Dog food allergies make about 10% of all types of allergic reactions to which these animals are susceptible. But it is almost impossible to identify this disorder at its early stage without serious clinical procedures. The main external symptom is skin itch which leads to skin reddening, scratching and local coming out of hair. And it is hypoallergenic dog food that will help to get rid of all the symptoms and restore your pet’s health.
It is necessary to distinguish between food allergy and food intolerance (dietary hypersensitivity) – the sum total of physiologic reactions which develop as a result the organism’s reaction to this or that substance which is contained in dog food. Clinically it can be revealed as the reaction of the dog’s immune system (allergy itself) or as a chemical or toxic reaction (intolerance).
The classification of mechanisms of clinical demonstrations under the influence of certain substances contained in dog food.
| Pathogenesis | Notes |
|---|---|
| Immunological (allergy) | |
| IgE-mediated Mediated by cell reactions |
This pathology is considered to be the most common one. |
| Non-classified | |
| Idiosyncrasy reactions | Case history might not include contact with the etiological factor, but the participation of immune mechanisms is possible |
| Non-immunological (intolerance) | |
| Anaphylactoid reaction | Consumption of products that contain much histamine |
| Metabolic | Development of enteritis as a result of consumption of lactose by the animals that have problems with lactase generation after their being taken away from the mother |
| Intoxication | Contamination of food with fungi |
| Pharmacological | Consumption of chocolate that contains much coconut oil (theobromine) |
A number of scientific studies have shown that that there are several products that are most likely to cause food allergy.
The most dangerous types of dog food:
- beef;
- dairy products;
- chicken;
- wheat;
- chicken eggs;
- corn;
- soy.
It’s these allergy incitants that are most frequent in ready-made pet food.
Proteins, lipoproteins, liposaccharides can provoke an allergic reaction. The reaction to food ingredients is conditioned by their size. Allergy can be caused by the molecules with mass more than 10 kDa.
In order to select dog food for allergies and to identify to which ingredient the pet’s organism reacts it is necessary to place it on a diet with minimal number of components – to determine those which do not cause any reactions. You can start with a mono-diet and gradually extend the number of consumed products.
It is possible to prevent dog allergy by balancing its diet. The best hypoallergenic dog food is the one that consists of components that rarely occur in daily food. It is proved by the combinations which are used in producing food for dogs suffering from allergy. Hypoallergenic dog food reviews often feature unusual combinations of potatoes with meat (venison or mutton, rabbit or duck) and fish (salmon and carp), rice with eggs, duck with peas. You can even find dog food based on kangaroo meet on the shelves of pet shops.
These dietary and rare combinations can be used for preparing dog food at home. In this case you risk to worsen the situation by depriving your dog of useful substances that are needed for maintaining activity and keeping your pet healthy. The majority of diets that pet owners prepare at home contain excessive proteins but lack calcium, irreplaceable fatty acids, many vitamins and other microelements.
But you can use special hypoallergenic food brands for dogs with food allergy: Hill’s, Purina, Exclude and so on.
Review of food for dogs with allergy:
- Hill’s PD Canine z/d – food for dogs with acute food allergy;
- Eukanuba Dermotosis - dry food for dogs with inflammatory skin diseases;
- ROYAL CANIN – hypoallergenic DR21, Affinity Dermotosis and so on;
- ADVANCE Dog Dermatosis Limited Antigen – medicated dog food;
- Happy Dog – medicated food for dogs having problems with skin and hair;
- Nestle Vet Diet – prophylactic food that prevents allergy development.
For the production of hypoallergenic foods the method of hydrolysis is used, which allows to split proteins into subcomponents that do not cause any harmful reactions.
Food can be selected depending on dog’s preferences (dry or canned food), as well as its size and breed. A veterinarian will provide you with all necessary information about hypoallergenic dog food.
So remember: using hypoallergenic dog food you will not only prevent the development of allergic reactions but also avoid many diseases connected with decrease in immunity.