Can a dog develop an allergy to a kibble that he or she has been eating for nine

1. 89

   Just Ask Susanposted 11 years ago

   Can a dog develop an allergy to a kibble that he or she has been eating for nine months?
   
   My friends dog has been scratching for about a month now and has ruled out fleas. The dogs environment has not changed and we are trying to figure out if it could be food related.

   replyreport
2. 82

   Hyphenbirdposted 11 years ago

   I know humans can develop an allergy at any time so dogs most likely can also. I have another thought too. The pet food company may have added an ingredient. I hope the doggie gets relief soon.

   replyreport
3. 0

   Jennifer Angelposted 11 years ago

   Yes they can. It can also lead to health issues, weight gain and side effects such as rashes, coughing and lethargy. It's best to move pets from corn / wheat based foods. Rice & Lamb is a big winner or Rice & Chicken. Make sure you are not feeding him / her products made in china for x company. If you suspect an allergy its time to change the food, shampoo and the soap you use to wash its bedding. Start small then allow other things back. Hope your baby is better soon!

   replyreport
4. 61

   pink888posted 11 years ago

   My dog has terrible allergy issues...  I spent so much money on several vets, but they always had a different opinion...  Just like human allergy , it's so difficult to detect what is a cause of an allergy.  My dog was told she has an allergy for the grass ( her blood sample reacted to it ), but I am not sure if this is even true, because even if we don't go to park, she still gets terrible break out.  Now she is on a raw meat diet ( primal is the best of best , but my dog is less then 5lb, so I can afford it, bigger dog, home cooking is the affordable solution) , since then she is in much better condition.  Also we have tried micro bubble bath, that helped too.  ( without shampoo or hypo allergy shampoo ).
   Good luck with your friend's dog!

   replyreport
5. 90

   Pamela99posted 11 years ago

   I must be honest and say I don't know for sure, but it did happen to my cat. We had to change foods for him. Also, humans can develop allergies at any time, so probably I would just change foods to be safe.

   replyreport
6. 61

   melbelleposted 11 years ago

   Yes, they can develop allergies just like people, especially if they are allergy-prone to begin with... Take away the food for a few days and switch to a better quality and see if that helps.  My dog's skin got all dry one time when I switched food, and when I put him on a different brand (a better brand) it solved the problem.  There are actually dog foods out there especially for your dog's skin and coat.

   replyreport
7. 93

   agilitymachposted 11 years ago

   Like others have said, yes.
   
   My American Eskimo would eat a type of protein, say chicken, for about nine months to a year and then start getting sick on it.  We would have to change to a different protein.  After going through chicken, beef, lamb, venison and some others I don't remember, we finally landed on salmon, which she tolerated well for about five years until her death at 15.
   
   Work with your vet.  As others have said, finding the allergen is a hard task, but it's important to your dog's health.

   replyreport
8. 88

   Relationshipcposted 11 years ago

   Absolutely. I used to work in a health pet food store, and we saw allergies to food develop all the time. I can't remember exactly why though, but I think it had something to do with chicken and/or beef being too widely fed, and pets were starting to become allergic to it.
   
   I would change the meat source to something other than beef or chicken - and if your friend feeds raw, then I would eliminate all the other ingredients except for the meat source until you figure out if it actually is the meat source, because it could be something else in the food as well. Then I would start adding food back to see the dogs reaction to the other ingredients.
   
   Honestly, I would also recommend a holistic vet who practices conventional medicine. They treat the animal as a whole, and will look at all aspects of the dog to determine a problem.

   replyreport