How to tell if a dog is allergic to eggs

Egg Allergy in Dogs: Just How Common Is It?

Egg Allergy in Dogs: Just How Common Is It?

February 23, 2016 By Ben B. 13 Comments

One of the most common questions I see in the forums is about allergies. And of those questions, an egg allergy comes up quite often. Whether its found in food or given as a treat, many owners ask questions like could my dog have an egg allergy? and are egg allergies a thing with dogs?. Generally speaking, these questions are asked by owners whose dogs are showing signs of food allergies.

Egg Allergy A Common Offender

So lets get into eggs and allergies. Ive written many articles about food allergies in dogs. Ive also written articles on sensitive and/or inflamed skin. If youve read these, youve noticed that theyre often intertwined. Thats because while environmental allergies can cause skin irritation, so can food allergies. Allergies to eggs are one of the most common offenders in dogs. Take note, that not all dogs are allergic to anything, and not all dogs with allergies are allergic to eggs. Unfortunately, if your dog has food allergies, it is likely to have an egg allergy as one of those offenders.

Common Allergens in Dog Food

• Egg
• Beef
• Dairy
• Wheat
• Chicken
• Gluten
• Grains

Youll notice that there are several ingredients listed above on my list of common allergy offenders in dogs. Thats what makes it so difficult to determine if your dog has an egg allergy. All of these ingredients are commonly found in mass marketed dog foods, and the worst quality of these ingredients is found in bargain basement foods.

Eliminating the Allergen

If your dog is experience irritated, inflamed skin and ears, scratching and licking excessively, or has an oily or extremely dry coat, he might have food allergies. Its important to take him to the vet right away to get to the bottom of it. Food allergies are a source of great discomfort in dogs, so its critical to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

The first step in resolving food allergies is determining if your dog has them. Thats where the vet comes in. Your vet will be able to determine if your dogs skin condition is related to a food allergy or to something else. It could be a number of things.

If you do, in fact, come to the conclusion that your dog has a food allergy, the first thing youll want to do is limit the most common allergic offenders. When it comes to food allergies, youre not trying to find which of the common offenders your dog isnt allergic to. Rather, youre trying to eliminate all potential allergens. That means doing away with everything on the list, including eggs. That way, you eliminate any potential allergens including an egg allergy.

An Egg Allergy is Easily Remedied

If you find that your dog has a food allergy, its easy to remove a potential egg allergy or any other allergen from his food. You just take away all the common offenders and work from there. Youll look for foods with carb sources like potato or brown rice. After that, youll look for protein sources such as fish. This eliminates the potential for any sort of allergic reaction, egg allergy or otherwise.

Have you ever dealt with egg allergies in your dog? What type of food did you use to get around it? Tell us your experiences in the comments!

• A former Veterinary Assistant at Southwest Animal Care Hospital, Ben is an animal lover, blogger, and all-around geek. Along with writing for DogVills, Ben runs his own virtual assistant company, BizzyBim.

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Top 7 Signs of Egg Allergy in Dogs

Just like humans, dogs can suffer from allergies, and one of the most common triggers is eggs. Its estimated that around 3% of all dogs suffer from egg allergy! Eggs can trigger a range of different symptoms in dogs, from mild irritation to anaphylactic shock. The reason why eggs may cause allergies in dogs is because of a compound called ovalbumin, which is very similar in structure to the protein in the saliva of dogs and human skin. Ovalbumin (egg white protein) triggers an immune reaction in dogs, causing them to develop antibodies. These antibodies are then free to react with other proteins that appear similar to ovalbumin, such as those found in the skin or fur of your dog. When this happens, the dog may become allergic to eggs, and develop symptoms of allergy. In some cases, dogs with egg allergies can develop continuous skin problems or hair coat changes. Here are top 7 signs of egg allergy in dogs.

