Snapshot: It is a well-established fact that the food we eat has a direct effect on our skin. But did you know that it goes the same way for dogs? The food they eat must be appropriate concerning the kind of skin your dog has. Let us find more about it.
There must have been times when you might have felt that your dog is a bit too itchy. You might have suspected that it is because of an allergy. Or maybe signs and symptoms of allergies have been pretty clear on your dog’s skin lately. You can get rid of all of such worries of yours regarding your dog’s skin. All you have to do is to keep a record of what your dog is eating throughout the day.
The food that your dog takes in, has a huge role to play in the health of its skin. It might not be allergies, but if you do not take proper care of the kind of food you give to your dog, it could also result in an overall deterioration of the health of its skin. Fortunately, we have already a guide for you to follow just a few scrolls down, that deals with basic questions that pet owners have regarding the diet of their dogs.
Are food allergies common in dogs?
You might have seen your dog itching its skin a lot sometimes. Sometimes it can just mean that your dog is feeling a bit itchy and nothing more. However, it could also mean that your dog is suffering from some kind of allergy.
The allergy could have been because of something in the diet of the dog. That is why you must take care of what goes into the digestive system of your dog. Often itchy skin in dogs is a result of food allergies, especially grain allergies.
However, food might not be the only reason behind your dog’s itchy skin. Most of the time it turns out that allergies are the cause of the environment that the dog lives in. The allergens in this case could be anything starting from pollens, just as in humans, or some kind of a plant, or insects of all kinds.
Allergies in dogs could also arise from the meat proteins, such as in chicken, pork, or beef. There are more chances of a dog suffering from allergies from these sources rather than grains.
The point is however that even if your dog is suffering from allergies due to allergens such as some plant, or insect, good nutrition and a well-planned diet can always help your dog feel a lot better. For this, it is suggested that instead of adhering to what Google has to say, you take your dog to its vet as soon as possible who thereafter would guide you regarding the same.
Does itching always signal allergies?
Well no not really, – itching is not always a signal of allergies. Allergies you see are more superficial, it is a response of the body towards something that does not go well with its system.
Allergies therefore can be avoided by not letting those allergens that cause the allergic response of the body, get near it at all. Providing nutrition to the dog, which would help it battle the allergens, would also help the dog.
However, at times the reason behind the constant itching of the skin of your dog could be more serious. Your dog could be suffering from a Yeast infection. They are pretty easy to diagnose and spot. If your dog just cannot seem to keep from itching its skin, around it’s yours or paws, it would be best to consult your dog’s vet right away!
Your dog could also be suffering from folliculitis, which is a superficial bacterial infection that is again visible on the skin of your dog. In this case, too there are medical ways to deal with the problem.
Seborrhoea again good also be another very common skin disease of your dog. However, this has got very little to do with the nutrition and diet of your dog. It is more of a hereditary thing, where the fur becomes oily and the skin becomes abundant in dandruff.
Apart from allergies, ring warmth could also be another possible disorder of the skin that would cause the skin of your dog to itch constantly. They are very easy to spot and hence it is expected of you to take measures as soon as possible. On consulting your vet, you could get some medicines that could cure the problem.
There is a wide range of other diseases as well that could result in the itchy skin of your dog. Apart from nutrition, another thing that you must keep in mind, hence, is that to keep your dog clean and tidy as well. Regular baths and combing of the far are necessary to keep any germs out from the fur coat of the animal. This would also make the skin and fur of the dog healthier and smoother.
Therefore as we can see, allergies are probably just one of the many, many possibilities when your dog keeps on itching its skin. But no matter what, a good diet and proper cleaning can keep your dog healthy and improve the quality of its skin and coat.
How to reduce the chances of skin allergies for your dog?
To reduce the chances of skin allergies for your dog, the only way is to maintain a proper diet that has all the nutrition that a dog needs for healthy skin. Below we have listed some of the common diets that many owners follow for their dogs.
But you need to keep in mind that these types are not the ultimate. Every dog has its own needs and own skin. They are all different in their ways. Diet charts from Google would not help your dog with its skin as much as it would when you consult your vet regarding the problems that your dog could be facing.
