{"id":190849,"date":"2020-01-10T13:55:20","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T11:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/?p=190849"},"modified":"2026-10-23T00:31:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T21:31:48","slug":"food-allergy-or-intolerance-in-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/en\/health\/food-allergy-or-intolerance-in-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Food allergy or intolerance: what should you really investigate in a dog?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before Oscar arrived, I had little first-hand experience of food allergy or intolerance. Later, customers told me about dogs that could tolerate only very specific protein sources. One could eat duck and game; another could manage chicken, duck and horse. I realised that my situation was relatively straightforward, although Oscar had also had problems with chicken and beef when he was young. As those problems have now disappeared, I suspect intolerance rather than a confirmed allergy in his case.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Choosing food involves more than removing one ingredient. You have to consider protein, fat, other raw materials, possible cross-contact during production and, ultimately, whether the dog will eat the food at all. I have real respect for owners who have to think about every mouthful their dog eats. Still, the first question should be: do we actually know that food is the problem?<\/p>\n

Allergy and intolerance are different<\/h2>\n

In food allergy, the immune system participates in a reaction to food components, often proteins. Food intolerance may involve difficulty digesting lactose or a reaction to the fat content, portion size or another property of the food without the same immune mechanism. In practice, symptoms can overlap. Diarrhoea alone cannot distinguish allergy from intolerance, infection or simply changing foods too quickly.<\/p>\n

Itchy paws<\/a> alone do not prove food allergy either. A dog may have an environmental allergy, flea allergy dermatitis, a bacterial or yeast infection, or another skin problem. Repeated ear infections, red paws, face rubbing and itching can occur with food-related reactions, but they need to be assessed as part of the whole picture.<\/p>\n

Which foods most often cause reactions?<\/h2>\n

Scientific publications on diagnosed food-related skin reactions in dogs repeatedly mention beef, dairy products, chicken and wheat. However, this reflects published clinical cases and ingredients the dogs had previously eaten. It does not prove that these foods are equally risky for every dog in every country. The more commonly a protein is eaten in a population, the more often it may also appear among problem cases.<\/p>\n

It is important to distinguish beef allergy from beef's generally poor reputation. A hundred healthy dogs do not need to stop eating beef because another dog has a confirmed reaction to it. The same applies to chicken, wheat and eggs. Some dogs react to one ingredient; others react to none. A single unsuccessful product does not establish which ingredient was responsible.<\/p>\n

It is often said that animal fat cannot cause allergy because allergens are proteins. Purified fat usually does contain very little protein. But an absolute statement that chicken fat cannot contain any protein goes too far. Depending on processing, protein residues may remain and should be considered in particularly sensitive animals. A higher-fat food can also cause digestive trouble for reasons entirely separate from allergy.<\/p>\n

How is food allergy actually diagnosed?<\/h2>\n

The veterinary standard for diagnosing food-related skin reactions is a carefully planned elimination diet followed by a food challenge. For the agreed period, the dog eats only a specifically selected diet: for example, a balanced diet using a previously uneaten protein source or a suitable hydrolysed food. The choice depends on what the dog has eaten before, what they tolerate and whether cross-contact may occur during commercial food production.<\/p>\n

A strict diet trial of at least eight weeks is often used when assessing skin symptoms. A scientific review found that symptoms resolved within this time in more than 90% of dogs with confirmed food-related skin reactions. This does not mean that every itchy dog will be completely well after eight weeks: the studies involved selected, diagnosed cases. A veterinarian may recommend longer monitoring, particularly when a secondary skin infection is being treated at the same time.<\/p>\n

Even a very small extra mouthful can undermine the trial: a meat-flavoured medicine, chew, training treat, supplement or food stolen from another dog's bowl. If symptoms settle, a controlled reintroduction under veterinary guidance is needed to confirm the diagnosis. Without it, we cannot know whether improvement came from removing an ingredient or, for example, from concurrent skin treatment starting to work.<\/p>\n

Can a blood, saliva or hair test replace a diet trial?<\/h2>\n

Some tests are marketed as a quick way to identify foods a dog reacts to. The problem is their clinical accuracy. In studies, several saliva- and hair-based food intolerance tests failed to reliably distinguish affected dogs from healthy dogs or even from non-living samples. I would therefore not use such a result alone to justify removing dozens of foods from a dog's diet. It can make an already difficult feeding situation even more restrictive.<\/p>\n

What about an integrative approach, the gut and changing foods?<\/h2>\n

Integrative veterinary medicine often considers gut function, the skin barrier, inflammation, infections, dietary balance and chronic stress<\/a> alongside an individual allergen. This broader view is useful when the main diagnostic work remains in place. Possible microbiome and intestinal barrier mechanisms are being actively studied, but they do not establish that a probiotic or \u201crepairing the gut\u201d can cure an already confirmed food allergy.<\/p>\n

Lew Olson has recommended rotating suitable protein sources, and I also like the idea of variety when a dog tolerates it well. However, convincing evidence that protein rotation prevents future food allergy is lacking. That does not establish the opposite either. Some bodies may overreact to a protein eaten every day. Still, constantly changing food is a poor strategy when an existing allergy is suspected, because it makes the cause of symptoms harder to identify. Likewise, a GMO ingredient is not in itself evidence that it causes allergy. That does not mean that its presence has no effect whatsoever on food or digestion.<\/p>\n

If a dog receives a suitable, balanced diet and has settled skin and digestion, the owner does not need to search for a new problem just in case. But repeated ear inflammation, persistent itching or recurring diarrhoea deserves systematic investigation. I would start with a timeline: what changed, when did symptoms begin, what treatment has already been tried and what did the dog's entire diet contain?<\/p>\n

\n

FendaF's practical check. Record symptoms and their timing; make a complete list of foods, treats, medicines and supplements; work with your veterinarian to rule out other common causes of itching and digestive problems; if you start an elimination diet, follow it strictly and plan a controlled food challenge too. Only then decide what the dog needs to avoid long term.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In conclusion<\/h2>\n

Food allergy can be exhausting for both dog and owner, but every itch and every soft stool is not an allergy. One properly conducted diagnostic trial provides more information than five random changes of food bag. Finding a suitable food is only half the achievement. The other half is that the dog can genuinely live well while eating it.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h2>\n

Mueller, Olivry, Pr\u00e9laud (2016). Common food allergen sources in dogs and cats with adverse food reactions.<\/a><\/p>\n

Olivry, Mueller, Pr\u00e9laud (2015). Duration of elimination diets for adverse food reactions.<\/a><\/p>\n

Coyner & Schick (2019). Hair and saliva tests for food allergy in dogs.<\/a><\/p>\n

FendaF. Not every itch is an allergy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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