Grain Allergies In Dogs
Written by Dr Claire Stevens
Food allergies are not limited to humans — dogs can also have allergic reactions to certain foods, such as grains and beef. Allergic reactions include symptoms such as itchy skin and hair loss, as well as gastrointestinal issues which can be very unpleasant for you and your pet! Since grains are commonly added to dog foods, some dogs may be exposed to them in excess over time. Consequently, grain allergies can start at any age, sometimes even after your dog has been fed the same diet for years without incident.
Symptoms
Symptoms that are frequently associated with grain allergies include red, itchy skin, hair loss associated with constant scratching and chewing, ear infections, and inflamed pads on the underside of paws, often combined with obsessive licking. Other symptoms include gastrointestinal upsets that can cause vomiting, gas and diarrhoea.
If your dog is experiencing skin allergies or any other allergic symptoms, you should seek advice from your vet. Once the vet has ruled out other common causes of these symptoms, they may suggest changing your dog’s food to a hypoallergenic diet.
Immune Mechanism
Food allergies are caused by a response from the immune system to something it considers harmful, even though it may in fact be harmless. The body’s natural defence mechanism kicks in to protect the body from the perceived threat — in this case, grain. This response causes inflammation which materialises as an allergic reaction. Since we see variations from dog to dog, one dog may be fine eating grains in their diet for their entire lives, while another may experience skin flare-ups or other ailments whenever he consumes grains. If you suspect your dog may be allergic to grains, consult with your veterinarian who will advise you on the best plan of action.
Treatment
Your vet will conduct a thorough physical examination and may also do a blood test and other diagnostic tests like skin scrapings and a fecal analysis.
Should your vet suspect a food allergy, next you will need to determine what the problematic ingredient is so that it can be removed from your dog’s diet. Once the cause of the problem has been found and removed, your dog should recover relatively quickly.
This may require a process of elimination, which is best conducted under the guidance of your veterinarian. This typically involves switching diets to a hypoallergenic diet, such as the Hypro Premium range to see if the symptoms persist after trialling it for 6-8 weeks. Your vet may prescribe medication such as a medicated skin cream or antihistamine tablets to help ease the allergic symptoms while you work through the process of determining what is responsible for the allergy.
If your dog continues to be exposed to an ingredient that he is allergic to, it will result in a weakened immune system over time, which may, in turn, lead to chronic skin and ear infections, as well as other health issues. Feeding your dog a grain-free diet may offer a simple solution to alleviate skin allergies and other allergic reactions.
Lesleigh 1 year ago
My 16 month old female maremma has royal canin dry food. Her other food is cooked chicken breast & turkey mince. She keeps getting gastric so i stop dry food give chicken & rice then slowly reintroduce dry food. She gets the runs & sometimes vomits both are yellowy colour. Im convinced its the dry food. I am not sure what dry food to try.
Roxanne Godsell 1 year ago
Good afternoon, thank you for your comments on the “Grain Allergies in Dogs” article on our website and
we’re sorry to hear that your pet is not coping with her current diet.
We are happy to send you some of our samples from our Grain Free range for you to try.
If you’d like us to send them, please send through your postal address and we’ll get them sent out to
you straight away.
Kind regards,
Roxanne
Karen solari 11 months ago
My dog is always itching and biting but she has no fleas, I’m thinking it’s the grain in her food maybe.
Roxanne Godsell 11 months ago
Hi Karen,
Thank you for your comment on this subject.
We have sent you a message via your email.
Peter Talbot sykes 9 months ago
We have a 1 year old bulldog, he was previously on raw food from his owner, and they had just started to introduce him to wet food. Since then he can not keep wet food down and sometimes has problems with dry food. We have been giving him chicken breast and rice but the expense for this is not ideal. Could it be the grain in his fire causing this?
Roxanne Godsell 9 months ago
Hi Peter, sorry to hear that your bulldog is having issues with different foods. We would advise that you have this checked by your vet to work out what the issue might be.
Diana Requeno 8 months ago
My 7 year old maltese keeps biting himself and scratching and i’m sure that it’s the grain i’m his food.
Roxanne Godsell 8 months ago
Hi Diana,
We have sent you a direct email regarding your enquiry.
Amber Johnson 8 months ago
Hello,
My 9 week old labradoodle puppy has been itching ever since we got him. He seems to have a very upset stomach too. His poos seem normal but today his nose started to get runny. I think he is allergic to something in his food. We are using Natures Balance kibble and started to transition him onto Royal Canin Puppy kibble over the last 2 days. I wondered whether to try kangaroo..
Roxanne Godsell 8 months ago
Hi Amber, it would be best discussing this issue with your vet. That way you can get to the bottom of what may be causing the health issues and
then buy food according to what’s best for your pup.