Allergies happen when your dog’s immune system is thrown out of whack in response to a trigger. Exposing your dog to that trigger can not only cause discomfort but also prove to be fatal. Therefore, you must read this article to recognize the symptoms and triggers for food allergies in dogs to prevent the risk of exposing your dog to allergens.

1. Frequent ear infections
If you are getting 2-3 treatments for your dog’s ear infection in a year, then it is a sign of a food allergy. It appears like a brown-black build-up that causes persistent irritation. The vet may recommend a food elimination diet or a food allergy test to recognize the trigger. You can also try home remedies such as water and apple cider vinegar solution to clean your dog’s ear before running to the doctor.

2. Red or bronze-colored nails
It is one of the quickest ways to determine food allergies in your dog. If your dog’s nails are red, then it may have been caused due to inflammation of the immune system. Your dog’s white nails should be no other color than white. The vet may ask you to follow a food elimination diet to identify the triggers.

3. Bronzing around lips
If your dog has a white coat and you notice that their skin or lips are pink, then it is a sign of inflammation. It usually means yeast infection that is often provoked by food allergies. In some cases, you may also see swelling around the lips.

4. Animal-based ingredients
According to a recent study, animal-based ingredients, such as beef, chicken, pork, egg, fish, etc., in your dog’s food can increase the risk of food allergies by up to three times. To avoid this risk, you must put your dog on a diet made from plant-based ingredients.

5. Genetic issues
In some cases, dog allergies may be genetic and triggered when exposed to anything they are allergic to. While several factors can trigger food allergies in a dog, they have to be genetically predisposed to be vulnerable to such allergies.

6. Use of antibiotics on pups
If the dogs are administered antibiotics at a young age, they could become vulnerable to problems later. It happens because the antibiotics can alter the internal gut environment, the largest organ responsible for the immunity system. Therefore, when you expose dogs to an allergen, their body responds to it in the form of the above-discussed symptoms.

Most of the time, it is possible to manage food allergies in dogs by changing their diet, but in some cases, they have to be prescribed medication to alleviate the symptoms. Knowing about the symptoms and triggers for food allergies in dogs will help you act promptly.