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Food allergies in your dog

Give them a diet calibrated to their hypersensitivity

Does your dog have itchy skin or a rash? Are they constantly scratching or scooting across the floor? These symptoms may point to food allergies, which can cause distress and discomfort for your dog. Contribute to reduce these symptoms with a specialized diet designed to manage food hypersensitivity, and you’ll have one pleased pup on your hands.

Read on for advice from your Globalvet team on designing a proper diet to reduce, prevent, and control your dog’s allergies.

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Recognizing and treating food allergies

Food allergies can show up as early as four months of age or at any point in a dog’s life. It may be hard to tell whether your dog is suffering from a food sensitivity or environmental allergies (known as “atopic dermatitis”)—or a little of both.

The only way to accurately diagnose a food allergy is through a strict elimination diet, where you only feed your dog prescribed test diet for a certain amount of time to determine if they’re overly sensitive to a certain ingredient, and if so, which one.

Just like us humans, dogs can have an intolerance to certain things in their diet, including:

  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • Wheat
  • Corn

These sensitivities—very often associated with proteins—can turn into a full-blown allergy with all the associated reactions.

Why? Because with hypersensitivity, proteins in your dog’s food can trigger some of their cells to release histamine, which can cause an allergic reaction and produce the clinical signs visible from the outside, including:

  • Pruritus, i.e., itchy skin (the most common symptom)
  • Erythema, i.e., skin redness
  • Rashes
  • A secondary skin infection
  • Otitis externa
  • Seborrhea, an excessive secretion of sebum
  • Hyperpigmentation, an abnormal localized darkening of the skin
  • Lichenification, a thickening of the skin making it resemble elephant skin

No matter what is triggering your furry friend’s allergy, your main concern is to soothe their skin. If you believe your dog might be suffering from a food sensitivity, talk to your veterinary team to get nutrition advice and food recommendations.

If your dog does in fact have a food allergy, the condition may require long-term or even life-long management. That means you’ll have to:

  • Monitor their diet and feed them in a specific way
  • Take them to the vet clinic for regular follow up
  • In some cases, give them medication

To prevent allergic reactions in your hypersensitive pup, opt for food with highly digestible proteins from quality sources that are unlikely to cause a reaction, e.g., hydrolyzed protein or a new protein. Your dog’s diet should also include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to help nourish their skin.

Since your dog’s system is unable to produce omega-3 fatty acids on its own, food is the sole source. Veterinary diets are high in DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentanoic acid), the most beneficial omega-3s for dogs.

By feeding your dog a specialized diet, you ensure they get all the nutrients they need and avoid ingredients that trigger their hypersensitivity.

Learn more about food allergies, environmental allergies, and skin conditions in dogs in this post from Royal Canin, Skin and food sensitivities in dogs.

Choosing a specialized food to soothe your dog’s allergies: Benefits and tips

Controlling their reactions
Less inflammation
Skin barrier
A healthy coat

Regulate the immune system response to food allergens

New and highly digestible proteins from quality sources are less likely to cause an allergic reaction in your dog. They include:

  • Duck
  • Deer
  • Fish

But be aware that new sources of protein may trigger an allergic reaction in your dog down the road.

Hydrolyzed, or hypoallergenic, protein sources are designed to reduce the molecular weight of protein in order to significantly reduce their potential to sensitize your dog’s immune system. This is known as an immune-modulating diet.

Specialized foods are prepared following strict rules and are tested for effectiveness and quality.

The ingredients that make up these hypoallergenic veterinary foods are always the same from one bag to another and from one batch to another. They don’t change based on the availability or price of food on the market. That means you can rest assured knowing that your allergic dog’s diet is strictly under control.

Reduce inflammation and skin irritation

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA-DHA) have anti-inflammatory properties, making them an ideal nutrient for dogs with allergies or dry or sensitive skin. That’s why they’re a key ingredient in hypoallergenic veterinary food formulas.

To understand what’s making your pet’s skin inflamed and itchy and get advice on relieving it, read our post (in French), Mon animal se gratte, quoi faire?

Strengthen the skin barrier with proper nutrition and proteins

To have a healthy skin and coat, your dog needs protein. To keep them healthy, feed Fido highly digestible, high-quality proteins that are easier for their system to digest and absorb.

What is another essential ingredient in keeping your dog’s skin working the way it should? Omega-6 fatty acids, which supports normal skin functioning. They play an essential role in cell membrane structure and cell function. That’s why specialized allergy relief foods also contain enough omega-6s to help strengthen your dog’s skin barrier.

Vitamins such as biotin and niacin or minerals such as zinc added to these same foods help improve skin quality, strengthen its ability to protect itself from external irritants, and reduce the risk of secondary infections.

To learn more about the link between your dog’s nutrition and their skin barrier, read this Royal Canin post How your dog’s diet affects their skin.

Keep their coat in tip-top condition

Allergies can affect a dog’s skin and therefore their fur, so if you want your dog’s coat to be thick and shiny, the first step is to prevent allergic reactions from happening at all. Your dog’s coat is an outward indicator of their overall health, so a healthy coat means a healthy dog.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) are, as the name suggests, fats. They can help your dog have a thicker, glossier coat. Omega-3s also promote better overall hair follicle health, which can reduce hair loss.

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Find the best hypoallergenic food for your dog in our stores

Every Globalvet clinic store carries multiple lines of specialized dog food for your four-legged allergy sufferer. Buy the one your vet recommends in one of our stores or online.

Need advice on pet food?

Contact your local clinic or visit our online store.
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