Food intolerance in dogs is a common issue but unfortunately, many pet owners are not sure how to deal with it. We are used to hearing about the link between diet and overall well-being and health. Unlike humans, dogs cannot speak up and visit a medical professional when they feel unwell.
Dogs rely on humans for the food they eat, when to see a vet, and where to stay, among other things. Therefore, it is up to the pet owners to be aware of issues like allergies, and food intolerance, and ensure that a dog’s diet comprises the proper nutritional requirements based on their breed, age, and lifestyle.
Here, we’ll examine the causes, symptoms, and effects of food intolerance in dogs and the steps you must take when you suspect your pet is intolerant to particular food types.
Dog Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance – What’s the Difference?
People usually use the terms food intolerance and food allergy to describe all severe food reactions in dogs. The term that you can apply most precisely when the immune system plays a role in creating visible symptoms and signs is food sensitivity or food allergy.
Food intolerance is the more precise term to use when describing adverse food reactions in dogs. This term covers a huge category of severe food reactions where the immune system does not play a role in creating the apparent symptoms and signs.
Severe food reactions often mimic food allergies because the body demonstrates an issue with food in several ways. One characteristic of food intolerance in dogs is that it appears after a dog gets exposed to a food additive or food. The reactions that the immune system regulates (food sensitivities or allergies) usually require a few exposures before the signs are evident.
Food allergies and sensitivities can occur in dogs of any age or breed. However, the longer a dog is exposed to a certain food, the likelier it is for the pet to develop an allergy or sensitivity to the food. That is one of the reasons why you should avoid feeding your pet the same thing for several months. It can lead to issues.
The foods often associated with true allergies in dogs include dairy products, beef, and chicken. It is not that the foods are particularly allergenic. It’s that they are the most prevent in commercial pet food.
Dogs can also have allergies after ingesting other foods like eggs, wheat, soy, lamb, rabbit, pork, and fish. These mostly are raw food item if the dog do not maintain a raw food diet then the protein in the foods can trigger allergies in dogs.
Carbohydrate sources are less likely to cause food allergies. Therefore, grain-free diets have as many potential food allergens as typical diets.
Artificial colors, preservatives, and flavorings in dog food are also not likely to cause true allergies. However, these ingredients may trigger adverse reactions or sensitivities at times.
Diverse Types of Adverse Food Intolerance that Happen to Dogs
Dogs can experience various food intolerances. They include the following:
Food Poisoning
This adverse reaction occurs due to the food’s direct action on a dog. It is a common cause of gastrointestinal (GI) disease in canines and the following can cause it:
- Scavenging spoiled food.
- Ingesting too much of a specific nutrient like vitamin D or Vitamin A.
- Ingesting a problematic food like chocolate.
- Ingesting a plant that can irritate the digesting system like rhubarb.
Carbohydrates
Humans can experience several disorders of carbohydrate intolerance. This issue is less common in dogs. Yet, dogs can easily suffer from lactose intolerance. Its signs include bloating, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea after ingesting goat’s or cow’s milk.
Food Additives
People frequently experience adverse reactions to food additives like certain spices, monosodium glutamate, and sulfites. One of the food additives that can cause food intolerance in dogs is disulfide. Disulfide is found in onions, and it can ruin red blood cells.
Dietary Indiscretion
Dogs can eat things they should not, and this includes clothing, garbage ingestion, and gluttony are common causes of adverse food reactions. The signs of food intolerance in dogs can result from grease or fat, bacterial contamination, and from wood, aluminum foil, plastic, and bones.
Drug-like Reactions to Food
Dogs can react to certain foods due to histamine. It’s essential to differentiate between a dog’s adverse reaction to something they have ingested versus the immune system’s involvement in the matter and possible food sensitivity. A food allergy or sensitivity usually results in GI and skin signs requiring a comprehensive approach to making the body achieve a state of balance once more.
Food intolerance in dogs typically causes stomach problems. They might have diarrhea or vomit, have a poor appetite, or be severely gassy. Dog food intolerance poop is likely to be watery.
Yet, it is vital to note that runny poop can be caused by eating new food, medication, stress, or eating food meant for humans.
Watery poop can also be a sign of an underlying condition or infection and drinking stagnant water from a pond or puddle. If your dog’s poop remains watery for an extended time, consult your vet.
When veterinarians know the dog’s nutrient profile, feeding schedule, and the severity or timing of any symptoms and signs, they can differentiate between a food hypersensitivity and a one-time adverse food reaction.
Treatment for Food Intolerance in Dogs
When a dog has grain allergy or other food intolerance, it is essential to find the right diet plan. It is unpleasant for a dog to live with an issue like diarrhea.
Therefore, you must switch your dog to a food that does not cause adverse symptoms. The following are food intolerance in dogs treatment options.
1. Choose a Food Containing a Novel Protein
After knowing why your dog has digestive problems, feed it a novel protein. According to research, novel proteins are great for dogs with food sensitivities and intolerance.
These are sources of protein that a dog has not previously ingested, as opposed to common protein sources like poultry, beef, tuna, and pork. The dog has not yet developed a sensitivity to food.