1. Excessive scratching or biting at the skin

If your dog experiences a persistent allergic reaction to eggs, it will begin to suffer from an itchy skin condition. This can be noticed by excessive scratching of the skin, sometimes accompanied by hair loss and an overgrowth of any particular type of hair. The skin problems may also lead to hot spots, which are areas of redness and skin inflammation (scratches). In other extreme cases, egg protein can build up in the ears and cause your dog to suffer from recurrent ear infections. This may be accompanied by a discharge from the ear, irritation, and shaking of the head. An egg allergy may also cause your dog to develop allergic dermatitis, which is skin inflammation with a reddening or rash-like appearance affecting parts of the body.

2. Hot spots

Another symptom that could be a sign of egg allergy is hot spots. These are areas of inflamed skin on your dogs head, neck, chest, and legs. Hot spots will be noticeably swollen and may be accompanied by hair loss, itchiness, and a red or pink appearance to the skin. The skin will also appear hot to the touch. Hot spots can also be caused by an inflamed lymph node, which is a tiny pink bundle of fluid near the skin. Hot spots may occur due to irritation and inflammation in the glands that produce oil in your dogs skin.

3. Recurrent ear infections

An egg allergy can also cause your dog to suffer from recurrent ear infections. This is because the allergy can cause your dogs immune system to produce antibodies that attack your dogs ear tissue. These antibodies will react with other proteins in the environment, such as those found in dust. The result is that your dogs immune system will attempt to neutralize the allergen using the same mechanism it uses when it attacks bacteria to fight off infection. Woof! This can cause the ear canals of your dog to become blocked and infected, which results in recurrent ear infections.

4. Diarrhea

If your dog suffers from an egg allergy you may notice that it is often troubled by gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea. This could be due to the fact that some dogs are allergic to eggs even when they are consumed in their natural form. Sometimes, the dogs immune system describes egg white protein as harmful and reacts by producing histamines to neutralize this threat. The result is that your dogs digestive system becomes inflamed and watery. In severe cases, egg allergy could also trigger anaphylactic shock, which is a whole body response to allergens. This is a life-threatening allergic reaction and dogs can die within minutes of going into shock.

5. Vomiting

Another gastrointestinal symptom that could indicate a dog has an egg allergy is vomiting. This may be accompanied by diarrhea, abdominal pain, and difficulty moving around. Vomiting can be caused by the effects of histamine on the stomach and intestines. In severe cases, egg allergy can cause vomiting and diarrhea to become chronic. The symptoms will gradually worsen and the dog could ultimately suffer from vomiting and diarrhea for hours, days, and even weeks. Vomiting and diarrhea may even be continuous and occur on a daily basis.

6. Hives

Hives are another symptom that could indicate your dog has an egg allergy. These are often accompanied by itchiness, dry patches of skin, and redness or swelling of the muzzle, face, and lips. Hives could also be caused by an overactive immune system, instead of an allergic reaction. This can occur when the dog is coming into contact with food containing eggs or other allergens. Hives may even develop in areas of the body which are not exposed to these allergens. The hair coat of your dog may also change and become dry and brittle. In some cases, the hair on the back of the dog may grow in an unusual pattern, such as a mohawk shape. The hair may also stand on end and develop a raised appearance.

7. Diaper rash

If your young dog is suffering from an egg allergy, you may also notice that it has developed a diaper rash. Diaper rash occurs as a result of skin irritation in the area where a dogs hind legs meet its body. This is due to a combination of moisture, mechanical irritation, friction, and bacterial infection. The area may become red, irritated, and inflamed. This will be accompanied by your dog licking at the area and chewing the fur. The skin in this area may even start to ooze. This may expose the dog to secondary infections.

If you notice your dog scratching excessively and biting at its skin, then it could be a sign of egg allergy. Your dog may also develop hot spots, recurrent ear infections, vomiting, or diarrhea. If you notice these symptoms in your dog then talk to your vet about an allergy test. You should also withdraw the dog from its diet and avoid the egg protein in its environment as this could be triggering an allergic reaction.

