Is your dog struggling with food allergies? It can be challenging to see them uncomfortable, especially when you’ve changed their food and tried different products but keep finding yourself dealing with the same issues.
When I work with dogs with digestive allergies, I focus on two things: identifying the foods that are triggering their reaction and supporting the digestive system. We also want to help them feel more comfortable while we work through that process.
Let’s walk through how I approach dog food sensitivities, gut support, and the recurring symptoms that often bring people to me for help.
Understanding Food Allergies and Gut Health in Dogs
The first step in addressing your dog’s digestive allergies is looking at what may be contributing to the problem.
One area I focus on is the intestinal lining and a condition commonly called leaky gut.
Here’s a simple breakdown:
- The intestines are naturally a mesh-like consistency that allow certain sized particles to move through into the blood stream, including, vitamin & minerals. Simply put this is how digestion is processed and and nutrients are absorbed.
- When leaky gut develops, which can happen because of a variety of situations like excessive vaccination, certain medications are prescribed, poor food quality, etc., lesions develop in the mesh-like tissue and allow larger particles to seep from the intestines into the blood stream that aren't suppose to be there. This is where the term "leaky gut" comes from.
- When these larger particles enter the blood stream, the body turns on its immune response to try and fight off the "invader". When the immune response is turned on, this is when we see the physical symptoms of rashes, itchy skin, cysts between the toes, ear infections, digestive disturbances and more.
- These symptoms we see as digestive allergies are usually a secondary reaction to leaky gut.
How to Address Your Dog’s Trigger Foods and Support Their Digestion
1. Identify the Foods That Aren’t Working for Your Dog
To address your dog’s trigger foods, we first need a clearer picture of what they’re eating and how they’re responding.
That includes their meals, treats, chews, supplements, and the little extras they get throughout the day.
One tool I have personally used is the 5Strands Pet Food Intolerance Test. I have used this company with my own dog and family, as well as with clients while helping them work through their dogs’ digestive allergies.
With 5Strands, you send in a hair sample and receive a detailed report that groups foods into different levels depending on the level of intensity that the body is responding to each food.
There is controversy on what types of tests are best to use (hair vs blood tests) but from my research and personal experience, we have had the best results from bio-feedback hair tests.
It can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to figure out what your dog can eat. Once you have a clearer understanding of the foods that work for them, it becomes easier to choose appropriate meals - whether that's kibble, raw, dehydrated or fresh.
You can explore the 5Strands Pet Food Intolerance Test here.
If you need support through this process, my 30-Day Personalized Herbal Guidance gives us space to work through your dog’s food, supplements, and routine together.
2. Support Your Dog’s Gut Health
Alongside addressing trigger foods, I focus on supporting the digestive system.
My goals are to:
- Heal the lesions within the intestines
- Calm inflammation through the digestive system
- Repopulate beneficial bacteria to help absorb more nutrients
- Regulate digestion
Our Leaky Gut Reset Powder was formulated with those goals in mind. It combines L-glutamine, probiotics, prebiotics, marshmallow root, and aloe vera.
This powder is intended to be added to your dog’s meals daily. Start with a lower amount and gradually increase according to the product directions and your dog’s tolerance.
When introducing probiotics for dogs with digestive issues, more isn’t always better right away. Some dogs develop gas or digestive discomfort when a new supplement is introduced too quickly.
If that happens, simply reduce the amount fed for a few days and slowly increase. Discomfort isn’t something you need to push through.
For dogs with longstanding digestive issues, I often approach gut support as a longer process. Some of the dogs I work with need support for six months or more, but the plan should follow the individual dog and how they’re responding.
True healing doesn’t happen overnight.
Supporting Your Dog’s Recurring Ear, Yeast & Skin Issues
While we work on food and digestive support, we also want to help your dog feel more comfortable.
These are some of the concerns I commonly help clients work through alongside their dogs’ digestive issues.
Recurring Ear Problems and Brown Debris
Are you cleaning your dog’s ears only to have the brown debris come right back?
That recurring pattern is frustrating. Cleaning can remove what you see, but it may not address what’s causing the problem to return.
Signs of ear irritation can include:
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Shaking their head.
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Scratching around their ears.
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Redness or discomfort.
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Recurring discharge or brown debris.
Our Holistic Dog Ear Wash is designed to help loosen and remove ear debris while also being an antibacterial and antifungal to help kill off the overgrowth within the ear.
When ear issues keep returning, I also look at the bigger picture, including learning about their trigger foods and supporting their digestive system through products like Leaky Gut Reset Powder.
Candida and Yeast Overgrowth in Dogs
Yeast concerns are another reason people come to me while working through their dogs’ food sensitivities.
In my approach to yeast support, I think about both addressing the overgrowth and supporting the body through the process.
When we use herbs to fight off yeast, we need a two part system: kill system & flush system. There are herbs that can be beneficial for this process but my favorite system is using yeast fighting enzymes instead. My preferred products is Candi-Gone Enzymes. Enzymes help to break down the outer protective layer of the yeast and help the body rid it, meaning, enzymes are used as a two-part system in and of itself.
Candi-Gone is the enzyme supplement intended for yeast support. It comes in capsules, which can be:
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Given directly if your dog will take a capsule.
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Wrapped in a tiny amount of a food they tolerate.
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Opened and mixed into a small amount of a liquidy food - like yogurt or apple sauce.
When feeding Candi-Gone Enzymes, we want to feed them on an empty stomach or they will help digest the food, instead of their intended use of killing and flushing the yeast. This is why we can feed them with a tiny bit of food, but not with their meal.
As with the other products in this routine, I consider Candi-Gone alongside food and digestive support.
Hot Spots and Moist, Irritated Skin
Hot spots are localized areas of inflamed skin that can look red, wet, and uncomfortable. Dogs may lick or scratch them, which can make the irritation worse.
With a wet, moist hot spot, I avoid adding a heavy salve or balm that traps more moisture against the skin. My approach focuses on keeping the area clean, adding a antimicrobial solution to it and helping it dry.
Furbal Remedies Cool & Dry Spray is the perfect solution to calm the inflammation, cool the heat from the hot spot, dry out and heal the skin.
Topical care helps us address the affected area while we also look at what may be contributing to the recurring irritation.
Just remember, your dog didn't get to this point with their intolerances over night, so they won't heal over night. This means you need to have patience and understanding that you dog's body is working on truly healing once and for all. We are not covering up symptoms or suppressing the immune system.. we are working on healing your dog from the inside out.
Need Help Working Through Your Dog’s Food Intolerances?
If you’re looking at food ingredients, supplements, and recurring symptoms and don’t know where to start, you don’t have to figure it all out alone.
My 30-Day Personalized Herbal Guidance gives you one-on-one support as we work through your dog’s needs and build a manageable routine.
We can look at what you’re feeding, the concerns you’re seeing, and how to bring food and herbal support together, with room for questions and adjustments along the way.
Explore 30-Day Personalized Herbal Guidance here.
You got this!
