Can Food Allergies Cause Ear Infections In Dogs

Natural Balance Vegetarian Dry Dog Food Best Value

The best dog food for ear infections for the money is the Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula dry dog food. It contains all the essential nutrients that your pooch needs to thrive, and all are obtained from plant-based sources. The essential protein that your dog needs is provided from potatoes and peas. It also contains brown rice for added vitamins and oat fiber and barley for healthy digestion. The included cranberries, spinach, and blueberries will provide your pooch with essential antioxidants, and the food has increased levels of B vitamins for a healthy immune system. The added DHA and EPA will aid in healthy brain function and coat, and the zinc and manganese will help support hip and joint health.

The added grains and carbohydrates may cause gas and bloat in some dogs, and several customers report the food causing loose stool too. Although the food contains 18% protein, this is plant-sourced, and large, energetic dogs will do far better on meat-based proteins. Picky eaters may not enjoy the taste of this food, as several customers report, keeping it from the top position.

Bear in mind that this food needs veterinary authorization before purchase, which some vets may charge you for on top of the already expensive food. The food has a strong chemical odor, which may result in picky eaters not enjoying it, and some customers report diarrhea and bloat after switching to this food, keeping it from the top two positions.

What To Do If You Think Your Dog Has An Ear Infection

You have recently noticed your usually happy-go-lucky dog has started shaking his head, scratching at his ears or moaning with pain. Your first thought might be an ear infection, and you could be right.

However, only the vet can tell you if that ear infection is a sign of something hiddensuch as food allergiesgoing on with your dog’s health.

Dr. Cathy Alinovi, pet parent and veterinarian, discusses the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments for ear infections as well as why it is important to determine the root cause of the infection.

What Is The Best Dog Food For Ear Infections

Since dogs with allergies are more prone to ear infections, feeding them a nourishing diet that avoids irritating additives and allergens is a great first step. In fact, some food allergies can even cause ear infections, so the best dog food for ear allergies will contain complete nutrition to maintain their health whilst avoiding ingredients you know will make your pup unwell. A great way of ensuring that your dog wont eat anything theyre allergic to is by buying personalised food.

Preventing allergies is im-paw-tent because rubbing and scratching at itchy skin can cause infections. This is why many vets suggest trying a grain-free dog food for ear infections, as wheat is a common allergen and could trigger both skin and ear infections.

There are other ingredients that could be causing your pets illness, and a vet may advise a hypoallergenic diet to combat re-occurring infections. But, plenty of pups see a fantastic improvement in their health and reduced irritation when eating Pure. Pure offers grain-free recipes and our plans are personalised to your pup so theyll never have to worry about eating a known allergen again.

For instance, Bey the Frenchie was having no luck on hypoallergenic food, but within a few weeks of starting Pure her skin and stomach had settled and improved massively. Beautiful beagle Millie had previously suffered from yeast infections for years, but was much improved and her skin was almost entirely normal within a month of eating Pure.

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Signs Of An Ear Infection

Ear infections can be quite painful for your pet, so youll most likely notice signs of discomfort. Some more specific signs that are typical of pets battling an ear infection include:

• Crusting or scabs in the ear
• Dark discharge
• Redness or swelling in the ear canal
• Scratching at the infected ear
• Shaking or tilting their head

How Are Dog Ear Infections Treated

Your veterinarian will thoroughly clean your dogs ears using a medicated ear cleanser. Your vet may also prescribe an ear cleanser and a topical medication for you to use at home. In severe cases, your vet may prescribe oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications.

Most uncomplicated ear infections resolve within 12 weeks, once appropriate treatment begins. But severe infections or those due to underlying conditions may take months to resolve, or may become chronic problems. In cases of severe chronic disease where other treatments have failed, your veterinarian may recommend surgery such as a Total Ear Canal Ablation . A TECA surgery removes the ear canal, thus removing the diseased tissue and preventing the recurrence of infection.

It is important to follow your veterinarians instructions closely and return to the veterinary hospital for any recommended recheck appointments. Lapses in your dogs treatment may lead to the recurrence of the infection. It is especially important that you finish the full course of your dogs medication, even if your dog appears to be getting better. Failure to finish the full course of treatment may lead to additional problems such as resistant infections.

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Dog Food Allergy Symptoms

Sneezing. Ear infections. Chronic Diarrhea. Restlessness. Dog food allergy symptoms run the gamut from skin reactions to gastrointestinal troubles to behavioral issues.

Below youll find a full list, broken down by category, to help you identify whether your pup might be suffering from a food allergy. Note: its estimated that about a quarter to a third of dogs with a food allergy also have environmental allergy, which has similar, and at times indistinguishable, symptoms, says Dr. Shmalberg.

Related: Our Favorite Products to Help Dogs Who Suffer From Summer Allergies

Common Ear Problems In Cats: Causes Symptoms And Care

Cats may be experts when it comes to grooming, but your cats health and hygiene isnt limited to her fur and coat. If your kitty is frequently scratching her ears or tilting her head, she could be showing signs of ear problems.

