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I believe my dog has an allergy related to food.

She's 1.5 yrs old, and is an Australian Labradoodle (lab, poodle, cocker & english spaniel mix)

Backstory: she sometimes vomits bile; she will have episodes of rapid snorting and occasional coughing. This has been going on for at least 6 months in cycle. Parasites, kennel cough, etc. all ruled out. The vet thought it might be an overproduction of stomach acid - indigestion. We treated for that (pepcid), which helped some, but did not remove all symptoms. Multiple days in a row, she vomited after consuming a dental treat bone. This leads me to believe that she is actually having an allergic reaction to a food ingredient, which is leading to the above symptoms.

With a potential food allergy, how do I narrow down what it is?

I'll look at the ingredients in the dental treat, but from there how do I determine further.

Additionally, she is a picky eater, refusing to eat some foods (sounds like a cat) and has had these bouts of vomiting etc for the last 6 months or so. Originally, I thought it was due to food, so we tested different foods with her. She would do fine, and then it would start back up again.

Any suggestions or insight would be helpful.

Jason
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3 Answers3

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The usual approach to identifying a non-life-threatening food allergy or intolerance involves experimenting until you see a pattern between what causes a reaction and what doesn't. Or just finding enough that don't and calling that good enough for now.

keshlam
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You should consult with a vet, but the general way to find allergies is to give the dog only one type of meat for a while. Try different types (but only one at a time) and see which he reacts to.

Also, vets can do a blood test to establish some types of allergies. I would start with that before experimenting yourself.

CthulhuKitten
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Dogs can often be allergic to CORN; it may be that what you were feeding her contained that. The dental treat most likely did. A friend has a dog allergic to chicken (which is more rare). It does sound like her finkiness was related to an allergy; my dog does the same thing. The times where I've 'made' him eat something, many times he's vomited afterward. It's like he knows it won't agree with him. Glad that the hamburger and rice are working for her, but I know it would be nice to figure out something a little 'easier.'

The snorting could be what is called 'reverse sneezing.' Certain breeds are prone to it and both my dogs do it occasionally. It's nothing to worry about.

Elisa
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