Skin issues: Hives, also known as urticaria, may pop up 6 to 24 hours after your dog eats the food they are allergic to. If your dog has short hair, these itchy red bumps are easier to see. Otherwise, you may have to feel for them. In cats, skin irritation may take longer to see.

The most common allergens are beef, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish. And, most dogs are usually allergic to more than one thing. Q: What causes these allergies? A: It’s a multi-factorial thing, but certainly you have to have a genetic predisposition to develop allergies.

Untreated, it may take a day or two for the swelling to subside. A different reaction we see 6 to 24 hours after exposure to the antigen is hives.

Dog Allergy Management and Treatment

1. Keep the dog out of your bedroom and restrict it to only a few rooms.
2. Don’t pet, hug or kiss the dog; if you do, wash your hands with soap and water.
3. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) cleaners run continuously in a bedroom or living room can reduce allergen levels over time.

A true food allergy is more likely to make a dog itchy or experience recurrent ear or skin infections. In addition, a true food allergy will often occur suddenly after a dog has been eating the same food for months or years with no problems.

Dogs are most commonly allergic to the following foods (in descending order): beef, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb/mutton, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish. Rabbit and fish are by far less common food allergens than the others.

Some signs of your dog having a chicken allergy are: vomiting, diarrhea, itchiness, ear infections, foot infections, obsessive licking, and other skin issues.

If the digestive system doesn’t completely break down the proteins, the enterocytes see them as intruders and attack the body. An allergy to poultry is an over-reaction of your dog’s immune system to an unwelcome protein, in this case, a poultry protein, that is present in a particular ingredient of their diet.

Treating food allergies in dogs Medications. Medications have the ability to treat symptoms, although they do not necessarily provide a long-term solution. Homemade diets. It’s easy to understand why homemade dog foods can be a good solution for treating allergies. Vegan diets. I think this opportunity should be the last, but I definitely wanted to mention it.

How to Determine if Your Dog Has Food Allergies Method 1 of 3: Identifying Common Food Allergy Symptoms. Check for skin reactions. Skin irritations and itchiness are the most commonly-reported symptoms of food allergies. Method 2 of 3: Eliminating Possible Food Allergens. Read the ingredient list. Method 3 of 3: Having Your Dog Examined by a Veterinarian. Ask for advice on an elimination diet.

Multiple studies have shown that the most common ingredients that cause food allergies in dogs are beef, dairy products, chicken, lamb, fish, chicken eggs, corn, wheat and soy (Mandigers et al. 2010).

If you know what your dog is allergic to, it is a great help in selecting particular foods for your dog. While selecting food, keep in mind specific requirements as well as specific allergies. Generally, rice and lamb is considered to be the healthiest and safe dog foods for dogs that are allergic to certain foods.