Want to know more about canine allergies to chicken? Food allergies in dogs are considerably less prevalent than other types of allergies, but they can still cause bothersome symptoms like skin rashes or digestive problems that lower the quality of life for affected puppies.
How do you tell if your dog is allergic to chicken, a popular ingredient in dog food, or if your dog simply has allergies in general? What can be done in response to it? We have solutions.
Dogs can develop allergies to virtually anything in their environment or to any dietary item, just like humans can. So, sure, it is feasible for a dog to have a chicken allergy.
Regardless matter what your dog is allergic to (food, pollen, perfume, or anything else), allergies can have very similar symptoms. Additionally, allergies have symptoms with other illnesses (such parasite infestations) that call for different medical interventions.
Therefore, rather than presuming your dog has a sensitivity to chicken or any other item in their food, it’s crucial to go through the process of allergy diagnosis.
Even though allergy diagnosis takes some time, it’s typically the quickest and most efficient technique to come up with the best treatment strategy.
The skin or digestive tract exhibit the most typical symptoms of chicken allergy in dogs.
Allergies to both food and the environment can result in skin problems. Rashes, hair loss, hives, or red or itchy skin—especially on the paws, belly, crotch, face, and ears—could be symptoms. Ear and skin infections are frequent. Additionally, trauma from a dog continually licking or gnawing their skin can result in wounds or “hot spots” developing.
Diarrhea, vomiting, gas, and other gastrointestinal symptoms might be considered digestive symptoms. Puppies with these conditions may also have anal gland problems, which makes them scoot their backsides around the floor.
Any allergy has the potential to cause anaphylactic reactions, which include face swelling, unexpected vomiting or diarrhea, difficulty breathing, trembling, collapse, and possibly even death. A human with a severe peanut allergy who needs medical attention if exposed to even a small bit of peanut residue would be comparable to this. Fortunately, dietary allergies in dogs are really rare. However, if you ever observe your dog exhibiting these signs, you should take him to the doctor straight away.
An unwarranted immune system overreaction is an allergy. As a result, if someone has a chicken allergy at work, their body responds to the allergen in chicken as if it were a dangerous virus or bacterial infection.
Collateral harm from this immune system’s attack is inflammation. As previously mentioned, these inflammatory effects frequently manifest as skin problems or digestive problems in dogs.
Allergies frequently have a hereditary or inherited origin, making them challenging to prevent. Although any breed can develop allergies, some breeds (Bulldogs, Chinese Shar-Peis, Retrievers, Terriers, Shih Tzus, and Lhasa Apsos) are more frequently affected.
Environmental/seasonal allergies (pollen, etc.) and allergy to flea bites are the most frequent causes of allergies in dogs.
Although they do occasionally occur, food allergies are significantly less prevalent than many pet parents think. Only 10% of canine allergies, according to experts, are caused by food allergies. Dog food allergies are typically brought on by the proteins in beef, lamb, chicken, soy, eggs, dairy, or wheat.
Even when dogs exhibit stomach symptoms, they may not have have a food allergy. They might merely have a food sensitivity or intolerance, which means that one or more of the ingredients is difficult for them to digest without the immune system getting involved.
Finding out which ingredients a dog is sensitive to will help you choose a dog food that is right for them, regardless of whether they have a true food allergy or an intolerance.
Going through an elimination phase is necessary to identify a chicken allergy in dogs (or any other food allergy), which calls for persistence. However, by getting a response as soon as possible, you may help your dog by giving him the greatest treatment option possible.
It is important to arrange a vet consultation if your dog exhibits symptoms of a poultry allergy. Following that, the procedure typically goes through these steps:
- Your veterinarian will conduct a history check on your dog, which include asking you about your pet’s signs, nutrition, and any possible exposures. Additionally, a thorough physical examination will be performed.
- The symptoms of your dog must be ruled out as having other causes. An ear swab or light skin scrape is a typical first step to check for bacteria, yeast, and tiny parasites. Blood testing and other diagnostic procedures may also be advised by your veterinarian if they detect an underlying medical problem (such as a hormone imbalance).
- If your dog’s symptoms don’t go away, an allergy test may be advised.
- An elimination diet, sometimes referred to as a food trial, is typically the first step in an allergy workup. For 1-3 months, this entails following a strict diet that includes a new cuisine. Your veterinarian’s office may go into great detail about this procedure, including how to choose a suitable diet and approved treat alternatives.
- A dog may be fed the new food permanently if a feeding trial results in noticeably better results. Your veterinarian can describe how to gradually introduce other items (like treats) to check whether they cause symptoms. This procedure can assist in identifying the meals that a dog can and cannot tolerate.
- Testing for environmental allergies is the next step if a puppy’s condition does not improve after a diet trial. Typically, a blood test is used, which is then sent to a lab for analysis. Blood tests can be very useful for identifying the environmental allergens that a dog is susceptible to, even though they are ineffective for identifying food allergies.
A cure for allergies is unfortunately not possible. However, it is possible to control or reduce allergy symptoms to maintain a dog’s happiness and comfort.
Once a puppy begins to exhibit symptoms, medication is frequently required to stop the cycle of inflammation and restore the health of their skin or intestines. This frequently includes antibiotics to treat secondary skin infections, wound care, drugs for diarrhea and gastric discomfort, and allergy medications like steroids.
However, dogs with allergies also require long-term protection using the proper dietone that is compatible with their body.
Food allergies have the advantage of typically being much easier to control than environmental allergies. While it can be challenging to totally avoid allergens like pollen, it is possible to completely avoid any foods or ingredients that make your dog ill.
Puppies frequently experience more than one sort of allergy, though. Therefore, in addition to a particular diet for food allergies, your dog may also require long-term therapy for their environmental allergies if they are both allergic to pollen and chicken.
