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Are you just plain fed up?  Does feeding your dog turn into a nightmare of aggressive dog behavior if anyone in the household comes near him while he’s eating?  If your pooch is displaying food aggression in dogs, this serious dog behavior problem needs to be stopped before your dog attacks you or someone in your family.

Dog Food Aggression Is Instinctive Behavior For Canines

In the wild, a dog is protective of his food, his mate, and his territory.  Aggressive behavior in dogs is necessary for their survival.  The most aggressive dog is the pack leader, or alpha male, and he enforces his position by being the dominant dog in the pack. 

However, your dog shouldn’t be the pack leader in your home.  If he is, you’re in for trouble, because he thinks he’s the alpha male, and like he would in the wild, he’ll enforce his position by using aggressive dog behavior.  This is a dominance issue that won’t go away on its own.  You must take steps to deal with his aggressive behavior before it reaches a dangerous level.

Causes of Food Aggression In Dogs

Most of us have laughed at a “cute” little puppy who’s aggressively guarding his food.  Don’t do it!  This is a serious training mistake many dog owners make.  Instead of encouraging this kind of canine possession aggression, you need to nip this problem in the bud.

In your dog’s mind, he’s confused about who the pack leader is.  If you don’t take the role of the alpha male (even if you’re female), there’s a leadership vacuum, to your dog’s way of thinking.  If you don’t step into the role, he will.  And he won’t be nice about enforcing his position in your household.

Since he considers himself the top dog, he thinks he can take whatever he wants from whoever is lower in rank than he is.  The reality is that the family dog should be at the bottom of the heap, not the top.  Anyone in the household should be able to take anything away from him, even his food.  Of course, you’re not really going to do this, but he needs to know where he stands in your household pack. 

Dog Food Aggression Training

With a puppy, you’ll make it clear that having people or other animals around when he’s eating is OK.  Do this right from the beginning, and you’ll probably never have a problem with this type of aggressive dog behavior.  Anyone in the family should be able to safely stand right next to him at any time while he’s eating.  If this isn’t the case, you need to take control of his food.

It’s always a good idea to feed your dog after you and your family have finished eating.  Your dog will instinctively understand that the alpha dog always eats first.  This reinforces your position and your family members’ positions in the pack in relationship to him.

Require that your dog sit and stay quietly while you’re fixing his food.  If he whines and jumps around and demands food, don’t give in.  He needs to earn his food by behaving in a non-aggressive manner. 

Never let your dog “win” his food by growling at you.  This only rewards his bad dog behavior.

If food aggression in dogs is already a serious problem in your household, a dog behavior course may be your next step.  Look for a course that includes a consultation with an experienced dog trainer, and that has a forum where you can get advice from other dog owners.

Now that you know what to do, don’t delay in taking steps to control dog food aggression.

Darlene Norris
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/the-truth-about-food-aggression-in-dogs-726422.html

Reading Pet Food Labels
or
What to run away from at the pet store

With all the pet food recalls and more and more ingredients coming out of China that are contaminated, we need to learn to read the ingredients on our pet foods just like we read the labels on our own food.

You should read the label every time you purchase pet food.  Manufacturers will change ingredients on a whim if they can make the product cheaper and reap a bigger profit.  Very few companies are as concerned about the health of your dog as much as they are about their bottom line.

Pet food is not highly regulated.  Dead, diseased, dying and drugged animals are allowed in pet food.  Many pet food ingredients are leftovers from meat processing for the human food supply and consist of ingredients not fit for human consumption.  Here’s what you should be looking for on each label.

Look for the Ingredient Statement on the label.  Read the first five ingredients as these first five ingredients make up 90% or more of the total quantity of what’s in the dog food.

1. Does the food contain a quality protein?  Look for an identifiable animal source such as chicken meal or beef meal.  This is a concentrated protein source wherein the water has been removed from the meat.  “Chicken meal” is better to find on the label than simply “chicken” as the latter can contain a large quantity of water.  It may be the first ingredient on the list, but doesn’t necessarily make up the larger portion of the food due to the water content.  Wheat gluten or corn gluten are protein sources, but they are not meat.  Dogs and cats must have meat to live a healthy life.  If your dog were on the loose in the wild, would you find him eating an ear of corn?  

2. Look at the packaging.  Does it contain a picture of a healthy dog or cat and then say things like “natural” or “wholesome grains” or “vegetables?”  The term natural is meaningless as it is not regulated.  There can be some natural ingredients in the food, but there can also be chemical preservatives that can cause cancer such as BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquine.  There are some pet treats on the market that are labeled natural, but contain propylene glycol, a form of antifreeze!

