Feeding Your Allergic Dog
Signs Your Dog Might Have Allergies
Learn the most common symptoms of food allergies in dogs, including skin issues, digestive problems, and excessive scratching. Identify if your dog is allergic.
1 min readReviewed: Oct 1, 2025
When to see a vet IMMEDIATELY
- •Blood in stool or vomit
- •Lethargy, not drinking, or not eating for 24+ hours
- •Repeated vomiting, especially if water won't stay down
- •Swollen or painful abdomen, whimpering
- •Diarrhea lasting more than 3 days, or worsening symptoms
This article is informational and does not replace veterinary examination.
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Signs Your Dog Might Have Allergies
Common Symptoms
- Skin Symptoms: itching, redness, recurrent ear infections
- Digestive Symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting
- General: excessive scratching, licking, hair loss
Most Common Allergens
- Beef
- Chicken
- Wheat, gluten
- Eggs
- Dairy, dairy products
- Soy
How to Diagnose
The only reliable method is an elimination diet:
- For 8–12 weeks, feed only one novel protein source and one carbohydrate source
- For example: duck, sweet potato
- Nothing else, no treats
What Not to Do
- Base diet on blood or saliva tests
- Skip the full duration of the elimination diet
- Arbitrarily exclude multiple ingredients at once
Free tool — no sign-up
How much food does your dog need per day?
Enter weight and activity level — 10 seconds and you get the daily portion.
References
- 1.Olivry T, Mueller RS — Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (3): prevalence of cutaneous adverse food reactions in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research 13:51, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-0973-z (accessed: 2026-09-10)
- 2.Mueller RS, Olivry T, Prélaud P — Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research 12:9, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0633-8 (accessed: 2026-09-10)
- 3.Olivry T, Mueller RS, Prélaud P — Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (1): duration of elimination diets. BMC Veterinary Research 11:225, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-015-0541-3 (accessed: 2026-09-10)
This is general information and does not replace a veterinary diagnosis.
This guide was compiled based on the expert input of Reka Fazekas-Birizdo canine nutritionist.
Certified Canine Nutritionist
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