Jul 27, 2019, 6:02 PM
Although you’d never guess it given their willingness to eat anything and everything, dogs have a sensitive digestive system. It is not all that uncommon for a canine to suffer from a food allergy (or allergies). When aggravated, your dog’s food allergy can lead to bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and excessive scratching. These are just some of the consequences you can expect if you feed your dog a formula that is incompatible with its digestive and immune systems. Thankfully, there are several steps you can take to avoid aggravating your canine friend’s allergies. We’ll be examining the most notable of them below.
Learn to Recognize Symptoms
Most dog owners can identify bloating or diarrhea when it occurs. However, other allergic symptoms often go unnoticed. For example, skin irritation often flies under the radar. It can be easy to brush off itching around the face, feet, and ears as a byproduct of the season. If it persists, however, there’s a good chance your dog is suffering from a food allergy. Similarly, regular ear infections can be indicative of a problem stemming from your dog’s diet.
Switch to a Hypoallergenic Formula
Many inferior dog food brands rely on filler ingredients to keep production costs down. Common filler ingredients include meat, corn, and rice. While these ingredients make dog food more affordable, they are also likely to cause stomach aches and irritate food allergies. For that reason, we encourage dog owners to spend a little extra on a hypoallergenic formula. Leading dog food manufacturers, such as Calibra, offer filler-free recipes which will appease your dog’s hunger without causing any discomfort.
Avoid “Human” Foods
When you’re making a sandwich, it can be hard not to toss a scrap of ham to your dog. Especially if he or she is looking up at you with those big sparkling eyes. Refusing to do so, however, is in your dog’s best interests. You see, food intended for human consumption tends to contain several ingredients which are not compatible with a dog’s digestive system. Processed ham, for example, has a high salt content. This can cause dehydration in dogs, as well as bloating and stomach aches.
Keep a Food Diary
Once you have switched your dog to a hypoallergenic formula and cut all “human” food from its diet, you will likely see an improvement in its condition. If issues persist, however, you may have to resort to keeping a food diary. Begin by listing all the ingredients present in all the food you give your dog. Then log each feeding session for review when the symptoms of an allergic reaction present themselves. This will help you identify the cause of your dog’s problems and, hopefully, craft a solution.