Mabel the Rescue Dog

3 min read (Articles narrated by Mabel)

Like humans, dogs can get allergies to everyday food items and ingredients. Every dog can have allergic reactions to different things, but there are certainly some common dog food ingredients and human foods that lots of dogs are sensitive to. If your dog has an allergic reaction, it’s important to find the cause right away!

How Do You Know if Your Dog Has an Allergy?

As far as I know, I don’t have any allergies. But there are a lot of different reactions a dog can have if they eat something they’re allergic to. Pay extra close attention to what your dog ate recently if they have any of the following symptoms:

• Itchy skin
• Skin rashes
• Scaly skin
• Hot spots
• Sneezing
• Hair loss
• Vomiting

Basically, if you notice anything out of the ordinary with your dog’s health, you need to consider what the issue could be. If any of the above symptoms occur, it’s possible that your dog has an allergy to something. Even if they didn’t eat anything unusual, the allergy could still be an ingredient in their dog food.

What are Some Common Dog Allergies?

It is actually very common for dogs to be allergic to a specific protein as well as grains. Both of these are ingredients that are difficult to avoid in dog foods, so you’ll need to be more particular with what you feed your dog if they have one of these serious allergies.

Here are some popular food items that dogs are often allergic to:

1.) Chicken

Dogs love chicken! It’s one of my favorite meats! But sadly, lots of dogs are actually allergic to chicken, which is sad since it’s such a common protein for dog foods. Even if you’ve fed your dog the same type of protein for years, it’s possible that they could develop and intolerance or allergy to it. Molly tries to switch up the flavor of my food every once in a while just to be safe.

2.) Beef

Like chicken, beef is another common protein allergy for dogs. It’s another one of the most common proteins because it’s just so yummy! However, that also means more dogs can develop an allergy for it.

3.) Wheat

One of the main reasons that there are so many grain-free dog foods is because dogs can easily be allergic grains such as wheat. Oftentimes, dogs don’t even need these grains in their diets, which is why more and more brands are switching to grain-free.

4.) Dairy

Dogs can have a difficult time digesting lactose (which is sad because cheese is so yummy!). Even if your dog isn’t allergic, dairy products should only be served to them in moderation.

5.) Eggs

Some dog immune systems overreact when they come into contact with an egg yolk. While a lot of dog foods do include eggs, you can check the labels to easily find one that doesn’t include them.

6.) Soy

Soy has a lot of health risks that actually outweigh the benefits. Because of this, it’s best to avoid soy in your dog’s food if possible.

What to Do if Your Dog is Allergic

The foods listed above are only a few of the many allergies that your dog could possibly have. If your dog has allergic reactions and you’re not sure what they’re allergic to, check their dog food for any of the listed ingredients first.

If you’re concerned about your pup’s allergies, switch them to a limited ingredient formula food. There are certain dog food brands that specialize in including as little ingredients as possible in order to get rid of the common allergies. Those types of foods are the best to choose if you are worried about your dog’s health.

Whenever your dog has an unusual symptom, always consider all of the possibilities. It could be an allergy, but it could also be something more serious. Always contact your vet about any serious concerns you have.

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