3. Wholesome grains are not whole grains.  The term wholesome grains can simply mean the addition of wheat gluten which was the source of the largest pet food recall in history.  Whole grains are excellent sources of protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, and other essential minerals.  They also provide carbohydrates that a dog (not a cat) needs to provide energy.  Look for ingredients like ground brown rice or oats in a dog food.   Soy, corn, corn gluten, wheat, wheat gluten and rice gluten are cheap sources of protein.  These grains are also prone to molds which can be toxic.

4. Look for the term “by products.”  If it says by products, don’t buy the products!   These are inferior protein sources and can be difficult for your dog to digest.  These can be all the parts of an animal unfit for human consumption such as hooves, feathers, intestines, etc.  By products contain ingredients you would never knowingly give to your dog. 

5. What are the sources of fat?  The fats in dog food should be animal based.  This is what your dog evolved to eat.  Your dog cannot be a vegetarian or vegan and maintain health.  Fats should also be identifiable such as “chicken fat” or “beef fat.”  If the ingredients state “animal fat,” it should not be fed.  It could (and probably does) contain road kill, spoiled grocery store meats, euthanized pets, or zoo animals.

6. Check for vitamins and minerals.  A list of added vitamins and minerals should be on the label, but avoid the ingredients menadione and sodium selenite.  These are cheap and non-bioavailable sources of vitamin K and selenium respectively. 

7. Your dog food should contain fruits and vegetables, but not as the primary source of nutrition.  The first ingredient should be meat and everything else should follow.
While this short article does not cover every single detail of purchasing pet food and reading labels, it provides the consumer with some guidelines for a happier and healthier dog.  Go beyond the fancy packages and read the ingredients.  Your dog deserves you and he certainly deserves a good diet. 
Just remember that what you find on a dog food packaging isn’t necessarily what you’ll find on the ingredient label.  Packaging is advertising and is meant to entire you into buying that particular product.  The packaging is irrelevant-read the ingredients.  You’ll soon find that even so called premium dog foods contain junk that you would never feed your dog.
Randy Walden
http://www.castlehillsoaps.com
Full reprint rights are given for this article as long as it is reprinted in its entirety.  Author credit must be given and the URL must remain on the article.  This article cannot be sold or altered without the author’s permission.  The author may be contacted via the URL at the end of this article. 

Randy Walden
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/reading-pet-food-labels-738493.html

Most people are already aware of antioxidants and what they have to offer us, but if you are not, here is some important information you are going to want to be aware of. Whether it is an antioxidant supplement that you are taking or you are just eating regular food, there are certain foods in which there are high levels of antioxidants.

What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients that are found in certain foods, some more than others, and which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body uses oxygen, there is a process that takes place, known as the oxidation process. This process, after a while, can end up doing damage to the body, but antioxidants help to slow this process off and make us healthier as a result.

Antioxidants work to kill off the free radicals and hence prevent and repair damage done by them. There are many different health conditions that antioxidants can help to prevent, including heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer, and liver disease.

Antioxidant Levels in Food

If you really want to maximize your health and get yourself as healthy as possible, you are going to want to learn about antioxidant levels in foods and which foods contain the most antioxidants. Antioxidant levels in food are very important, as there are certain foods that are chalk full of these things.

Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, cabbage, collards, spinach, apricots, and all bright colored fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants. Flax seed, oatmeal, barley, rye, grapefruit, watermelon, and tea are all high in antioxidants as well.

Of all the antioxidant levels in food, the highest are found in the cocoa bean. Antioxidant levels in food refer more to nothing more than chocolate, well dark chocolate. No other type of chocolate contains antioxidants as dark chocolate does. Until now it was thought that tea, in particular green tea, contained the most antioxidants, but now we know that it is dark chocolate.

Research also shows that the cocoa butter in the chocolate helps by coating the teeth and thereby helping to protect them by preventing plaque from forming. The sugar in the chocolate can contribute to cavities if you eat too much of course, and you can also gain weight if you do not eat dark chocolate in moderation. As long as you eat all of these foods in moderation and make sure that you include some from all the different food groups, you will be giving yourself the nutrition you need to strive.

You can talk to your doctor to get a more detailed list of the high antioxidant food that is included other than those discussed here. The most important thing is that you are getting interested in something that is going to be helping your health and making sure that you are in the most optimum condition.

