Food intolerance vs food allergy, are they same? The simple answer is no. With a food allergy, the immune system mistakenly recognises the food as a harmful substance and therefore launches an attack against the food when it enters the body. In severe cases, allergies may lead to death. It is not dissimilar to humans who are severely allergic to nuts. Food intolerance, on the other hand, doesn’t involve the immune system. Because of this, the symptoms tend to be milder and are usually limited to digestive problems. For example, alot of dogs (and some humans) are lactose intolerant because their body does not produce the enzyme lactase which is required to break down lactose into simpler forms for the body to process.
That said, the symptoms from an intolerance and allergy are often rather similar. Common symptoms include:
Digestive issues resulting in diarrhoea, vomiting, flatulence,
Skin irritation resulting in hair loss, poor coat condition, inflamed or itchy skin. Though skin irritation from food intolerance tends to develop over time, compared to a rash due to a food allergy which develops within minutes or hours after ingesting the suspected food.
In the event that you suspect your dog has a food allergy or intolerance, you can try to identify the cause by adopting a food elimination diet, starting with the likely food ‘suspects’. Drop the food from your dog’s diet and observe the reaction over a few meals. Rotate around until you find the ‘culprit’. At times, you may be surprised that it’s not just one food item that’s causing the issue. Additionally, food intolerance can also build up over time. This is particularly so if your dog is being fed the same food day after day throughout his lifetime. Therefore, it is always good to switch around the food you feed your dog. It isn’t unlike us humans who desire some variety in our daily meals right?
Do bear in mind that should the issues persist, it may be timely to bring your dog in to the vet for a check as many times, such symptoms could also be pointing towards underlying health conditions.
Written by: Sunny
