Can the vets test for food allergies?

[GeometricGiraffes]

Dpup was so itchy from day 1 and we suspected grain allergy.

We switched to grain free and he improved but I think he's allergic to something else.

He keeps throwing up white froth at night which I've read is a sign of another intolerance.

Will take him vets of course but just wondering if anyone has had a food allergy test at the vets?

What happens?

Thanks

[Lonecatwithkitten]

There are blood tests, but they are considered to give an indication, not fully accurate. The very best way is an exclusion diet and then challenge this is best carried out with your vets advice. But ideally you feed a hydrolysed diet for 12 weeks or all symptoms have gone and then challenge with foods to see if symptoms recur.

[Alicewond]

Have you checked dpup for fleas and ticks?

[tabulahrasa]

You can get skin prick tests... it’d be a referral on to a dermatologist though rather than your own vet.

[GeometricGiraffes]

No fleas or ticks

His itching is 70% better but he still has some patches on his leg

I wish I knew what to avoid.

[Cyberworrier]

We were told was v expensive and not completely accurate when our pup had recurrent reactions when young. They recommended hypoallergenic dog food which has sorted him out. We then gradually introduced other foods, eg. fruit, meat etc (more for treats) and other dog treats.
Apparently a lot of dogs are allergic to dairy and another common intolerance is for chicken, so maybe try eliminating those as well as grain.

By the way it was Royal Canin hypoallergenic our vet recommended- it’s expensive but worked for our boy.

[Booboostwo]

Exclusion diet or hydrolyzed diet (e.g. Hill's Science Plan Z/D) as you have been advised above. Personally I find the exclusion diet to be a bit of a faff, but it is cheaper than the hydrolyzed diet. You have to really be careful not to feed anything else which is tough with a puppy.

[msmith501]

Have you changed anything - for example, is there new bedding which maybe had a high nylon content or a new house carpet?

[yetwig]

We went through all the testing with mu old dog, turns out he was allergic to almost everything, they made up an injection to help get him used to all the allergens, but this over loaded his body and we nearly lost him at 18mths. I then made the decision to go raw and no longer vaccinate him, this changed his life 🙂 he was no longer itching himself to the point of having weeping sores and he looked so much happier in himself. He lived until he was 15 🙂 I'm not saying this works for every dog with allergies but it worked for mine 🙂

[GeometricGiraffes]

Going raw is an option but I've read some meats can be an allergen too.

So do you think it's worth going to the vets at all or should I just get the prescription food?

[GeometricGiraffes]

Do you think this would be good? Grain, wheat, gluten and dairy free. No poultry

[LimeJellyHead]

Yes, you can get allergy testing done but like others have said, it can be expensive and not all that accurate. We had it done years ago on our Bedlington only to get the results and be told no conclusions could be drawn.

[Booboostwo]

I’d try directly a proper hydrolyzed diet as advised above. You need to feed it for 6-8 weeks exclusively, I.e. no treats, bones, chews, etc.

for www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-zd-canine-dry

[Wolfiefan]

Chicken is a very common allergen. We did blood testing for allergies but the food ones are known not to be reliable. Madam was shown to react to chicken and beef so we’ve cut those out and she is much better.
(She’s also intolerant to pretty much everything except venison )

[Longfacenow]

Yes we paid about £400 for our dog to be tested at a specialist lab and they tested for a huge profile of all
the things a dog could be allergic to.

Turns out he is allergic to over 20 things off the top of my head including rice, certain types of grass!, a chemical in air fresheners, beef, cheese, cat hair, pine needles...all sorts basically and is now on a special diet and takes steroids and anti histamine because some of the triggers are difficult to avoid and make him dangerously unwell and eventually led to complications (the itch is just a symptom you can see, more damage can be going on inside). He has been fine ever since.

[Longfacenow]

(And we live trigger free as much as possible and without a real Christmas tree ever since!)