Just make sure, as with the chocolate and fish, that any food you start incorporating in your diet you do with moderation. Just because a food may be a high antioxidant food, this doesn’t mean that you can’t overdo it, so introduce these foods gradually and make sure that you are only eating a serving size of each a day, or less, so that you do not end up doing yourself more harm than good.

Ann Nelson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-importance-of-understanding-antioxidant-levels-in-food-544538.html

Most people are already aware of antioxidants and what they have to offer us, but if you are not, here is some important information you are going to want to be aware of. Whether it is an antioxidant supplement that you are taking or you are just eating regular food, there are certain foods in which there are high levels of antioxidants.

What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients that are found in certain foods, some more than others, and which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body uses oxygen, there is a process that takes place, known as the oxidation process. This process, after a while, can end up doing damage to the body, but antioxidants help to slow this process off and make us healthier as a result.

Antioxidants work to kill off the free radicals and hence prevent and repair damage done by them. There are many different health conditions that antioxidants can help to prevent, including heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer, and liver disease.

Antioxidant Levels in Food

If you really want to maximize your health and get yourself as healthy as possible, you are going to want to learn about antioxidant levels in foods and which foods contain the most antioxidants. Antioxidant levels in food are very important, as there are certain foods that are chalk full of these things.

Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, cabbage, collards, spinach, apricots, and all bright colored fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants. Flax seed, oatmeal, barley, rye, grapefruit, watermelon, and tea are all high in antioxidants as well.

Of all the antioxidant levels in food, the highest are found in the cocoa bean. Antioxidant levels in food refer more to nothing more than chocolate, well dark chocolate. No other type of chocolate contains antioxidants as dark chocolate does. Until now it was thought that tea, in particular green tea, contained the most antioxidants, but now we know that it is dark chocolate.

Research also shows that the cocoa butter in the chocolate helps by coating the teeth and thereby helping to protect them by preventing plaque from forming. The sugar in the chocolate can contribute to cavities if you eat too much of course, and you can also gain weight if you do not eat dark chocolate in moderation. As long as you eat all of these foods in moderation and make sure that you include some from all the different food groups, you will be giving yourself the nutrition you need to strive.

You can talk to your doctor to get a more detailed list of the high antioxidant food that is included other than those discussed here. The most important thing is that you are getting interested in something that is going to be helping your health and making sure that you are in the most optimum condition.

Just make sure, as with the chocolate and fish, that any food you start incorporating in your diet you do with moderation. Just because a food may be a high antioxidant food, this doesn’t mean that you can’t overdo it, so introduce these foods gradually and make sure that you are only eating a serving size of each a day, or less, so that you do not end up doing yourself more harm than good.

Ann Nelson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-importance-of-understanding-antioxidant-levels-in-food-544538.html

Food allergies are a common problem in kids. Nearly two million children have food allergies in the United States. Some food allergies are life threatening, even if the food is taken in very little quantity. Peanut tops the list of notorious foods which cause allergies. Following it are milk, especially cow’s milk, soy, eggs, wheat, seafood and other nuts.

Food allergies are caused when the immune system is confused. The job of the immune system is to protect the body from diseases, bacteria, viruses and germs. The antibodies produced by the immune system helps to fight these minute external organisms which makes the person sick. But if the body is allergic to certain food, the immune system mistakes the food to a harmful foreign substance and takes action towards it thinking that it is dangerous to the body. The body acts adversely, when it isn’t supposed to do so.

When the immune system detects allergic substance, the antibodies produce mast cells. They are a kind of immune system cell which release a chemicals, such as histamine, in the bloodstream. These chemicals affect the respiratory system, digestive system, nose, eyes, throat, and skin. Initial symptoms are runny nose, tingling sensation in the lips or tongue, and itchy skin rash like hives. The reaction can be mild to severe and depends on every individual. The symptoms can appear right after the food is consumed or after few hours. Other symptoms are cough, wheezing, nausea, hoarse voice, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache, and throat tightness.

A sudden and harsh allergic reaction is known as anaphylaxis. The patient encounters many problems, all at once which involve blood vessels, the heart, digestion, breathing, and skin. The blood pressure drops very steeply, the tongue swells and there is swelling in the breathing tubes. Patients who have such allergic reactions should be ready to handle emergencies. They should always carry some type of medicine which will help to combat or reduce the adverse affect of the food.

