Introduction
If your Cocker Spaniel suffers from food allergies, a hypoallergenic dog food diet might be the only one solution to get your dog back to a normal and healthy life.
In this article we will give you all necessary information on Cocker Spaniel food allergy, as well as its common symptoms and best hypoallergenic food.
Prone to Allergic Reactions
Cocker Spaniels are known to be prone to hypersensitivity reactions mostly to some food ingredients, such as artificial preservatives and colorings and fillers such as corn or wheat that can be found in any mass-market dog food.
However, a Cocker Spaniel may have a hypersensitivity to the following products, no matter how they are consumed – in raw condition or as ingredients of dry food:
- beef;
- lamb;
- fish;
- chicken (poultry);
- soy;
- yeast;
- dairy products.
Symptoms of Dog Food Allergic Reaction
There are the following symptoms of dog food allergy that every Cocker owner should notice in-time:
- dry skin with flakes of scurf;
- hair loss in the certain areas;
- a dark wax in the ears;
- skin itching;
- skin rash or red/pink skin (especially on the belly and on the elbows);
- paw biting;
- obsessive licking of paws;
- problems with digestion;
- occasional vomiting and diarrhea;
- constantly recurring ear infections;
- dog is nervous and restless.
What to Do?
If you and your vet are sure that your Cocker Spaniel has allergy to some food or its ingredients, you have two options: move your dog onto a hypoallergenic diet or select an exclusion diet.
The first choice seems to be easier but more expensive and means feeding with special dog food for dogs with allergies. Exclusion diet means that you exclude all food from the ration except lamb and rice, for example.
Hypoallergenic Dog Food
Hypoallergenic dog food contains only natural, high-quality food ingredients that has been minimum processed and also contains natural preservatives and colorings. Such dog food doesn’t contain corn or wheat, it may contain rice instead, that is much healthy and less allergic for dogs.
Before choosing the best hypoallergenic food for your dog, make sure you have checked the dog food ingredients label to confirm that it doesn’t consist dangerous chemical preservatives and that it has a good ratio of quality protein and complex carbohydrates, including vegetables and rice.
Best Hypoallergenic Dog Food
There are several high-quality hypoallergenic dog foods, that may do good for your Cocker Spaniel:
- Wellness Natural Dog Food;
- Orijen 6 Fish Grain-Free Formula;
- Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein;
- Addiction’s Wild Kangaroo and Apple;
- Acana Duck and Bartlett Pear.
Conclusion
We hope that our article will help you to recognize food allergy in your Cocker Spaniel and to find hypoallergenic dog food that will make your Cocker sound and healthy again.
