Just like humans, even dogs suffer from food allergies. An allergy is the body’s misguided reaction to a foreign substance by the immune system. Common allergies for dogs include skin, food, and environmental allergies, all of which pose challenges for dogs and their health. Allergy symptoms in dogs include itchy skin, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, discharge coming from the eyes or nose, vomiting, and diarrhea.

To treat food allergies in dogs, it is important to know their signs and symptoms.

1. Food allergies
Certain foods can cause allergies in dogs, leading to different symptoms. A food allergy generally occurs when the body’s immune system perceives a certain food type to be harmful. When this happens, the body reacts strongly and releases antibodies. This leads to symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, discharge from the nose, and coughing. Although these cause severe discomfort in dogs, unlike humans, they cannot express themselves.

It is advisable and essential for individuals with pets to know the signs and symptoms of food allergies so that they can be treated before they aggravate.

2. Factors causing allergies
Allergies do not happen immediately but develop over a long period of time gradually. The first time the food is consumed, the body reacts mildly. As the same food is consumed repeatedly, the body’s immune system is triggered by the food, causing an allergic reaction. Sometimes the body is intolerant to certain foods like milk and gluten because of the particular types of proteins that are present in them.
In the case of dogs, certain breeds are more susceptible to allergies than others. Irish setters, Cocker Spaniels, pugs, and bulldogs are more at risk of an allergy attack.

3. Signs and symptoms of allergies

The following are some of the common signs and symptoms of food allergies in dogs. They include:

• Ear infections
  Frequent ear infections with a buildup of a black or brown substance could be due to a food allergy. When you see your dog shake its head continuously and scratch one ear, it is a clear sign of a food allergy. However, this symptom could also be caused due to infection or ear mites, and this needs to be ruled out before considering it as an allergy.
• Red nails
  When the nail bed of your dog appears red or bronze-colored, it could be because of inflammation as a result of food allergy. The possibility of an injury needs to be verified before deciding if it is an allergy to certain foods.
• Itching
  Constant scratching on the body due to itching can lead to hair loss, and the coat can become dull in appearance. This is one of the most common symptoms of a food allergy.
• Watery eyes
  Discharge from the eyes due to scratching near the eyes could be an allergy. However, this can also be a pollen allergy and not just a reaction to a certain food type.

The signs and symptoms of dogs with food allergies explained in this article will be helpful for pet owners to identify such allergies quickly. Identifying these allergic reactions is important as it helps to treat such cases, reducing your pet’s discomfort.