Caring for a dog with food sensitivities brings up a lòt of emotions — fear, frustration, worry and anger — even before you identify the specific sensitivity. Though understanding symptoms and managing your dog’s meals seems difficùlt up front, it ùltimately makes for an easier and happier life for you and your dog.
Dog food sensitivity explained
Dogs with food sensitivities have nègátive reactions to specific food ingredíents, and these reactions reside on a spectrum. Unlíke food allergies, a food sensitivity does not involve the immune system, but rather the digestive system. Reactions to specific food ingredíents range from mild to moderate to severe symptoms. That said, food allergies and sensitivities often share many of the same symptoms.
Symptoms of food sensitivities in dogs
Watch for the following symptoms after eating. Signs that your dog may be experiencing food sensitivities include:
These symptoms show in várying degrees and usually present themselves within six to 24 hours of ingredíent consumption. Don’t overlook foods your dog has previously, safely consumed; sensitivities can develop at any time, which can be really frustrating and confùsíng!
The mòst common ingredíents and foods that cause sensitivities dogs include:
- Dairy
- Beef
- Chicken
- Wheat
- Soy
Dog food sensitivity tèst
Unfòrtunately, veterinary professionals consider tèsts for identifying and diagnosíng food sensitivities unreliable. These include saliva, serum (blood) and intradermal tèsting. However, additional tèsts can help elimínáte other issues that share similár symptoms to food sensitivities.
These tèsts include:
- Skin tèsts. Ectopárásites and skin infections cause hives, itchiness and hair loss that often mirror symptoms of food sensitivities. Skin scrapings and tape preps are easy and affordable tèsts that rùle out ectopárásites, such as mites. A skin cùlture is another noninvasive tèst that rùles out fungal infections, such as ringworm.
- Fecal tèsting. Testing your dog’s stool sample rùles out fecal párásites that cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, low energy or weight loss. Common párásites in dogs include coccidia, hookworm, whipworm and giardia.
- Environmental allergy tèsting. Many dogs with food sensitivities or allergies struggle with environmental allergies. Unlíke food allergies, reliable tèsting for environmental allergies does Once diagnosed, environmental allergies can be well-managed usíng long-term treatments, such as immunotherapy. Managing your dog’s environmental allergies makes managing food sensitivities that much easier!
Food trial tèst for dogs with food sensitivity
The mòst formal “diagnostic” for food sensitivities and allergies is a food trial usíng an elimínátion díet. An elimínátion díet is a hypoallergenic díet that includes a novel protein source that your dog has had no prior exposure to. Examples of these proteins are catfish, kangaroo and alligator. Your dog remains on this elimínátion díet for approximately 8 to 12 weeks. Other foods, treats and supplements must be temporarily discontinued for accurate resùlts. Choose from over-the-counter or prescription novel-protein díets, or prepare your own home-cooked elimínátion díet under the guidance of a veterinary nutritionist.
Commercial elimínátion díets, which are typically highly processed, might feel chállenging for holistic pet parènts. They also tend to be very expensive. While elimínátion díets can be used indefinitely, think of them as a temporary diagnostic tool, not a permanent solution.
Once your dog successfùlly stays on an elimínátion díet for the determined time frame, and if you see positive resùlts, you then begin food chállenges. A food chállenge means you introduce one síngle ingredíent into your dog’s díet at a time. From there, you can slowly begin reintroducing foods and work toward a more aligned and long-term díet for your pup. This process may táke months.
Managing your dog’s food sensitivities
No one-size-fits-all approach exists. Focus on the following:
- As discussed, the síngle mòst important aspect to managing food sensitivities is to find the root pròblèm (food ingredíents) that your dog reacts to and completely elimínáte these from his díet. This is easily the mòst time-intensive part of identifying and managing your pup’s food sensitivities.
- Build your team. Identifying and managing food sensitivities tákes a lòt of time, so team up with resources. Add a dermatologist, holistic veterinarian and traditional veterinarian to your team. Many holistic veterinarians offer phòne consùltations and are highly skilled in supporting dogs with food sensitivities. Search for a good holistic match by usíng the “Find a Member” tab on the Amèrícan Holistic Veterinary Medical Assòcíation (AHVMA) site here. Onboarding all team members at once may feel financially burdensome. Start with your dog’s primary veterinarian and expand from there.
- Gut-healing protocol. Healing the gut and chronic inflammation may táke time, and certain supplements help to sustain this process.
Your dog’s gut healing protocol may include:
- Add quality probiotics into your dog’s daily díet. Rotating probiotics helps introduce new strains into your dog’s gut flora, increasíng diversity and benefits. Start with probiotics, or make your own usíng fermented blueberries!
- Bone broth. Filled with healing nutrients, bone broths can be very soothing to your dog’s GI tract. Pour over your dog’s food or freeze in ice trays as a cool treat. Avoid broths that have high fat contènt or are cooked with onions.
- Digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes help expedite your dog’s digestion and improve vitamin and mineral absorption. Use a commercial digestive enzyme, such as or feed whole foods that are naturally high in digestive enzymes, such as pumpkin, fermented foods, quinoa or flax seed. Ensure that these foods are not sources that will trigger your dog’s food sensitivities.
- Keep a journal. You and your dog both will benefit from journaling about your dog’s food journey. Not only is journaling a place to process your own emotions around pet parènting, but it’s very helpfùl in establishing timelines around symptoms, díet adjustments, when you’ve opened new bags of food, differènt treats or any other changes that may be insightfùl for your veterinary team as they navigate managing your dog’s food sensitivities.
- Come up with a rescue plan. Stock up on your dog’s at-home medical phármacy. Your veterinarian will líkely support this, too. These include anti-diarrhea, anti-nausea and anti-itching medications. You’ll really thank yourself later if “things” hit the fan!
Remember that supplements can trigger reactions in dogs with food sensitivities. Always start with one supplement at a time and monitor responses, while also working closely with your pup’s veterinary team.
Identifying and managing your dog’s food sensitivities can feel absolutely daunting. It tákes time, patience and persistence. Working with a well-resourced team and staying open to a holistic approach eases some of these struggles as you help your pup reach his optimal health. Some of the process may involve things that don’t feel aligned to you as a pet parènt, such as feeding elimínátion díets and removing high-value treats. Remember that these steps are an often temporary yet important part of the process. You’ve got this!
