How do I know if my dog is having an allergic reaction to food
5 Signs Your Pet Is Having an Allergic Reaction
Allergic reactions are something we have in common with our pets. Anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction often seen in people following exposure to things such as shellfish, nuts, and insect stings, can also affect dogs and cats.
Both people and pets are susceptible to numerous allergens such as insect bites or stings, drugs (like medications and vaccines), foods, and environmental substances (like mold, pollen, grass, and house dust mites).
Allergic reactions have both a multitude of causes and manifestations. It is important for pet owners to be familiar with the various symptoms of allergic reactions so that medical attention can be administered in a timely manner.
Here are 5 signs your pet is having an allergic reaction and how to treat them:
Itchiness
Itchiness is one of the most universal manifestations of allergies in pets.
Itchiness can be either localized or generalized. Some of the common areas that are affected include the:
Limbs
Face
Ears
Armpits
Hindquarters
Pets with allergies are often observed biting, licking, or scratching at these sites, resulting in inflamed skin and hair loss.
Dogs and cats suffering from severe allergies might traumatize their skin, resulting in open sores and infection.
Seeking veterinary attention at the onset of itchiness is important to keep pets comfortable and prevent skin infections.
Facial Swelling
Seeing a pet with a swollen face causes both alarm and distress for owners.
Puffiness can occur on the muzzle, ears, and around the eyes. A change in a pets appearance is more dramatic and noticeable in pets with short hair coats.
Areas that become swollen as a result of an allergic reaction are also often itchy, so a pet scratching or rubbing its face will also alert owners of a problem.
Medical treatment, fortunately, provides rapid relief for pets suffering from this uncomfortable symptom.
Hives (Urticaria)
As with facial swelling, the onset of hives is more readily recognized in pets with short fur.
Owners of pets with thick or long coats may not visibly notice hives but will need to rely on their sense of touch in order to detect this symptom.
Hives manifest as raised bumps throughout the skin. They may or may not be accompanied by itchiness.
While they are not life-threatening, hives require urgent medical treatment for your pets comfort.
Gastrointestinal Problems
While most commonly associated with allergy-inducing foods, vomiting and diarrhea can result from any allergen.
Protein-based foods such as beef and dairy products are more likely to cause allergies in pets than grains, and pets who become allergic to a particular food ingredient may have itchiness, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.
The diagnosis of food allergies is difficult and requires a prescription diet consisting of a novel protein source (like venison, rabbit, or duck) or hydrolyzed protein, which is less likely to cause inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract.
Pets with non-seasonal itchiness along with vomiting or diarrhea should be evaluated for food allergies. Some pets with food allergies merely become itchy in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms.
Your pets veterinarian can discuss protocols and tests for discerning food allergies from inhalant allergies.
Vomiting and diarrhea can also result from an anaphylactic reaction. During anaphylaxis, the immune system is activated to release many chemicals. These agents have a systemic effect on many areas of the body, including the stomach and intestinal tract.
Anaphylaxis/Shock
Anaphylaxis is the most severe and serious type of allergic reaction. It can cause the body to go into shock resulting in:
Any allergen can cause anaphylaxis in pets.
One of the more common causes of anaphylaxis in dogs and cats is vaccines. Pets that receive vaccines should be monitored closely and not left unattended immediately after the injection has been administered.
Following vaccination, monitor your pet for:
Lethargy
Weakness
Pale gums
Labored breathing
Vomiting
If anaphylaxis occurs, symptoms are seen within a few minutes. If not treated promptly, anaphylaxis can be fatal. It is important for pets to have any anaphylactic reaction documented in their medical record.
In the future, vaccinations should be given with precautions such as the administration of reaction mitigating medications ahead of time and close supervision afterward.
Treatment of Allergic Reactions
The management of allergic reactions is dependent upon the severity of symptoms.
If your pet is stung by an insect, carefully remove the stinger if possible and apply ice or a cool compress to the area. Some pets may only experience pain at the site of the bite. Always monitor your pet for the development of hives, facial swelling, or signs of shock, and seek immediate veterinary care if problems arise.
Immediate Treatment Is Required
Pets suffering from anaphylactic reactions require immediate care. Treatments may include:
Injectable steroids
Epinephrine
Intravenous fluids
Antihistamines
Intubation to maintain an open airway and oxygen therapy are often necessary for pets experiencing difficulty breathing.