And some dogs with food allergies still experience flare-ups sometimes, even with a regulated diet, particularly if they pick up a table crumb from the floor or eat something they found on the ground while out for a walk.
Consequently, even though a dog’s food allergies can be substantially controlled by a proper diet, it’s okay if your dog occasionally need medication to relieve their allergy symptoms. The majority of dogs with food allergies can have their symptoms significantly reduced and lead regular, contented lives with the right information, observation, and management strategy.
Most frequently, allergies appear in dogs between the ages of six months and three years.
Since puppies’ immune systems are still developing, allergies are unlikely to be the cause of symptoms that appear before six months. Although being older than three years does not rule out allergies, older dogs can acquire allergies.
Despite popular misconceptions to the contrary, dogs are typically allergic to a specific type of protein in their diet. Proteins from chicken, beef, lamb, soy, eggs, dairy, and wheat are the most frequently found offenders. These components can all be nutritious sources of protein and other nutrients in dog diets, so there is nothing intrinsically wrong with them.
Dogs may be allergic to any element in their food or treats, despite the fact that these are the most frequent ones (or table scraps or anything else they digest). Because of this, there is no dog food that is genuinely hypoallergenic, and every pet will respond differently to the “best dog food.”
Depending on how sensitive each dog’s immune system is, the answer may change from dog to dog.
Generally speaking, it would be better to conduct a culinary experiment with a completely unrelated protein, such as switching chicken or other sorts of fowl for venison (or poultry products such as eggs). Your veterinarian can assist you in this process and help you decide which food is best for your particular dog.
For a food experiment, it’s usually a good idea to choose a protein source that is substantially different from chicken (such beef or a less popular protein like rabbit or venison). However, it’s crucial to carefully read the contents as many dog diets include chicken flesh, organs, or broth even though they are not the main ingredient. Additionally, if food is prepared in a facility that also produces dog foods with chicken as an ingredient, even foods that don’t contain chicken as an ingredient may get contaminated.
Many veterinarians advise utilizing a prescription allergy food due to all of these factors. These diets either contain a novel source of protein (such as rabbit or venison) or a protein that has been “hydrolyzed” (one that is processed in a way that the body is less likely to recognize it as an allergen).
The facility will exhibit great quality control for prescription allergy dog foods, even shutting down and properly cleaning the equipment to minimize cross contamination. To acquire the most precise results from a food trial for allergies, prescription diets are typically a smart choice as a first step.
It doesn’t matter how quickly or slowly allergies develop in the body; they only become obvious when they reach a particular breaking point (when symptoms start to bother a dog).
Bring your dog to the vet as soon as allergic symptoms appear, regardless of how slowly or rapidly they appear.
There is no advantage to keeping your dog away from any of the more common food allergens unless they have confirmed food allergies. It’s typical for allergies to something a dog is frequently exposed to, such as chicken, beef, rabbit, kangaroo, or any other item, to develop over time.
In other words, feeding a diet high in rabbit to dogs to prevent chicken allergy won’t always stop food allergies. Instead of developing an allergy to chicken, the dog would do so for rabbit.
Avoiding diet changes or exposing dogs to a wide range of substances is your best bet for preventing and treating food allergies. This will provide them additional options for things they’ve never tasted before to use for the meal trial and for longer-term feeding if they ever develop a food allergy.
What proportion of dogs have chicken allergies?
Is your dog suddenly biting on his paws and clawing himself? These are the most typical signs of canine chicken allergy. Just like people, dogs can experience dietary sensitivities or allergies as well as seasonal allergies. You might have identified the offender if chicken protein makes up the majority of the meat in your dog’s food. According to BMC Veterinary Research, chicken allergy affects up to 15% of dogs and is the second most prevalent food allergy in dogs after beef.
The issue is most likely caused by a recent change in the type or brand of food you are feeding your pet. However, dogs can also acquire a chicken allergy through exposure, thus the more chicken you give your dog, the greater the likelihood that he will develop an allergy to it.
Due to this intolerance, you must pay close attention to how your dog reacts to various food sources. It’s important to remember that not all dogs have allergies to poultry; for example, a dog with a chicken protein allergy may not necessarily be allergic to duck or turkey.
You should be aware that in the world of dog food, chicken is the preferred protein. Dogs absolutely adore chicken, and it’s convenient that it’s a lean protein source that is also less expensive than lamb and beef. As a result, chicken is a practical and economical source of protein for dogs.
As a result, chicken is typically the first ingredient in dog treats and meals. Although chicken is a good source of protein, if your dog doesn’t like it, it’s not the best option for him.
There are several dog food options from Spot & Tango suitable for dogs with food sensitivities, including chicken protein allergies.
Why is chicken bad for allergy-prone dogs?
Why do dogs react negatively to chicken? We must first comprehend what occurs when your dog eats. The digestive system of your dog will convert food into amino acids. Enterocytes, a subclass of white blood cells, then take up the amino acids.
Chicken proteins cannot be fully broken down in dogs with chicken sensitivities. Because of this, the immune system perceives it as an unwanted and perhaps hazardous substance. The immune system of your dog will next react by releasing enterocytes to get rid of the chicken proteins.
The above-mentioned symptoms and indicators are then brought on by this. Dogs that are allergic to chicken should be aware that their symptoms will likely worsen over time. Before a dog recognizes the chicken protein as an unwanted substance, it must be exposed to it frequently enough. Because of this, it is most likely that your dog won’t experience adverse responses the first time he eats chicken.
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that rather than the chicken protein itself, your dog could be reacting to the brand of dog food that contains chicken. If this is the case, changing the dog food you provide your dog will aid in the recovery of allergies.
