Puppy Food - Your Little Pouch Could Have An Allergy

Puppy food has been one of the most common causes of allergies in dogs and puppies. Most dog-owners have difficulty dissecting whether or not the symptoms presented are due to a food allergy or other allergic conditions, because it's almost the same. Remember though, the onset of a food allergy may be acute or develop gradually over a period of days, weeks, months or even years. Therefore, it is possible for your puppy to be allergic to the food that you are presently giving him, but he hasn't developed any symptoms yet. Sometimes, it requires continuous exposure to the allergens before an allergic reaction will develop. Studies show that almost 70% of food allergies are caused by feeding the puppy the same puppy food for more than two years.

As a responsible dog-owner, the first things that you should know are the symptoms manifested by your dog when he has food allergies.

* First, you'll see skin conditions.
Overly hard and frequent licking and scratching are dead giveaways. Obviously, your pup's skin itches way more than it should. He may even grate his head, back, butt, or other parts of his body on the carpet, floors, walls, or furniture to try and end his itching pain. Digging and chewing on his skin repeatedly can result in further irritation, swelling, flakiness, and even bleeding. He could even begin losing hair.

* One more sign is trouble digesting food.
Frequent flatulence, abnormally runny excrement, and vomiting are common symptoms that often accompany a food allergy.

* Breathing problems is another.
Your pup may have trouble breathing (a common allergic reaction). He may begin to sneeze, cough, or wheeze more often.

Here are some tips on how you can avoid these allergies:

* Stop feeding your pouch the puppy food he is eating and eliminate the allergy. What you'll need to do is - one puppy food component at a time - slowly give your pup each ingredient. By doing so, you can determine the exact ingredient that is causing the food allergy in your dog. Then, you can find a puppy food that does not have that ingredient. After consulting your vet, this process is done over a period of 12 weeks.

* You can also feed your young canine a hypo-allergenic puppy food with more pure and healthy ingredients like vegetables, potatoes, rice, duck, and lamb.

* Your pup can be desensitized.
To desensitize (or hypo-sensitize) your pup simply means that your veterinarian administers a routine regimen of small-scale injections to built up a tolerance to certain allergens. Antibodies are then created to fight off reactions that allergies can otherwise cause.

* You can use antihistamines.
Same as for us, these drugs can be used to alleviate allergies in your pouch, too. Your vet will know which ones to use, and the proper doses to give.

* Blood and skin testing is also available.
Veterinarians specializing in animal dermatology can perform these tests. Research shows a very high rate of accuracy with these tests in pinpointing specific allergies, thereby eliminating any doubt as to which puppy food ingredients to remove from your pup's diet.

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