Most of the times, it is very easy to detect the cause of food allergy. Problems such as hives begin to surface as soon as the child eats the substance he is allergic to. At other times, it becomes very difficult to determine the cause of allergy. In such cases, everything should be observed under close surveillance. Food items which are made out of many ingredients should be thoroughly checked for the allergic cause. Most of the times, allergies are inherited from other family members or other kids born with food allergies. Changes in the surroundings and the body play a major role in these kinds of cases. Some of the kids aren’t actually allergic to the food and show only mild reaction. Like people who are lactose intolerant suffer from diarrhea and belly pain after consuming milk and diary products. This is not an indication that the child is allergic to milk. This reaction happens because their body is incapable of breaking down the sugars which are found in diary products and milk.

If the conditions are severe, a doctor should be consulted immediately. If food allergy is diagnosed, the doctor refers to an allergy specialist. The doctor asks questions like eating patterns, past allergic reactions and the time period between the consumption of food and the surfacing of the symptoms. The specialist can also ask about allergy related conditions like asthma or eczema and whether allergic reactions are hereditary. Usually skin test and blood test is done to test the antibodies and the reaction they have on the skin when it is exposed to the allergic substance.

Kids who are allergic to egg and milk outgrow them as the age progresses. But allergies which are severe and are related to items such as peanut, shrimps, and some kind of fish, last for a lifetime. Other than food, children can be allergic to certain medicines and flower pollen. The best way to avoid allergies is to avoid the cause of it. No specific medicine has been developed for the cure of allergies.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/food-allergies-in-kids-how-to-tackle-this-common-problem-740063.html

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Development of allergies appears to be a combination of the environment and genetic make-up. Many studies have demonstrated that the greater the incidence of allergy in both your immediate and extended family, the greater the likelihood that your children will also have allergies.

However, the environment in which live will also plays a role. For example, the allergens in Alaska will be different than those in Florida. Therefore, if you lived in Florida for many years and then moved to Alaska, chances are you would not respond to many of the allergens in Alaska that someone else, who has lived in Alaska their entire life, might respond to and vice versa.

Food allergy is not an instant reaction. The food causing the hypersensitivity can remain in the stomach or the intestine for up to 3-5 days before causing a reaction. An allergic reaction to food is difficult to distinguish from food intolerance unless the reaction results in hives, itching, or severe difficulty breathing. Only about 10% of food allergy reactions can be diagnosed by laboratory tests.

This means that 90% of reactions are difficult to distinguish from food intolerance. Recall that an allergic reaction is immune mediated – some allergic reactions are immediate – these are the ones we currently have diagnostic tests for – others are delayed and occur via a different immune response pathway than the immediate reactions. Because they have a different set of mediators, delayed reactions are more difficult to diagnose.

A baby growing in its mother’s womb is capable of mounting an immune-mediated allergic response by 11 weeks of gestation. This can occur when allergens from the environment enter the mom’s circulation and cross the placenta. The baby’s immune system sees these allergens as “foreign” and develops antibodies to recognize and mount a defense against the allergen.

Later, after the baby is born, when it encounters the same allergen, it’s immune system “remembers” the molecule and an allergic reaction occurs.
It is estimated that about 8% of children are affected by food allergies. Children can have a wide variety of allergies to food – many of which they will out grow by the time they are two years old. The most frequent food allergy encountered in children is cow’s milk allergy.

This allergy however, may substantially diminish with a few milk-free months and either be totally gone or very minimal in 1-3 years. Other common food allergies among infants and children are eggs and wheat.

Interestingly, peanut allergies may be life-threatening, and once they develop, they are usually permanent. People who are allergic to peanuts often are allergic to tree nuts as well. About 100 deaths per year are caused by peanut allergy, usually by accidental exposure to peanuts or peanut products in other foods. Unlike milk, eggs or wheat where diets free of these items for periods of time can reduce or eliminate the allergic reaction, the peanut allergy is life-long for most individuals. However, recent research suggests that up to 20% of children may outgrow their peanut allergy.

Not all reactions to food are true allergies. For instance, food toxicity is when a food contains a substance that would be toxic to anyone who ate it. A food idiosyncrasy is when the food item only causes symptoms in some people who are either unable to break down the food because their body doesn’t make the right enzyme or they have an abnormal sensitivity to some part of the food. A true food allergy is an immune-mediated reaction that occurs every time you eat a particular food. It is estimated that only 2% of adults in the US are affected by a food allergy.

Adults may develop allergic sensitivities to almost any food including, but not limited to, milk, eggs, fish, wheat, rye, oat, corn, soybeans, and potatoes. Interestingly, a peanut allergy generally will not initially manifest in adults unless they never had peanuts as children.