So if you want to check if the fundamentals of the diet that you have assigned to your dog, are right or not, you can once go through the kinds of basic diet plans that we have listed below for you.
- Hydrolysed diet
A hydrolysed diet consists of all kinds of proteins in such broken down forms, that the amino assets that make up the proteins, can barely interact with the immune system. Once your pet has become habituated with this diet, you can start to feed your pet one kind of protein in its original and complete form every week to test whether or not your dog shows any allergic response. When your pet again starts to show symptoms of allergies, you will know which protein triggered it.
This is usually a part of an elimination diet that your veterinarian might have suggested. You can get the hydrolysed food substances from the market, only after you provide the prescription given to you by the vet.
- Skincare diet
This diet, again available in the market, consists of food that is rich in nutrients that help the dog to have better skin quality. While it is bettering its skin quality, this kind of tight also is simultaneously reducing the chance of skin allergies for your dog.
The diet usually consists of constants such as fatty acids and proteins that help in making the quality of the skin of the dogs better. It makes the skin and coat feel and become much softer and smoother.
- Fish based diet
Fish-based diets are often the first option that the vets would give did the owner. A fish-based diet has a lot of merits. It is a source of protein and as well as proves to be quite good for the skin of your dog. What’s more, is a majority of the food products in this kind of diet do not contain grains. So if you are worried about that, you need not be.
However, you need to make sure that while buying a fish-based diet, the food does not consist of any other meat sources. As that again could prove to be an allergen to your dog. Also before you completely shift to a fish-based diet for your dog, make sure that your dog is not allergic to seafood itself.
- Home-cooked diet
There is nothing better than home-cooked meals,- neither for the humans nor for the dogs. In this case, you can also be sure of what is going into the system of your dog. You need not be dependent on someone else’s words regarding what your dog is eating.
But one of the major problems, in this case, is that it is quite difficult to stick to a balanced diet. In these cases, it is better if you hire a veterinarian nutritionist who could guide you about what food you should give your dog, and what the food must have as its constituents.
What are the diet requirements to better your dog’s skin?
If your dog has good enough skin, with no allergies, there is no reason as to why you need to stop there. Making your dog skin allergy-free is different from making the skin of your dog better.
While both of these processes might be overlapping, we have listed below some of the ingredients that you need to have to make the skin of your dog softer and smoother. Most of these ingredients you would also find in the diet of your dog, if you were to indulge in the skincare died as suggested above.
- B vitamins plus amino acids
Be vitamins have always been known for their health complementing approaches. If the B vitamins were to be mixed with certain kinds of amino acids, it would make the skin way better than ever before. The composition of the B vitamins and the amino acids helps to make the bond between the skin cells stronger. This in turn makes the skin altogether stronger and more compact as well.
- Antioxidants
Antioxidants again have always been known for their ability to gift the user with proper glowy skin. Antioxidants include vitamin C and vitamin E. They rid the skin of its toxic constituents or products. This makes the skin feel and be healthier and smoother.
- Omega 3 fatty acids
As we were saying, most of these constituents help the skin to get rid of any allergic responses as well. Omega-3 fatty acids are a great example of that. These elements, help the skin to get rid of any allergens that could irritate the skin and reduce itchiness in the skin. The anti-inflammatory constituents of omega-3 fatty acids make the skin and fur smoother.
- Omega 6 fatty acids
Once all the getting rid of toxic wastes from your skin is done with, Omega 6 fatty acids help the skin of your dog to retain the smoothness. They make the fur of the animal everything at shine, not letting you remove your fingers from the fur of the animal. Good for it too as it gets a few more head pats and rubs maybe!
There is no particular dog food that could tick all the boxes. If the dog food you indulge in has all of the ingredients that are necessary for the well-being of your dog, it would not be so lenient on your pocket. But at the same time, you cannot compromise on the quality. It is therefore the best option to consult the vet of your dog. The food she prescribes would be the best possible option for you out there. But then again you need to be sure that you are consulting a good enough vet, who has enough experience in the field.
