Saturday, March 3, 2012

Excessive Itching? You Need to Know about Dog Food Allergies

By Seram Marquis


If your dog is scratching and biting all the time, there's obviously something wrong. Some people seem to think that it's normal for dogs to be scratching constantly. That's simply not true. Just like with humans, excessive itching is an indication that there is something the matter. The source of the itching could be anything ranging from dog hot spot to dog food allergies.

What is excessive? Let's just say that if it is enough to be getting on your nerves, then it's too much. And if it's getting on your nerves, imagine how your dog feels!

Constant itching is not just annoying for you and your dog: if you don't do something about it, it could seriously affect your dog's health. Chronic scratching and biting at the skin can lead to all sorts of problems over time - from infections to hearing loss.

Although there are many reasons why your dog might be itchy, one of the most common (and most overlooked) is dog food allergies.

When your dog suffers from any type of food allergy, common sense dictates changing the diet to exclude the allergic food. However, that is easier said than done because your dog can be allergic to a whole food item or just a part of that food item (a particular element of that food item, such as an enzyme).

Until you are able to pinpoint which food is causing the allergy or if your pet has multiple sensitivities, switching to a high-quality hypoallergenic dog food is a good strategy.

Since your dog can be allergic to any of the ingredients in the normal packaged dog food - any of the major ingredients, preservatives, colorings, flavorings, or any of the multitudes of chemicals (even natural chemicals) - that go into the preparation of the dog food, you would definitely need to start giving your pet a diet prepared to exclude allergy-causing foods and chemicals.




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