Food Allergies
It's easy to blame food for a dog's allergy problems, but food allergies are only responsible for 10 to 15 percent of all allergy problems. Food allergies affect males and females equally, whether or not they are spayed or neutered.
Most dogs are about one year old when they have their first food allergy, although a dietary problem can show up as early as four months of age and as late as fourteen years. While it may seem like a dog suddenly becomes allergic after eating a particular food, it actually takes time for a food allergy to develop. Dogs with food allergies may also have inhalant allergies at the same time.
Common Food Allergens
The top food allergens are corn, wheat, soy, yeast, potato, and beet. Other common offending ingredients include beef, dairy products, chicken and chicken eggs, cheese, nuts, fruits, tomatoes, and carrots. Food additives, colorings, and artificial preservatives also cause hypersensitivity.
Diagnosing a Food Allergy
When a dog has a food allergy, he may have skin irritations and ear infections as well as gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhea. To diagnose a food allergy, the veterinarian will recommend a food elimination trial by feeding the dog a diet with only one protein source or with a hydrolyzed hypoallergenic diet.
In a food trial, the dog is fed a simplified diet for sixty to ninety days. This food should be fed exclusively, and all treats, vitamins and supplements, and flavored heartworm or flea medications must be discontinued for this period. This desensitizes the body to troublesome allergens. Following this period, the dog is fed the original diet. If a reaction occurs, one or more of the ingredients is the problem.
Although lamb and rice dog food is often touted as the perfect allergy-free diet, it isn't. Many commercial lamb and rice dog food recipes also contain wheat, egg, corn, or other ingredients that cause food allergies. Lamb is also a common allergen.
Home Cooking
To feed your dog a home-cooked, allergen-free meal, prepare a variety of fresh foods that your dog has not been exposed to in the past. Use a simple stew recipe with one novel protein source, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. You can find hypoallergenic recipes in dog cookbooks such as The Everything© Cooking for Dogs Book.
Hypoallergenic starches include barley, oatmeal, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, tapioca, and sweet potato. To supply essential fatty acids, add ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of raw olive or flaxseed oil to each meal. Give smaller dogs smaller amounts.
Start with a small batch to see how your dog adapts to it before preparing enough for a week or two at a time. Consider freezing some to be used at a later date for convenience. An average portion size is 1 to 1 ½ cups for every fifteen to twenty pounds of body weight.
