The incidence of food allergies has increased during the past two decades. It has a marked effect on a dog’s health, and the nutrient availability of his diet. By isolating the issues that could be effecting a dog’s allergic reactions to diet, it is possible to treat this without a veterinary intervention, and markedly improve both his well-being, and his health.
Serious cases that do not respond to an alteration of diet should be referred to your Veterinarian for testing and treatment (if pharmaceutical, often antihistamines and steroids).
Causes and Symptoms
Food allergies in dogs can be generated by any of these factors:
Genetic predispositions
Environmental factors
Chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics in the food chain
The symptoms you need to watch for are:
Itchy skin, especially around the face, paws and ears
Bad skin odor
Excessive scaling
Red skin bumps
Ear infections
Self-inflicted skin trauma resulting from scratching
Digestive upset and/or diarrhea.
Cures
The Food
The first treatment is with food – that is, changing your dog’s diet. Just as with human dermatitis or digestive difficulties, it is important to remove the possible dietary offender, and to experiment with a simplified diet.
Our recommendation is to use a high meat diet, preferably one that has meats that are hormone-free and antibiotic-free. (If your budget affords it, use diets that are also pesticide-free and herbicide-free). Dogs are carnivores, therefore most easily absorbing mea,t rather than grain, proteins.
Unless there is an immediate negative digestive or skin reaction, keep your dog on this diet for at least a week to see if there is any improvement in the condition of his skin or coat. Utilization of the supplements mentioned below will also improve the prognosis.
Using filtered water (a Britta filter is one of the least expensive) also reduces the chemicals in his system.
The Supplements
A high quality digestive enzyme supplement like Prozyme™ will work wonders with allergies by increasing nutrient absorption, rather than nutrient reaction. (Please see our article, “Enzymes, the Key to Your Pet’s Health”).
Seagreens™ is an excellent supplement that can allay allergic reactions because it is full of minerals, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. This supplement therefore provides essential nutrients and helps insure more complete absorption of the diet’s nutrients. Seagreens™ also has a good deal of dietary fiber, which can help with digestive disorders of all kinds.
We must remember that our animals, like ourselves, are all individually created, with individual responses to their environment, and their diets. Therefore, focusing on best diet practices, including the addition of relevant supplements, can be extremely helpful at mitigating and eliminating allergies. This may require some experimentation and patience. The reward is a healthier dog without the use of pharmaceuticals.
