Dog Food Allergies Cause Hot Spots?
Someone recently asked the question of what food is best for dog hot spots. Well, first we’re starting with the assumption that a dog food allergy is the cause of the hot spots. While this may be the case, there are other causes as well.
What are Hot Spots?
Dog hot spots are a type of skin infection that occurs in dogs. It is typically a circular area that can be painful, itchy, and even smelly.
Can a Dog Food Allergy Cause Hot Spots?
Last year Abigail, our Golden Retriever, had surgery on her ear and had to wear the dreaded cone for 2 weeks. On her last trip to the vet, they removed the cone and Abby was one happy pup! She pranced around the lobby of the vet’s office, excited to have that dreaded collar removed.
My wife dropped Abigail off at the house, and went out to run some errands. When she returned, Abigail had a huge dog hot spot across her right flank. This happened over 2 hours! Over the course of 2 hours, she chewed most of the hair from that area and left a big mess. Thankfully, our vet had one more appointment that afternoon and was able to see her.
The vet cut the hair away from the area and cleaned it. To add insult to injury, he put the cone back on the poor girl. Boy, was she ever sad, you could see it in her eyes.
The vet told us that the hot spot was probably caused by dog allergies, so we started investigating the cause. After some research, we started to wonder if her food was the culprit. Shadow, our other dog, was eating the same food, and was having dog allergy symptoms as well (although his were different). After further inspection, we found that there were a number of ingredients in the dogs’ food that are common allergens. These included corn, soy, wheat, fillers, and by-products. As a friend of mine said the other day, “How many dogs do you see grazing on corn? If they don’t eat it in the wild, then why are we feeding it to them?”
I think he makes a lot of sense. In an effort to become more profitable, some companies have started including a wide range of filler ingredients in dog food and some of them are just plain disgusting. For instance, peanut shells, cereal byproducts, cottonseed hulls, straw, corn, weeds, feathers, and even chicken beaks to name a few. In order to cut costs, companies are using fillers that have no taste, but are substantially cheaper than quality animal proteins.
So, getting back to the original question of can dog food allergies cause hot spots: I have seen it with my own eyes. Fortunately, after doing some research, we were able to change Abigail and Shadow’s food and within about 2 weeks, a lot of the dog allergy problems went away. For our pups, the key was moving to a food without the corn meal and by-products that they were allergic to. Please note, the change is not quick. It can take around two weeks for you to see improvement.
What about a dog food for allergies?
For an adult dog (we stopped feeding our dogs “puppy” food at 1 year), it is recommended that the level of fat be between 15 and 19 percent and the level of protein be between 22 to 25 percent. Some dogs have different requirements depending on the breed and activity level. If you have questions, it is a good idea to go over nutritional needs with your vet.
The type of protein is important as well. For the grain free food we selected, the protein choices were venison, bison, duck, fish, or lamb, but there are others. Make sure the first five items on the ingredients list are not any type of grain (corn meal, etc.), they should be a form of protein.
Summary
Picking the right food for your pet is an important task. Some veterinarians are knowledgeable about your pet’s nutritional needs. If you believe that your dog has a dog food allergy, it is always a good idea to have a vet check him/her out. While there, you can see what they recommend for a dog food allergy. If you do switch your pet’s food, make sure you do it gradually, mixing the foods over several days. Even with a quality food, switching them too fast can cause an upset stomach.
To learn more about a dog food we switched to, click the link below*
* This article contains affiliate links. Shadow’s gotta eat too. : )
I agree that knowing the best food to feed your dog is extremely important. I remember when I had my first dog, I just gave him what we humans usually eat. I didn’t know some of them are actually bad for the dog. Good thing I immediately learned about this fact and adjusted my dog’s diet.
Feeding RAW food comes to mind, also known as barfen. Our cat had the same problem, by changing his diet to raw food we are now free of all skin problems. See http://hospitalera.com/expat-cat-food/ for his story. BTW, he just turned 13, but even “cat people” regularly guess his age at 8 or below, SY
.-= hospitalera´s last blog ..Making Money Online 1 =-.
@hospitalera I read an article in this month’s Dog Fancy about raw diets for dogs. More and more people are recommending it.
Check with your favorite Vet to find out what they recommend for your dogs. Make sure you have complete faith in them that they will tell you what is best and not a brand that is giving them the best deal.
@Spokane
Thanks for stopping by. Its great to have veterinarians leave comments.
“Make sure you have complete faith in them that they will tell you what is best and not a brand that is giving them the best deal.”
Thanks for bringing this up. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard stories about vets having a certain brand in their office and they get a percentage of each sale. It seems to me that this might make them partial when it comes to selecting a food.
Choose fresh meat for your dog. It’s best to buy from a butcher or meat processor. These meats will be fresher, can be bought in bulk for better pricing, and you can have the butcher cut up or grind the meat for you if necessary.
Thanks for writing common sense about food. Food should be all about nutrition. So as far as I have researched there are only 5 basic catagories when it comes to food:puppy,large breed puppy(nutrition needs to be changed so they don’t grow to fast for thier bones) adult,largebreed adult and senior.
Interesting article about dog foods.I can understand even dogs are also so sensitive to food and other relative allergies.I would try to feed my dog good food.
it is a good experience and warning for any people that is feeding the dog.
if you can not care them well, they would be very easy to be ill.
actually, No difference between human and animal.
yes, it is necessary to concentrate on dog’s food
This is a great discussion! We had a Labrador with terrible skin irritations and had great results with a shampoo containing zinc pca. It is sold as a dog dandruff shampoo, but treats just about any dog skin problem. It worked great for us and it smells great (unlike some other treatments we tried.)
Well hope this helps out others. thanks
I have been giving the same food for my dog for six months without any problem…now he is losing a lot of hair everyday…is it because of some allergy
@Web
It could be an allergy, you should probably get your dog to a vet and have him checked out.
Great read and very true. All healing starts from the inside out and can take several weeks.
Glad your Golden is better.
They’re doing better now. However, here in Florida, flea season is kicking into high gear, so the battle continues. : )
only from this article, I came to know that even dogs are allergic to some foods.I’ll take care of my dog’s food.
Prevent your dog from biting, licking or scratching the area. Placing an Elizabethan collar (plastic cone) around your dog’s neck will keep him from biting and licking at it.
Really very handy article related to dog food. I have a dabourman and he’s suffering from few skin diseases. I thad tried lot medicine but all are result less. Please suggest few..
@acai
I think you should take your dog to a vet asap.
@friendship
For some dogs, this is true. It all depends on if your dog is allergic to it.
It is very helpful to see many causes all at the same time, as it allows a rule out method to be easily applied.
indoor air quality testing…
Mold allergies can be agreviated by a sudden change in the weather…
When our dog was a puppy, she would bite at the fur on her back and created a hot spot that lasted about 2 months. Apparently she had a wheat allergy and we needed to adjust her diet… Expensive!!