Posted on May 12, 2010 by: WayCoolDogs

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Natural dog care for allergies has become a growing field in the dog world, with allergies the most common condition that affects over 10% of the dog population.  It was once said by C.J. Puotinen, author of Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, “Every allergy that inconveniences humans has its counterpart in dogs, cats and other pets, including allergic reactions to drugs and chemicals, food sensitivities and contact dermatitis.”

The majority of dog allergies can be traced to poor nutrition; very few pet owners are aware of the best dog food to prevent allergies, itchy dry skin or obesity. Allergy treatments for dogs usually consist of cortisone, suppressed allergic symptoms instead of seeking the source of the allergy. Between the two, an untreated dog can slowly deteriorate to nothing.

Natural Liquid Remedies for Dog Allergies

Sometimes  it takes more than just quality natural dog food for the family dog who is suffering from dog allergies.  Dry itchy skin, bloody hot spots, and not eating can be eased with natural allergy meds for dogs to improve upon their immunity system,  in addition to changing their diet to a natural one that is better for them.

Dog Food Allergy Symptoms

• Chewing at paws or base of tail
• Non-seasonal itching
• Scratching at rear end, face, ears, front legs and armpits
• Rub along floor or against furniture
• Yeast infection in the ears
• Ears will have a nasty yeasty odor to them
• The dog’s skin will be red
• The dog’s skin will smell badly with continuous appearance of skin infections.
• Skin will swell, temporarily clearing up with antibiotics
• Diarrhea and vomiting only occur in 15% of the allergic patients,
• Excessive bowel movements
• Eye infections
• Behavior issues
• Breathing problems
• The vet will test medical conditions: seborrhea, sarcoptic mange, yeast infection, and hypersensitivity.

Dogs can develop dog food allergies or food intolerances, with dog food allergies involving the immune system. Food intolerances will cause vomiting or diarrhea, but no typical allergy symptoms are displayed. Allergy foods that are in dog foods are usually beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, egg, corn and soy protein -  with beef the most likely to trigger an allergy and soy protein the least.

Best Dog Food for Allergies

The best dog food diet for allergies is a raw food diet, with dog owners mixing dry dog foods such as Canidae, Natural Balance, Wellness or Nature’s Recipe with it. Dog owners who do not like the raw diets feed ProPlan Sensitive Skin formula/Salmon-based, but many dog owners have complained their dogs develop gas issues.

Another dog food diet for allergies is Science Diet/Sensitive Skin, excellent for dogs up to six years of age. But whatever you get, make sure it is Human Grade with human grade quality ingredients (this means no by-products or meal added, only meat protein sources). Half the battle is finding out what the dog is allergic to. Any dog food that has corn or wheat in it, or a large amount of vegetable roughage, may cause some serious gas problems for a dog that has food sensitivity to them.  Switching rapidly from one brand to another may also cause diarrhea or high amounts of gas.

The product Digestzyme or a similar product can be given to the dog with new meals for processing the new food easier in their body.  Yogurt added to the new food is also a good tasting and cheaper option – a full teaspoon for average-sized dogs to one Tablespoon for a larger-sized dog.

Some good kibble dog food choices that are best natural dog food choices are Eagle Pack’s Holistic Select Duck and Oatmeal, or Blackwood’s 5000 (combination of Catfish and Potato).  Supplements like 100% Salmon Oil is excellent for coat maintenance, heart and joints. The canned natural foods below are in cases of 12, and our animals love it.

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