Hospitalization and close monitoring are very important following a severe allergic reaction.
Medications
Medications such as antihistamines and steroids are commonly used to treat allergy symptoms. Although common, over-the-counter antihistamines (e.g. Benadryl) are used in both people and pets, never administer medications to your dog or cat without consulting a veterinarian.
Avoidance
Avoidance of known allergens is the safest way to keep pets happy and healthy.
Unfortunately, prevention is not always possible. If you suspect your pet is having an allergic reaction, seek veterinary care as soon as possible.
Featured Image: iStock.com/humonia
Food Allergies in Dogs: What to Know
Your dog is scratching and licking, keeping you awake, ruining their show coat, and giving themself a handy excuse for breaking that stay. Its driving you crazyimagine how they must feel.
While your first instinct may be to assume that your dog is suffering from a food allergy, true food allergies arent as common as you might think. Confusing food allergies with food sensitivities is a common mistake, not only among dog owners but also among veterinarians.
Food Allergies vs. Sensitivities
True food allergies are much less frequent than food sensitivities and reflect a more immediate immunological response. A classic example of a food allergy is anaphylactic shock, which could occur after ingesting peanuts or being stung by bees. As soon as the person or animal comes in contact with the allergen, their airway closes and they cant breathe. This response is rapid, as the antigen triggers an immediate and sometimes life-threatening reaction due to hypotension and shock.
A less severe but still serious form of allergic reaction is accompanied by the development of dermatologic signs, such as hives, facial swelling, or itchiness. These can be accompanied by gastrointestinal signs, such as acute vomiting or diarrhea. These signs occur fairly rapidly but less than in the anaphylactic reaction.
Food sensitivity, on the other hand, is usually a chronic condition and often doesnt involve an immunological response. Its usually a cumulative response to an offending agent. Although theyre generally not life-threatening, food sensitivities can affect many different aspects of the dogs physical wellbeing. Common signs of food sensitivity include diarrhea with or without vomiting, poor skin or itchy coat, and chronic ear or foot infections.
Symptoms of Food Allergies in Dogs
We most often associate allergies with sneezing and respiratory problems in people, but in dogs, allergies are most often associated with the skin and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. About 10% to 15% of dogs with food allergies will have both skin and GI signs, and about 20% to 30% of dogs with food allergies will also have itchy skin from other non-food allergies.
GI signs are most often seen as loose stools, with an average of three a day, or vomiting and belching. A skin sign is usually itchiness, and it appears the same as itchiness due to other allergies.
According to one recent study, nearly 8% of dogs presented to a referral dermatology practice had food allergies. This represented about a third of all the dogs presented there with allergic skin disease.
Some people use the phrase ears and rears to refer to the characteristic location of itchiness. But its typically a bit more widespread than just those regions. In one study, dogs with food allergies suffered from itchy ears in 80% of the cases (and in fact, only the ear was affected in a quarter of all cases); itchy feet in 61%; itchy groin region in 53%; and itchy armpits, anterior foreleg, or eye regions in about 35% of cases.
Secondary ear and skin infections often arise from self-inflicted trauma from scratching and chewing. Along with removing the offending food, you must seek treatment for these infections in your dog.
Does My Dog Have Food Allergies?
Allergies can appear at any age, but most dogs eat an offending food for two years before symptoms appear. Some dogs can develop symptoms as early as two months of eating the offending food. Allergic reactions arent something that normally appear immediately after introducing a new food. But once symptoms appear, their onset is often sudden and serious.
Most dogs react to one or two allergens and about 20% react to more. Theres a greater chance that dogs react to animal products from the same species or from related species (cattle, sheep, and deer, for example).
Some breeds, such as Cocker Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, Poodles, and Chinese Shar-Pei, may be at greater risk for food allergies, though they can appear in any breed.
Diet trials are inconvenient and tedious. But compared to your dogs discomfort, theyre a small price to pay to identify the culprit. Unfortunately, there is no cure for food allergiesexcept to avoid the offending foods.
7 Dog Allergy Symptoms to Look For
Allergies are common in dogs. About 1-2% of all dogs have a food allergy, and as many as 25% of dogs with skin problems have a food allergy.
