears, or he may cry or wince/pull away in pain.  You may notice dark discharge in the ear or when you clean your dog's ears, and your pup's ears may have a less than pleasant odor.  Moderate to severe cases may require an oral medication like the steroid prednisone to help with the itching and reduce inflammation.

Other causes may be foreign body in the ear (bugs, grass clippings, etc), ear mites (small parasites), or allergies to the environment or an ingredient in her food.  I recently discovered that one of my dogs may be allergic to chicken, and it wasn't until I switched him to fish-based food and treats with zero chicken, chicken meal, eggs, or chicken fat that his ears finally started to clear up!

When in doubt, see your vet.  If your dog is uncomfortable, itching, scratching, and shaking his head, it's time to be checked out by a vet to determine the true cause and treat it.


SOURCES:
VetStreet
Pet WebMD
MedicineNet