Holistic Answers By Dr. Andrew Jones
Food allergies manifest differently in dogs than in humans. For us humans, when one is allergic to a certain food like seafood, either we end up with a hideous rash or worse, a swollen throat blocking our airpipe. For dogs, it’s a bit tricky.
The most common complaint is non-seasonal itching, scratching, hair loss, redness, paw licking, anal licking, skin infections, vomiting and diarrhea. Another symptom is recurring ear infection. This, however, are very common symptoms and can be caused by other things and not necessarily due to food allergy.
How to identify food allergy from other allergies?
What are the most common food allergens in dogs?
Food allergies are your dog’s immune system response to the presence of certain protein in its food. Allergy-causing proteins are not limited to meats. Grains and vegetables such as soy, wheat, corn, and potato contain some form of protein that could trigger allergic reactions. Other common food allergies are beef, chicken, egg and dairy.
What can we do to address food allergies?
Identify the Food Allergen
The most important thing is to identify the food your dog is allergic to and you can do so by going through a hypoallergenic food trial for 6 weeks to 12 weeks. Hypoallergenic food trial means exclusively feeding your dogs with a specific diet (something they’ve never had before) like one unique animal-based protein and one unique carbohydrate. Make sure you don’t feed them with any other treats.
Treat Underlying Symptoms
Your dog reacted on something his body cannot consume and caused secondary acute inflammation or an ear infection or has been continuously scratching. You can help treat and relieve your pets from these pesky symptoms and decrease the acute inflammation with these options:
Licorice Tincture
Licorice root has been used as medicinal herb for centuries because of its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and it’s also perfectly safe for dogs. For acute itchiness, fur loss and allergic flare up, you can give your dog ½ ml per 20lbs of body weight, two times a day. You can give this remedy preferably for 5-7 days and may be extended up to the maximum of 2 weeks.
Fatty acids like Flax or Fish oil
There has been so much talk about fish oil vs. krill oil, and then flax seeds… then came MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON which according to the latest research is the best option of all !
https://www.iherb.com/pr/Umac-Core-Marine-Phytoplankton-90-Veggie-Caps/10709
DOSING
Exactly how much to supplement depends on the current health of your pet and the wellness goals you want to achieve. If your pet is currently in good health, I recommend supplementing as follows:
1/4 capsule daily for toy breeds and cats (1-14 lbs)
1/2 capsule daily for small dogs (15-30 lbs)
3/4 capsule daily for medium dogs (30-49 lbs)
1 capsule daily for large dogs (50-79 lbs)
1 1/2 capsule daily for dogs 80+ lbs
Curcuminoids
https://www.iherb.com/pr/Thompson-Turmeric-Curcumin-300-mg-60-Capsules/16094
Curcumin is a potent natural anti-inflammatory and pain killer which could be a good substitute for conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. You can give your dog 100mg per 10lbs of body weight, daily or two times per day if there’s serious allergic flair up.
Probiotics
ANY PROBIOITC CONTAINING LIVE CULTURES MUST BE PURCHASED AT A LOCAL STORE AS MOST OF THE LIVE CULTURES WOULD DIE IN SHIPPING. THIS ITEM MUST BE STORED IN THE REFRIGERATOR TO PRESERVE LIVE OF LIVE CULTURES.
The above is stronger than what Dr. Jones recommend, however I always use this brand for my animals from 4 weeks old to elderly. Even mega doses of this will not hurt your animal. I use this product myself as well.
Stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and major health food stores will all carry this product.
Probiotics are the ‘good’ essential trillions of bacteria that live in your dog’s intestinal tract, and play a KEY role in Food Allergy. Often as a result of disease, inflammation, or antibiotics, the bacterial population get altered, making your dog more prone to Food Allergy. It’s a great idea to then supplement with a quality probiotic supplement, focusing on these 2 probiotics, Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium. It is IMPORTANT that the doses are 100million CFU’s/10lbs of body weight daily.