When you throw in dogs with inhalant or environmental allergens (like pollen or mold) and flea allergies, youre looking at a sizeable portion of the canine population thats suffering from allergies.
How can you tell if your dog has allergies?
Many diseases can cause the same symptoms as allergies in dogs, so it will be up to your veterinarian to determine for sure whether allergies are to blame, and if possible, the cause of those allergies.
Look for these signs and go to the vet to confirm whether your dog does, in fact, have allergies.
Your Dog Never Stops Scratching
One of the most common symptoms of allergies in dogs that pet parents notice is itchy skin.
The severity of the itchiness can vary from quite mild, in which case the skin and haircoat look mostly normal, all the way to nonstop scratching.
In the more severe cases, hair may be missing, and the underlying skin can appear to be red, raw, and inflamed.
Classically, the epicenters of itch include:
Importantly, itchiness of the lower back, specifically near the base of the tail, is a hallmark sign of flea allergies.
Over time, these areas may become hyperpigmented, or dark in color. The skin may become quite odorous and can take on a notably different texture.
Your Dogs Feet Smell Like Corn Chips and They Wont Stop Licking Them
While most humans think that the corn chip smell is normal for a dogs feet, its actually a sign of bacteria. If your dog is also licking their feet, its not because theyre cleaningtheir feet are itchy.
If your dogs hair is a light color, you may notice fur staining of the feet, a symptom in which the fur takes on a dark red, coppery color due to the dogs saliva.
The classic corn chip odor of the feet, which many people believe to be completely normal in dogs, is caused by skin infections, either from bacteria (usually Staph) or fungi (usually yeast). So how is this symptom related to allergies?
The inflammation associated with skin allergies breaks down the normal skin barrier over time. As a result, opportunistic microbes like yeast and bacteria can go from resting peacefully on the surface to diving deeper, where they set up infections and cause problems.
Addressing these secondary infections will be one of the first steps that your veterinarian will want to take in treating your allergic dog.
Your Dog Has Chronic Ear Infections
Relatedly, many dogs with allergies will experience ear infections that recur frequently or never seem to fully go away. As with the feet, this problem is often caused first by the allergies.
The allergies break down the healthy skin barrier, then opportunistic bacteria or yeast create an infection, which all further contributes to the itch (although ear infections unrelated to allergies are common as well).
Dogs that have gone years with allergies that are either undiagnosed or undertreated will often have ears that are raw, smelly and thickened.
In severe cases, ear infections may become so resistant to treatment that surgery to remove the ear canal may be required. To avoid this situation, it is important to have your dog examined by your veterinarian as soon as you suspect that your dog may have allergies or ear infections.
You Notice Recurring Hot Spots
Formally known as pyotraumatic dermatitis, hot spots are common in dogs, especially in breeds like Goldens, Labs, and Saint Bernards.
Like ear infections, hot spots can arise on their own, or they can be secondary to underlying allergies. If you feel like youre always treating a new hot spot on your dog, talk to your veterinarian about allergies.
Your Dog Suffers From Chronic Diarrhea and Related Symptoms
You might think that the skin is the area thats most commonly affected by allergies in dogs, but the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is just as likely to suffer when a dogs allergies are poorly controlled.
GI-related allergy symptoms include:
Your Dog Has Red Eyes
Its less common for dog allergies to manifest in their eyes, but it is possible.
When certain parts of the eye become red and inflamed, especially if both eyes are affected, an allergy may be at play. The term for this condition is allergic conjunctivitis.
The redness may be accompanied by squinting or pawing at the face.
Your Dog Is Coughing
A nonproductive cough that worsens during exercise may be yet another sign of allergies. Known as allergic bronchitis, this condition is more common and more severe in cats, but it is a possibility in a dog with allergies.
Talk With Your Veterinarian
As always, talk to your veterinarian if you suspect that your dog may have allergies. They may perform tests to rule out more common or more serious diseases that can cause similar symptoms.
To decide whether allergies are likely the culprit, your veterinarian will also take into account:
The age of onset (environmental allergies typically show up in a dogs first three years of life, whereas food allergies are seen in dogs 5-7 years old)
Your dogs breed
The seasonality of the symptoms
Previous and current diets
Featured Image: iStock.com/Przemysaw Iciak
