Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Dog Nutrition - Wheat Free Dog Food Reduces Food Allergies

Over 10% of all dog allergies are food allergies. Many dogs suffer from a wheat allergy and using a wheat free dog food can be the solution to these allergy problems.

Symptoms of A Wheat Allergy

1. Itchy skin and Dull coat
2. Vomiting and Diarrhea
3. Sneezing and Seizures
4. Inflammation inside ears
5. Breathing symptoms which are similar to Asthma
6. Excessive gas formation

How Do Wheat Allergies Develop?

Many dog owners find it hard to believe that their dog is suffering from a wheat allergy as they have been feeding the same diet for years now and the problem has surfaced only recently. The reason such a thing is possible is that food allergies sometimes develop overtime and a dog may not have allergy previously but have developed it now and a wheat free dog food is the solution to prevent occurrence. A diet with wheat in it could also result in digestive disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and removing wheat from the dog's diet is the ideal thing to do in such a situation.

Is My Dog Suffering From A Wheat Allergy?

To find an answer to this question you will have to put your dog on an exclusion diet. In this method the dog is fed homemade diet with ingredients that the dog will not be allergic to and consult your vet before starting this diet.

If in a few days it is noticed that the symptoms are improving then move back to the diet dog was on to know if symptoms resurface. In case the allergy starts again that you will be confirmed that there is something in dog's diet which is causing the allergy. Next you will have to shift back to the exclusion diet and reintroduce ingredients from dog's original diet one by one at an interval of few days to see the effect of their inclusion. If you find the symptoms resurfacing then you would have identified the allergen.

Other Reasons to Stop Wheat From The Diet

A wheat based diet is carbohydrate rich which needs to be broken down by dog's digestive system by enzymes and dogs do not have enough enzymes to break these down properly. As these wheat diets remain undigested, they result in gastrointestinal problems as well as intestinal inflammations. Thus a diet which is rich in vitamins and proteins and has less percentage of carbohydrates or starch is more beneficial for dogs.

Advantages of Wheat Free Dog Food

The advantages of wheat free dog food are that these do not have wheat ingredients as fillers as a means to bulk up the dog food. Instead these wheat free dog foods have greater percentage of proteins in them helping to meet nutritional needs of a dog which much lesser quantity of the food compared to a diet which has wheat used as filler.

A Final Note

To prevent allergies and also to make the diet more digestive for your dog, it is advisable to shift to a wheat free dog food. There are numerous options available in the market nowadays which are good replacement for wheat diet and maintain the desired nutritional level in your dog's diet.

Wheat free dog food help offered by PetVitaminRep.com- the best natural dog vitamin supplement designed to boost your pet's immune system and overall health. Visit http://www.petvitaminrep.com/ today to learn more about our natural multivitamin for dogs and the best natural dog food that is wheat free.

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