Labrador allergies related to food need some detective work on your part. If your Labrador starts to scratch constantly then you know it is suffering from an allergy. Labradors do shed a lot but if hair starts to fall out in clumps and you see red or exposed skin then you know it has an allergy. The only problem is that all allergies, whether food or contact, manifest in itchy skin. The same way a human might have a runny nose when they are allergic to pollen a dog will have itchy skin when it is allergic to something.

If you vet thinks that it is a food allergy then you should to feed your dog proteins and carbohydrates it has never had and see if the condition improves. If it does then your dog has definitely been suffering from a food allergy. Your vet will then advise you about what foods to avoid and what diet to put your dog on. During the food elimination test you should not give your dog any treats that you usually give it.
Labrador allergies can result from several things including food, environmental allergens, parasites and fleas. All these things can cause your Labrador to break out in hot spots, itchy lesions that appear after your dog has been chewing itself because of severe itchiness. You will be able to recognize the hot spots on your own but the underlying cause for hot spots is harder to find. Your vet will need to do this to give your Labrador care that it needs.

One of the more common causes of Labrador allergies is flea infestation and the vet can easily find out if fleas are the reason your dog has an allergic reaction. Even if your dog is usually inside it may still have fleas that you can bring in from outside. If fleas are not the problem then a skin scraping to determine if a parasitic problem is making your dog ill is the next step. If either of this is not the problem then allergy testing will have to be carried out, this is expensive but may be your only option to finding out what is wrong.
Labrador allergies are manageable once you know what the problem is. If it is an environmental factor then you can eliminate this factor from your home to solve the problem. If the problem is related to pollen then you can keep your dog indoors early in the morning and early in the evening. If your dog loves swimming then make sure to take off its collar and dry your dog as much as possible as soon as it’s out of the water. You should also clean your dog’s ears with a cleaning solution from the vet.

If food is the problem then you should talk to your vet about what foods to cut out. Try not to feed your dog table scraps as some table scraps can cause your dog to have Labrador allergies. Proper Labrador care means avoiding table scraps in your dog’s diet no matter how pleading your dog may look. You should also use anti-flea medications to avoid flea infestations and eliminate constant scratching.

Labrador care becomes easier once you know about Labrador allergies and how to deal with them. Once you read this article about Labrador allergies you will learn how to choose a vet for your Labrador.