Ways to prevent Infant Food Allergies
There are few recommendations of ways to avoid sensitizing your unborn child.

1. Avoid foods that could possibly cause sensitivities during the third trimester and while breastfeeding.

2. Breast-feeding has the benefit of removing some of the potential allergens and at the same time provides the baby with added immune defenses.

3. Use of medications when there is a food allergy.

Treatment

In general, avoidance (don’t eat it) is the only treatment available and is also the safest route. Often food allergies are diagnosed by eliminating one item after another from your diet and watching for resolution of symptoms.

Gen Wright
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-brewing-articles/food-allergies-guide-714783.html

If you find that you are allergic to certain kinds of beverages and foods, then you will have to exercise selective eating. Sometimes our body has a negative immunologic reaction in the presence of certain food proteins.

Today, several reading material is available on the topic of food allergy that can help you understand everything you need to know about food allergies. ” Five Years without Food” is one such book that helps you survive food allergies. This book will give you an overview on allergic foods as well as alternatives to foods that you cannot and can eat. In addition to all this, the book also suggests the necessary treatment for food allergy. Furthermore, the author makes a personal testimonial in the book making it credible.

Apart from all the information available in this book, there are some facts that you should keep in mind regarding food allergy.

Usually, adults develop allergies to food items such as tree nuts, eggs, shellfish, fish and peanuts. Kids, usually get allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts. If you suspect that you have food allergy, the first thing you need to do is gain as much knowledge regarding the allergy as possible. In doing this, you will be equipping yourself to recover and overcome such allergies.

At this point, we shall discuss some important food allergies, their symptoms, and the alternative foods corresponding to them.

Egg Allergy

Usually people suffering from this kind of allergies are hypersensitive to all foods that contain components of eggs- the yolk or the white.

Usually, for a definite period of time, you will have to restrict the consumption of food items that contain eggs. Nowadays, there are many egg substitutes available in the market such as potato starch and tapioca. Another alternative is apple sauce.

Nut Allergy

Some people experience allergic attacks due to over sensitivity to tree nuts. Peanut allergy and nut allergy should not be confused for each other. They are different as tree nuts are actually dry fruits.

If you need to restrict tree nuts in your diet, you can try consuming food items made from soy nuts as an alternative. Soy nuts are not actually nuts; they are just soaked and baked soybean that is crisp.

Milk Allergy

Many people develop allergies when they ingest cow milk protein. This means that the individual is allergic to milk.

In order to make the best of your milk allergy treatment, milk allergens must be avoided entirely. The alternative foods that can give you the nutrition from milk include rice milk or soy milk.

Seafood Allergy

If your body reacts negatively to foods like flaky fishes or shellfish, then you suffer from seafood allergy.

The best way to prevent the attack of allergies is by restraining your consumption of shellfish and other fishes that you might be allergic to. Also exercise caution while purchasing pre packaged food items for many such products do not specify if its ingredients include sea food particles like fish.

You should rigorously exercise selective eating if you suffer from food allergies. Selective eating effectively eliminates any allergic reaction taking place in your system. In this way you will recover from and survive food allergies. This will also cease food allergies to a certain extent. However, selective eating varies. There are some food allergies that can be treated for a short period of time, while others have no treatment whatsoever.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/a-guide-to-food-allergies-surviving-the-reactions-708843.html

When you avoid the food that causes the allergy it naturally helps you from getting any unwanted allergy. Once a person recognizes the allergen, he/she is advised to avoid it from their diet. This is got by revolutionizing the prepared food and carefully going through the food products or labels. When one eats outside, one must be specific in ordering so that allergies can be avoided.

A small amount of allergen could cause major symptoms to people who are highly allergic, and so they are cautioned beforehand. To add to this there are few common food allergens that are present in preparation of food which few individuals will not generally link together.

To avoid exposure to the foods which you are allergic to, self – awareness is necessary. You must know the culprits which cause these not so comfortable reactions. A perfect knowledge could help your physician and you in carrying out a proper management plan for the allergy. You must also practice making it a habit to scrutinize labels (food) when checking for food allergens that are included in ingredients. Never hesitate to inquire about the ingredients of the food you are going to order for during eat outs.

One more precautionary measure, specifically for people who manifest severe allergic symptoms while exposing to a food allergen, is wearing bracelets or necklaces that are provided by any medical institution to give a caution to other people on your allergy incase of an accident like when you’re in an unconscious state.

