What can I do for my dog's food allergy at home? Any safe remedies?

Food allergies are due to certain proteins and they are usually animal proteins (beef, pork, dairy, etc.). Allergies or adversities to wheat/corn/soy are very rare and not worth eliminating unless you know for sure that he is allergic to them. To find the actual protein Jake is allergic to, you have to do an elimination trial. If there was not an elimination trial done, then you would be only guessing at the source of the allergies. One way I often bypass the elimination trial is by recommending a hydrolysed protein diet such as Hill's i/d. In these diets, the proteins are broken down, so there is minimal chance of them causing an allergy. This would have to be prescribed by a veterinarian though. It's actually best to consult with your vet before pursuing a diet change, because they can help to ensure the right diagnosis is made and that you are not doing anything that may be potentially harmful for Jake. The proposed ingredients for your treats are not known (do not have sufficient scientific evidence) to be helpful for allergies, but are not toxic, so you can feed them. I would just account for the calories and feed less of his normal food. Below are a couple of links to articles that may be helpful for you and Jake. I hope that helps and Jake gets better soon. https://www.petcoach.co/article/4-great-strategies-for-relieving-your-dog-s-allergies/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/skin-allergies-vs-food-allergies/

I recommend to ask your veterinarian this question. A true food allergy generally requires a special diet (this is generally a prescription food and I always recommend one with a hydrolyzed protein). Dietary intolerance may just need a diet that is formulated for sensitive stomachs. I recommend the Royal Canin or Purina ProPlan. Your vet will be able to guide you as to which type of food to try. I hope this helps.

Hello! Canine allergies can be a really difficult problem to manage, so I sympathize! There are two main classes of allergies- environmental and food. If allergy testing hasn't been done, it is an expensive investment, but it can give you a report of the most common environmental allergies. Most environments that are colder and snowier tend to have less pollens, allergens, and insects overall and many allergic dogs may cope better in colder climates for that reason. Dogs with environmental allergies benefit from regular baths and having their feet wiped down with hypoallergenic baby wipes after they go outdoors to mechanically remove any possible pollens, etc that may be stuck to the feet and triggering a reaction. Dogs that are primarily allergic to ingredients of their food may do much better on a different diet. Dogs tend to be allergic to proteins in their diet, such as beef or chicken. Grain allergies are possible but exceedingly rare- grain free diets are widely considered a marketing ploy by vets and not actually helpful. My own dog has a beef allergy and does just fine on over the counter food with no beef products, for example. It takes 8-12 weeks after exposure to the food allergen for the reaction to completely go away- for this reason, many people get frustrated with new diets too early and give up. The diet also will not work if she is being fed any outside table scraps or treats, so compliance is key. Trying a diet with a new protein she has not had before, such as fish or kangaroo, for an entire 12 weeks may be a beneficial idea to discuss with your dermatologist. If you do this, transition the food slowly over 7 days to let her GI flora adjust and make sure if you have a dog food bin, you clean it well between the two foods as to not contaminate the new food. The most important thing to remember with allergies is that she is likely constantly being exposed to them, so treatment needs to be just as constant to battle it. I hope this is helpful! Let us know if you have any more questions after your dermatology appointment!

Dogs are omnivores and can get enough nutrition from a balanced commercial vegetarian food. If you would like to try a meat diet, you could consider a novel protein diet. A novel protein is one that Buddy hasn't eaten before. You could consider venison, bison, fish or duck. Natural Balance makes a number of limited ingredient diets that you could consider. https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/special-category-limited-ingredient-diets Another option would be to try a hydrolyzed diet. Those would be prescription only and would be more expensive, but might be a good option as well. I am attaching a handout with more information about diet trials for food allergies below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952600 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

How long did you try the hydrolyzed protein? If that didn't work I would be concerned about environmental allergies. I would talk to a dermatologist to discuss environmental allergies. They can perform testing to determine what Petey is allergic to. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

No, there is not amedication that will fix a food allergy. Medications may help control the problems resulting from the food allergy (it’s also variable how well this will work) but it cannot fix the allergy.

Hello, sorry to hear about Curtis. Dogs with food hypersensitivities would benefit from a limited ingredient diet or a novel protein diet. Novel proteins to consider include duck, venison, buffalo, rabbit, and in some states kangaroo. I would recommend switching him over to a limited ingredient diet with a novel protein, it may be of any brand, and feeding him only that for 4-6 weeks. That is, while on this food trial, he should not have any additional treats, table food, or other brands of food. If his clinical signs do not improve, then he may need to have a prescription hypoallergenic diet from your veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.