How do you fix a dog with food intolerance?

Avoiding problematic foods is obviously the goal of treating food intolerance. If your dog has managed to eat something they are intolerant of and has developed serious symptoms, speak to a vet. If the symptoms are mild, or once they have improved with treatment at the vet, a few things can be done at home to help with recovery. If vomiting has been a problem, a short period on an empty stomach may help things settle. Small, frequent meals and an easy to digest diet for a few days will feed the healing of the gut while reducing the symptoms. Chicken/white fish and white rice can help in many cases if your dog is not intolerant to these. Special foods are available to boost the healing of the gut, such as Hill’s I/D and Z/D. Anti-diarrhoea pastes contain special minerals that firm up the stool and help reduce the symptoms. Good bacteria and their food will help the gut function return to normal. The final diagnosis of food intolerance is usually achieved by doing a strict diet with a special food for 6-8 weeks.

Once the offending food substance has been identified, a diet that does not contain it is chosen. Today, there are several hypoallergenic diets available from your veterinarian that can be fed for the rest of your dog's life. There are three types of hypoallergenic diets: Veterinary hydrolyzed protein diet, in which the protein molecules are broken down to a size too small to be recognized by your dog’s immune system. Veterinary novel protein diet that does not contain any products that were present in your dog’s previous foods. Home-prepared novel protein diet that does not contain any ingredients that were present in your dog’s previous diets. Your veterinarian will prescribe the best option specific to your dog’s needs. The best and most accurate method of diagnosing a food allergy is to feed a hypoallergenic diet for 8 to 12 weeks as a food trial, called an elimination trial. If your dog's allergy symptoms resolve with the food trial and return within one week of a food challenge, your dog has been definitively diagnosed with a food allergy. There is no cure for food allergies in dogs. The only treatment is avoidance. Some dogs will require medication during severe episodes, but most pets can be successfully treated with a hypoallergenic diet.