While many common cat ear problems have similar symptoms, there are still plenty of ways to differentiate between the specific ailments so you can take the proper steps to ease your cats discomfort.

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Brit Veterinary Diet Hypoallergenic

Brit VD Hypoallergenic food for dogs contains none of the most common allergens. It is a so-called monoprotein food, i.e. it does not contain animal-origin raw materials other than dried salmon meat and hydrolysed salmon protein. Salmon meat and salmon oil are generally well tolerated raw materials. Brit VD Hypoallergenic also contains no chicken fat, which is often used in pet foods. Dogs that are very sensitive to chicken can also develop symptoms from chicken fat even if all protein residues have been removed. Brit VD Hypoallergenic food is gluten free, grain free, corn free, soy free, and rice free and contains no potatoes. Yellow pea, buckwheat, and apple have been used as sources of carbohydrates without gluten, the most common allergen.

Regardless of the cause of a skin disorder, it is important to keep in mind that all skin disorders have a negative impact on skin barrier quality and increase epidermal turnover. That why an inseparable part of the treatment of any skin disorder is nutritional support of skin metabolism, which is best provided with a special diet containing sufficient amount of omega-3 fatty acids with the DHA and EPA, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that are important for skin metabolism. Brit VD Hypoallergenic is an ideal choice.

Sign: Icky Ear Discharge

Fluid may leak from your dogs ears if they have an ear infection. Other times, the discharge may not be apparent unless you gently go into the ear canal and wipe some of it out . With yeast infections, the discharge tends to be brownish/blackish. With bacterial infections, the discharge can range from yellow to dark, explains Dr. Wilde. If you look down into the ear, it may seem filled with dark or multicoloured, waxy debris, explains Sara Ochoa, DVM, a veterinary consultant for DogLab who is also a practicing veterinarian in Texas. No matter what causes it, the discharge associated with a dog ear infection will be the source of any odour, as well. Dogs may not like to smell each others ears, but they do like to sniff at each others buttsheres why.

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Recovery Of Yeast Infection Due To Allergies In Dogs

Changes in diet can help with clearing up a yeast infection, even when the yeast infection is not due to a food allergy. Yeast feeds on sugars and carbohydrates, so limiting these components in your dog& rsquo s diet may help alleviate the overabundance of yeast being produced. The dietary addition of probiotic bacteria is usually beneficial in eliminating the overgrowth. This can be added to your dog& rsquo s diet either by using a probiotic supplement or by serving your dog yogurt with probiotics with their food. If you choose to add yogurt, plain yogurt is best as it does not have any added sugars which may nourish the yeasts you are trying to eradicate.

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Yeast Infection due to Allergies Average Cost

From 424 quotes ranging from $300 – $700

Average Cost

Most Common Dog Food Allergens

Wondering what is in dog food that causes allergies? Meat, dairy, and eggs are often thought to be the most common dog food allergens, says Dr. Shmalberg. Yet generally, its the protein part of those foods that tend to be problematic, rather than, say, the meat itself. Keep in mind, veggies can contain protein, so theyre not automatically safe.

BMC Veterinary Research identified some of the most frequently reported dog food allergens involved in adverse food reactions. Heres a look, from most-reported to least-reported.

Top Dog Food Allergens

Dr. Shmalberg calls out two important caveats to keep in mind here. First, newer research is needed. Many of the studies out there, and those sourced in this review, are older, when dog foods were being made and processed differently than they are today. Allergies tend to change over time along with foods, and as new studies emerge, we may see different allergens rising to the top of the list.

Second, the more common a food is, the more likely the allergy. For an allergy to a food to develop, a dog needs to be exposed to that food, says Dr. Shmalberg. That may explain why the proteins most commonly found in dog food, like beef and chicken, fall higher on the list.

Here are more facts about dog food allergens that are helpful to know:

Where theres one allergy, there may be more. Its estimated that more than a third of dogs with one food allergy are allergic to at least one additional food.

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Is There Anything I Can Do At Home To Treat Or Prevent Dog Ear Infections

There are a few safe things you can try at home if you are careful.

First, there are ear cleaners available over the counter, or you can get one from your veterinarian. A mild ear infection, if its yeast-based, will sometimes respond to a cleaner. And certainly in a preventative sense, if your dog is prone to ear infections, you should clean their ears once or twice a week.

Sometimes if you catch an infection really early you can start cleaning the ear a couple of times a week. However, if your dog is really shaking their head and scratching a lot, youre not usually going to resolve the infection that way. But you can certainly start there and once you get to the vet they will treat it.

Also, if your dogs swimming a lot, that can make them prone to infection especially if they have ears that hang down instead of staying erect.

If you do have a dog that swims a lot, clean their ears carefully after they go swimming. It will help to dry out the ear canal and could prevent a secondary ear infection from the moisture thats in their ears.

