Dog Allergies & Diarrhea

Is your dog suffering from allergies or from food intolerance?

There are a wide variety of potential allergens that can affect a canine companion. Although diarrhea is not a symptom of allergies, it can indicate food intolerance or some other health issue that may be affecting the dog.

Symptoms

In dogs, allergies cause reactions in the skin. This leads to symptoms such as chewing on the feet, hair loss, mutilated skin, rubbing the face on furniture or intense itching or scratching all over the body.

Food Allergies Versus Food Intolerance

All allergies, no matter what the cause, produce the same typical allergy symptoms in dogs. Meanwhile, food intolerance results in symptoms such as an upset stomach, vomiting or diarrhea.

Potential Allergens

Aside from food, dogs also can be allergic to a variety of allergens including pollen, mold, certain plants, fabrics, pet toys, milk products, food additives, dust, fleas or insect bites.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis requires allergy testing, either done through intradermal testing or blood testing. In blood tests, the sample is tested for a reaction against potential allergens. In intradermal tests, the allergens are injected into the skin to look for a potential reaction.

Treatment

Canines suffering from allergies have a variety of treatment options available including total avoidance of the allergen, antihistamines, topical shampoos, fatty acid supplements, topical anti-itch solutions and steroids.

References

• Pet Education: Food Allergies and Food Intolerance
• Pet Education: Allergies & Atopy in Dogs