Food allergy in dogs: what can you do?

Food allergy is a reaction of the immune system after the dog has absorbed certain ingredients from the feed. Most often, the cause is a protein source in the feed. For example, if a dog is allergic to beef, you need to make sure that there is absolutely no beef in the feed. In most cases, dogs will have skin complaints due to allergies, not intestinal problems. About 10% of dogs suffer from vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Symptoms that occur regularly in food allergy are itching, bumps and redness. Especially in the groin, armpits and under the chin and abdomen. Most dogs start scratching and biting the affected skin, which can cause bacterial inflammation. Furthermore, dogs that suffer from food allergy are extra sensitive to an ear infection. The ear infections can come back more often despite treatments with antibiotics. Food allergy is more common in the breeds: West Highland White terrier, Cocker Spaniel, Irish Setter, English Bull terrier, Poodle, Labrador and Golden Retriever.

What can you do?

As soon as you think your dog is suffering from a food allergy, it is best to visit the veterinarian for the correct diagnosis. If you know that your dog suffers from a food allergy, you should feed him an elimination diet for 6 weeks. This hypoallergenic diet contains only ingredients that dogs are rarely allergic to. You can choose from hypoallergenic feed from the veterinarian or prepare the feed yourself. If you are going to prepare the feed yourself, the feed should consist of rice and an unknown source of protein for the dog. Our Riverwood  mono protein has been specially developed for the sensitive dog and is particularly suitable as an elimination diet. These foods are made from protein sources that do not often appear in animal nutrition, so your dog is unlikely to react to them. Did you know that all  Riverwood  dog food is hypoallergenic?

If the dog does indeed suffer from food allergy, all complaints will improve after 6 to 8 weeks or even leave once you have stopped giving the proteins to which your dog's body responds. From this moment on, your dog needs special food so that there is no recurrence of allergic reactions.