Sign: Shes Clearly In Pain

A dog ear infection can hurt as well as itch. If the problem spot is the inner ear or middle ear, your dog may feel pain throughout the entire ear or head. You may not realize your dog is in pain until you go to scratch his ears or cuddle, only to hear a yelpor worse, get a nipfrom your loyal friend. It may hurt your heart even more than your hand but it happens. Even the tamest dog may snap at their beloved owner if they are in pain, and the area hurting them is suddenly touched, or accidentally poked. Dont take it personally, but do take your dog to the vet, pronto.

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Brothers Complete Turkey Meal + Egg Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Turkey Meal, Whole Eggs Dried, Pea Starch, Cassava/Tapioca, Peas

If youre on the lookout for an advanced allergy care grain-free dry dog food, the Brothers Complete Turkey Meal & Egg Formula is worth your consideration.

Made with over 90% animal protein source, this dog food includes turkey, chicken, and dried whole eggs. Its minimum crude protein content is 36%.

If your dogs are not into turkey meat, you can also try other flavors. Brothers Complete made sure to provide pet parents with a variety of options when it comes to taste. Flavors include lamb meal, goat meal, chicken meal, and venison meal.

Apart from containing high-quality animal proteins, this grain-free, GMO-free, and potato-free formula is also packed with digestive enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics.

This will not only help soothe your dogs itching but will also manage your dogs weight and nourish their digestive health.

To seal the deal, this turkey meal dog food formula also meets AAFCOs established nutritional levels for dog food nutrient profiles and is made for all life stages.

PROS:

CONS

• Storage issues. Unlike other dog food brands that came in easy-to-seal bags, this turkey meal dry dog food diet isnt. One wished it came in a zip-lock container.
• Carb-content. Since this is a dry dog food, manufacturers need to add a binding agent to make the kibbles. In this case, tapioca and legumes are included in its first five ingredients.

Canine Yeast Infection: All You Need To Know

• Belly
• Skin folds

Now that you know which areas of your dogs body these organisms usually appear in, the next thing to do is to watch out for these signs. Remember:Its always better to treat this in its initial stages to prevent serious damages like loss of hearing and extreme behavioral disorders such as depression, anxiety, and aggression.

• Mild to severe itching in any part of the body
• Redness or swelling of the skin
• Other skin abnormalities including discoloration/hyperpigmentation, thickening, and scabbing or flaky/crusty skin
• Sweet/musty/pungent odor
• Discharge of blood or waxy residue
• Repetitive movements like paw licking, rubbing, scratching, and head shaking

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Symptoms Of Dog Ear Infections

Some dogs show no symptoms of ear infection aside from a buildup of wax and discharge in the ear canal. But ear infections often cause significant discomfort and affected dogs may show signs such as:

• Head shaking
• Scratching at the affected ear
• Dark discharge
• Redness and swelling of the ear canal
• Pain
• Crusting or scabs in the ears

Why Does My Dog Keep Getting Ear Infections

You should take it very seriously if your dog repeatedly contracts ear infections. There are many reasons for this. The most common reasons are environmental and food-related allergies. If you fail to keep a check on your dogs ear health or provide the right food, your dog may remain vulnerable to allergies and infections.

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Dog Food Allergies Vs Dog Food Intolerances

“What most people think of as a dog food allergy is more appropriately called a cutaneous adverse food reaction or CAFR,” says Dr. Justin Shmalberg, DVM. “It basically means there’s some association between a food and a certain group of symptomsusually skin problems or gastrointestinal problems.”

In a true dog food allergy, according to Shmalberg, the culprit is often a food protein that triggers an adverse immune response, which then causes cells in the body to release histamines or compounds that lead to itching and many other allergic signs.

A dog food intolerance, on the other hand, doesn’t involve an immune responsebut the signs of dog food intolerance can look pretty similar to the signs of a food allergy. One example is a lactose intolerance, which happens when a dog’s body just doesn’t process lactose in milk products well, leading to gastrointestinal problems .

Both allergies and intolerances fall under that category of CAFRs, or, in more general terms, adverse food reactions. So, how prevalent are adverse food reactions in dogs? One 2017 research review published in BMC Veterinary Research examined just that. The findings suggest that, of dogs seeing vets for any diagnosis, 1 to 2 percent have food intolerances or allergies among dogs with skin diseases, the number jumps up a bit, to about 6 percent. For dogs with itching and allergies, even moreabout one in fiveshow signs of adverse food reactions.

Symptoms Of Yeast Infection Due To Allergies In Dogs

Although most allergy-related yeast infections are on the skin or in the ears, systemic infections by the Candida yeast are also possible.

• Bladder infections

Types

Candida albicans

– Candida albicans is a yeast that generally lives in the digestive tract. The overgrowth of this kind of yeast can cause a disease known as candidiasis in dogs and humans. Infections by this yeast can become systemic, which untreated may lead to infections of the urinary tract, swelling of the membranes protecting the internal organs, and may even compromise the immune system.

Malassezia pachydermatis

– This yeast is often found on the skin of healthy animals, but it can flourish to excess and release destructive enzymes on host cell membranes, which can result in uncomfortable, malodorous rashes and ear infections. Although there are many types of Malassezia yeast that attack humans, M. pachydermatis is the most likely variety to act as an opportunistic pathogen on canines.

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