Food allergies as a cause of skin irritation
24 Feb 2012
When your dog constantly scratches it can drive both you and your dog insane.
Many owners wouldn’t even consider food as the causal factor of skin irritation however it can be a major cause of dog skin conditions.
It is important to ensure that your dog is fed a nutritionally sufficient diet, rich in omega oils, which help prevent the skin from drying out, prevent dog moulting and help the coat keep its protective shield against water. Yumega is a great supplement which provides these essential oils to protect the skin and coat.
Food allergies are quite common in dogs and are usually caused by an allergy to dairy, gluten or wheat; ingredients which are often used in cheap foods to bulk them out. Feeding your dog a high quality diet which contains no wheat or dairy will dramatically help the problem.
Symptoms of a food allergy include dog scratching, red areas on the skin with associated hair loss, which usually occurs around the face, armpits, groin area and paws, a dull coat and digestive problems.
To discover if your dog has a food allergy a food test is usually the preferred and most accurate method. This requires only feeding a bland or hypoallergenic diet for 4-12 weeks to see if the problem clears up. These diets can either be a commercial dog food or a homemade diet, however no treats or other foods can be given for this trial to be effective. If you have more than one dog, or cats, it is important to ensure that your dog does not have access to their food during the trial. Once the trial period has been completed your dog should be reassessed by your vet who will then give advice on what foods to reintroduce and what foods to avoid.
Once a food allergy has been diagnosed, the only long term solution is avoidance of the food type, however there are many high quality dog foods available that do not include the ingredients that commonly cause allergies such as Burns and James Wellbeloved.