Many patients are advised to carry with them an epinephrine self injectibles that are prescribed by the doctors. The physicians would instruct them on how to self administer medication during any allergic reaction.

Incase symptoms begin to get intense; emergency medics must be called upon to help admit the patient to the hospital nearby. Anaphylactic reactions are otherwise called sudden and severe allergic reactions. Anaphylaxis might be fatal incase it is not treated properly and quickly.

Apart from epinephrine injections, there are several other medications which could be prescribed by the doctor to deal with reactions caused by allergy to food. The medication includes antihistamines, bronchodilators, adrenergic agonists and corticosteroids.

Bronchodilators help in relieving symptoms which are connected with breathing difficulty. It basically dilates passage ways of bronchial air in the respiratory tract which has become inflamed because of allergic reaction that eventually aids patients breathe easily. Highly allergy sensitive people must carry fast acting bronchodilators with them.

Antihistamine alleviates various symptoms such as runny nose, rashes, hives gastrointestinal discomforts and sneezing. Corticosteroids reduce the severity of irritations caused by skin and inflammation caused by allergic reactions. Antihistamines could be available in chewable tablet or syrup for quick access incase allergic reaction occurs suddenly.

Adrenergic agonist yields highly effective and immediate results. Adrenergic agonists alleviate major symptoms of cardiovascular collapse, hives, bronchospasm, and angiodema.
There are treatments which are causing havoc in today’s medical world even though there are not many studies that have been conducted to justify that the treatments are effective.

One of these revolutionary treatments includes desensitization of the individual by administering injections of tiny amounts of allergen on a regular basis. One more is the introduction of diluted substance which contains the allergen under the 30 minutes prior to the actual intake of food. This treatment works effectively in such a manner that it could reduce the symptomatic manifestations of the food allergen consumed.

Finally, keep in mind that there are no proper and full cures to allergies caused by food. The above mentioned are only to help reduce the symptoms.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/tackling-food-allergy-eliminating-allergic-reactions-708840.html

Your pet dog requires your attention and love as it is your unique companion. Whenever your dog suffers from some ailment or sickness, you suffer too. Many a time, it becomes difficult to track down the cause of these ailments, and your vet might claim that it is due to food allergies. 10% of dogs who suffer from allergies, suffer from food allergies.

Food allergies can cause a great amount of alarm to the owner. Incase your dog is itching or scratching excessively, it might be suffering from some food allergy.

Corn, soy and wheat are the largest food allergy culprits. There are some dogs who have an allergy to chicken and beef. The best course of action would be to take your dog to a vet and have him diagnosed. A vet will be able to accurately tell you the exact nature of the problem and the remedies for it.

If you find that your dog is excessively and compulsively licking his foot or chewing and biting at other parts of his body, then you can safely suspect that he suffers from an allergy. Vets and pet nutritionists usually recommend substituting your dogs protein source. Often, lambs are introduced for accommodating a new substance in the diet.

You could begin by giving allergy-free mixes to control the diet of your dog. These mixes usually contain nutrients and vitamins formulated especially for dogs. You can also experiment with other protein sources while keeping track of how your dog reacts to it. You must remember to closely watch your dog’s reaction to new food in order to determine whether it suits him or not.

There are many chicken-based dog mixes, while many others contain fish proteins. You should change your dog’s source of protein once in a while to observe the reaction. When you find one that suits your dog and reduce the allergies, stick to it.

You should remember a few things before introducing your dog to a new food. Do it slowly over a period of six days. Always mix the new food with the old food in the ration 1:4 where 4 is the old food. Gradually do this till the sixth day, by which time you would have completely changed your dogs diet. Give this food for a week at least and observe carefully the different reactions your dog develops due to the change.

There is no remedy for overcoming an allergy overnight. The food cycle should be broken beginning with neutral foods that are grain free. After you have found the correct protein source, you could reintroduce the same grain again and observe the effect. Always use common sense; you can save a lot of money if you do things by yourself. Never forget that your dog needs to be fed a well balanced diet that prescribes the correct amounts of minerals and vitamins.

This process of making your dog adjust to a particular food agent coupled with the antibody response taking place within your dog’s intestine are still not understood entirely. However, most nutritionists and vets can recognize and diagnose symptoms correctly in order to treat them.

Therefore, there are many alternatives available to your while choosing the right food for your dog if you not want to go for allergy free foods. Invest some time, common sense and patience, and you will see results.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/pets-with-food-allergies-the-best-food-for-your-canine-708845.html