Some examples of novel proteins are bison, venison, rabbit, quail, elk, ostrich, guineafowl, wild boar, and kangaroo.
Grain-free diets help eliminate food intolerance in dogs and diffuse irritable bowel syndrome. The processing procedure of commercial dog foods usually kills vital pro-digestive enzymes, making the foods easier to digest for dogs with irritable bowel syndrome.
High-quality dog food has many pro-digestive enzymes. Therefore, find a high-quality food containing novel proteins to feed your pet.
Crickets are also a useful novel protein that can help treat food intolerance in dogs. They are as digestible as more typical protein sources such as chicken. They offer beneficial fiber and complete amino acids. It is also a sustainable food source because cricket farming uses less water and other resources compared to raising animals like cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and pigs.
Cricket farming also does not produce methane or other byproducts that can ruin the environment. Although no food is allergy-proof or inherently hypoallergenic, a research study published in the Journal of Animal Science concluded that dogs that ingested cricket meals did not suffer adverse reactions in a long-term trial.
2. Switch to a Diet Dog Food with Limited Ingredients
Many commercial dog foods have ingredients that can irritate your dog’s digestive system like corn, potato, and grains. To prevent digestive problems, you can change your dog’s food diet to a brand with a high-quality healthy diet plan and other fresh ingredients.
3. Ensure Your Dog Does Not Have an Allergy
Dogs can typically experience digestive issues because of food allergies or food intolerance. Dogs with food intolerance usually have stomach issues or diarrhea while those with allergies often exhibit symptoms like constant scratching and itching, flaky skin, vomiting, and rashes.
However, when it comes to dog food intolerance diarrhea is a common symptom. Even if you feel that you have identified the ingredient that is causing food intolerance in your pet, consult your veterinarian before making any changes to its diet.
Wrapping Up
It can be tricky to identify food intolerance in dogs. The symptoms and signs of the issue are not what many pet owners expect. Many myths also exist concerning food intolerance in dogs.
When you notice the symptoms of food intolerance in your dog, it is essential to consult a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause and create a suitable treatment plan. The veterinarian can also perform additional tests like blood or skin tests to identify the allergen.
The vet might also recommend using steroids, antihistamines, or other medicines to manage the allergy symptoms and switching to a hypoallergenic diet.
FAQs
1. What is Food Intolerance in Dogs?
Food intolerance in dogs is an adverse reaction by your pet’s body to something it has ingested, but the immune system has not mediated it.
Food intolerance can happen if your dog cannot properly digest fats or chemical additives such as artificial colors or preservatives in the food. Food intolerance is classified based on the kind of substance that generates it.
Therefore, it can be pharmacological, metabolic, idiopathic, or toxicological. The symptoms of intolerance and allergies in dogs are the same.
2. What are the Symptoms of Food Intolerance in Dogs?
The common symptoms of food intolerance in dogs include diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating and gas, migraines or headaches, nausea, heartburn, and upset stomach.
3. What is the Most Common Food Intolerance in Dogs?
Proteins are the most common cause of food intolerance in dogs. Dogs are commonly allergic to foods like dairy, beef, chicken, eggs, soy, mutton/lamb, rabbit, fish, and pork. Fish and rabbits are far less common food allergens compared to the others.
Some protein sources are linked with more allergy cases. For example, BMC Veterinary Research shows that beef constitutes about thirty-four percent of food allergies in dogs. Also, excessive dietary protein intake can cause panosteitis in Cocker Spaniel dogs.
Therefore, if you feed beef to your dog for many years, it can increase its potential to develop an intolerance or allergy to it. Beef is also among the most common ingredients in dog treats and foods, and this might be the reason why many dogs develop an intolerance to it.
4. What Do You Feed a Dog with Food Intolerance?
The most effective way to alleviate food intolerance in dogs is to change their diet. Grain-free foods are usually regarded as great for food allergies.
A study published in 2016 concluded that the most common causes of food sensitivity in dogs are dairy, beef, and chicken. You can feed novel proteins to a dog with food intolerance.
Another option is to feed hydrolyzed proteins to your pet. Hydrolyzed protein prescription diets do not change the proteins that are used.
Instead, the proteins are broken down so that the immune system can no longer recognize them as a threat.
5. How Do You Test a Dog for Food Intolerance?
You can know if your pet has food intolerance by requesting a veterinarian to perform a blood test. The vet can draw blood and send it to a lab that can carry out an extensive diagnostic dog food intolerance test on the sample. The test can also be performed using saliva, fur, or skin.
The dog food intolerance testing procedure helps identify the foods or ingredients that a dog’s body does not easily digest or metabolize. The results can highlight the foods that your pet is allergic to.
After you get the results of the test, you can discuss with your vet about the type of therapy or dietary changes required.
6. Dog Food Allergies How Long to Clear Up?
The amount of time it takes for dog food allergies to clear up varies based on several factors. They include the pet’s overall health, the allergy’s severity, and the treatment a vet uses to handle it. It can take a few weeks to a few months for the food allergy symptoms to subside completely.
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