How to Tell If a Dog Is Allergic to Food: 6 Vet-Reviewed Signs & Advice

Food allergies are not as frequent in dogs as is commonly thought. Estimates vary but less than 5% of dogs are thought to have genuine food allergies. If your pup is exhibiting strange signs suddenly, it could be that they have developed an allergy or intolerance to their food? Food allergy causes immune response while intolerance does not.

Unfortunately, there is no single test that will tell you what it is your pup is allergic to, so determining what’s causing the issue can be a lengthy process. However, if you’re curious if your pup’s signs are related to their diet, we can help shed some light for you.

Keep reading to learn how to tell if your pup is allergic to their food and what to do if you suspect food allergies are afoot.

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The 6 Signs of Food Allergies

There are several signs your pup may exhibit if they are dealing with food allergies.

It’s important to note that many of the signs associated with food allergies can also be related to other issues like environmental or flea bite allergies. In the case of environmental allergies, however, they’re most often seasonal, at least to start with. You can rule out other reasons for your dog’s discomfort by keeping track of signs to see if they ebb and flow with the changing seasons.

1. Chronic Itchiness

Itchiness, also known as allergic dermatitis, is one of the most common signs that your pet is facing an allergy. Itchy skin can happen anywhere on your dog’s body, but the most common places you’ll see your pup scratching include their ears, paws, rear end, and stomach.

Depending on the severity of the itchiness, you may see your dog scratching, licking, and biting the affected areas. This can cause broken skin, eventually leading to infections that need veterinary intervention.

dog scratching ear
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2. Skin Issues

Skin issues represent the main manifestation of pet food allergies, around 70% to 80%. Skin problems can present as rashes, hives, and hot spots and may make your pup’s skin look oily, dry, scaly, or leathery. You may also notice redness of the skin and ear, and your dog may struggle with repeated skin infections.

If your pup has shorter fur, it’s easier to see skin lesions. If not, you’ll need to feel around in the fur to find them.


3. Recurring Ear Infections

Food allergies can cause your pet’s skin barrier to break down and increase how much wax their ears produce. This causes the normal levels of yeast and bacteria in the ear to overproduce, allowing more severe bacteria strains to thrive. This will ultimately lead to inflammation, pain, and ear discharge.

Unfortunately, if ear infections become chronic, they can cause your dog’s ear canal tissues to scar and may even reduce the canal opening. This can make treatment even more challenging as the medication required to fix the infection will have difficulty reaching the deeper parts of your pup’s ear canal.

ear infection on dog
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4. Gastrointestinal Issues

Your pup’s food allergy can cause digestive disturbances like vomiting, gas, or diarrhea, all of which can lead to weight loss and lack of energy. Your pup may also exhibit signs of abdominal pain and low appetite.


5. Facial Swelling

An allergic reaction can cause swelling in their facial region. The most common areas of your pup’s face to swell include their eyelids, ear flaps, and lips. In severe cases, there could also be throat swelling causing difficulty in breathing, this is an emergency case.

The Pomeranian mix dog 's face and eye have swollen
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6. Behavioral Changes

Although it’s rare, you may recognize some emotional or behavioral changes in your dog in response to their food allergies. This can include restlessness, withdrawal, loss of interest in food or activities, hyperactivity, or even aggression.

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What Is a Food Allergy?

The immune system of dogs with allergies overacts and produces antibodies to substances they would otherwise tolerate. When dogs are allergic to their food, antibodies are produced against some component of the food, typically a protein or complex carbohydrate. Because antibody production is necessary to develop an allergy, food allergies usually occur after exposure to a particular food.

Dog hair loss dog allergy
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What Are Some of the Common Food Allergies?

Some of the most common food allergens in dogs include:

  • Beef

  • Wheat

  • Eggs

  • Dairy

  • Chicken

  • Lamb

  • Corn

  • Nuts

What Do I Do If I Suspect My Pup Has Food Allergies?

Unfortunately, pets cannot be tested for food allergies in the same way humans can.

The only way to determine your pup’s allergy is to begin an elimination diet. This requires you to eliminate the proteins your dog has been exposed to over the course of two or three months. While this can feel like quite the undertaking, it’s necessary to allow the old protein sources to be eliminated from your dog’s body so you can determine what it is that’s causing the issues.

Your veterinarian can provide more advice for beginning the elimination diet.

veterinarians examining bernese mountain dog on a table
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What Happens When the Allergen Is Identified?

Once you know what the allergen is, you’ll need to begin feeding a diet that doesn’t contain it. Thankfully, there are several hypoallergenic diets available that your veterinarian can recommend. But unfortunately, you’ll need to feed this diet to your dog for the rest of their life.

The three types of hypoallergenic diets include:

  • A veterinary novel protein diet involves feeding your pup a protein that it’s never been exposed to try to avoid an allergic reaction. This may include protein sources like rabbit and venison.

  • A veterinary hydrolyzed protein diet involves feeding your pup food in which the protein molecules have been broken down to a size too small to be identified as a threat by the immune system.

  • A home-prepared novel protein diet involves preparing food for your dog that doesn’t contain any ingredients that were previously present in their diet. This diet must be formulated by a veterinary nutritionist and often requires you to balance it with supplements.

Food Allergies vs Food Intolerances

Unfortunately, seeing the results from your dog’s elimination diet is still not a guarantee that they have food allergies. You may find that your pup is suffering from a food intolerance instead.

  • Food allergies occur when your dog’s body treats a component of their food as a threat hence the immune reaction.

  • Food intolerances are different as their signs are not caused by an immune system reaction. Instead, intolerances typically cause gastrointestinal signs like vomiting or diarrhea.

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Final Thoughts

If you suspect your dog is allergic to some component of their food, we highly recommend an appointment with your vet to see the best course of action. Once you know what your pup is allergic to, you must make a long-term commitment to stick to the treatment plan. Though the process of identifying the allergen can be long and arduous, it’s more than worth it to ensure your pup stays happy and healthy.


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