Can Dogs Be Allergic to Eggs? (Vet Answer)

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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Immune systems like to keep us on our toes, occasionally picking something that we are exposed to and saying, Hey, you there, intruder! Im going to fight you!

And unfortunately for our canine companions, allergies do not just favor humans.

Eggs are one of the more common food allergens in dogs, alongside chicken, beef, dairy, soy, and wheat. While food allergies are relatively uncommon in dogs, affecting only 1% of the population,¹ the clinical signs can be incredibly frustrating. On the other (and more positive hand), diagnosis and treatment are rewarding.

Read on to learn more about egg allergies in dogs and what you can do if you suspect your dog is suffering from it.

What Is Egg Allergy in Dogs?

Food allergies, independent of the specific allergy, are all a result of the immune system overreacting to the substance and mounting an immune response in defense to it.

In an egg allergy, the body will mount antibodies to a specific component of the egg (usually the proteins in the egg yolk), treating it as a foreign substance that they must protect the body against. Since it takes time for the body to form this response, it is not uncommon for food allergies to manifest after your dog has eaten the same food for a prolonged period.

This means that if your dog was once previously okay with eating eggs, they could still develop an allergy to them, even after years.

Food allergies make up 515% of the total number of dogs that suffer from skin disorders, so it is important to rule out other causes of skin disease too with your veterinarian.

Signs of Egg Allergy in Dogs

The most common clinical sign of egg allergy in dogs is itching, or pruritis. Unlike perhaps the more common environmental allergies, food allergies in dogs are mostly continuously present and do not fluctuate with the seasons.

The itching is normally generalized across their whole body but, in some cases, can include more localized itching around the face, paws, and ears. Occasionally, repeated and chronic ear infections that recur despite treatment may be the only signs of food allergy in dogs.

Dogs with egg allergy may also show gastrointestinal signs, such as waxing and waning vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and abdominal pain.

How Are Food Allergies Diagnosed?

Food allergies, and more specifically egg allergy, are one of many potential diagnoses for dogs displaying any skin or gastrointestinal signs. Therefore, veterinarians normally take a wide-lensed approach when searching for an allergy diagnosis. They will take your pets history into account with their clinical signs and proceed with several diagnostic tests.

These tests include:

• Close examination of the skin and ears
• Skin scrapes and smears to rule out parasites such as mites and lice
• Closely evaluate the skin cells for any signs of fungal or bacterial infection.
• Blood analysis to test for allergens
• Abdominal imaging such as ultrasound and X-ray if there are any gastrointestinal signs.
• Food elimination trials

Treatment of Egg Allergy in Dogs

Usually, in the treatment process, dogs with sore and itchy skin are treated with a combination of antibiotics, immunosuppressive medication (such as steroids or other allergy medication designed to reduce itching, including oclacitinib or cytopoint), and antihistamines.

If this treatment resolves the clinical signs of the allergy, and your dog is still eating their ordinary diet, then food allergy as a final diagnosis becomes less likely.

However, if the clinical signs dont resolve, then the next step of the treatment is a food trial, as discussed below.

What Is a Food Trial?

Food trials are a prolonged process of intensive dietary elimination. For a specified period (usually about 612 weeks), your dog is put on an elimination diet. It is the hope that if your dog has a food allergy, the clinical signs will resolve without any other treatment.

The next step of this process is to reintroduce the original diet, or individual foods, to observe if the signs of allergy (such as itching, vomiting, or diarrhea) return. If your dog has an egg allergy, the reintroduction of eggs into your dogs diet will cause them to have a relapse of clinical signs, usually within 12 weeks.

It is extremely important that for the duration of the food trial, you feed your dog ONLY the specified food for that time. This means that they cannot have any treats, snacks, or scraps from your plate, and many owners find this difficult if their dogs daily routine is governed by their snack times (and we all know just how clockwork our canine companions are when it comes to their food!).

The specific diet will be agreed upon by your individual veterinarian. Most commonly, your veterinarian will recommend that your dog goes on a hydrolyzed diet. These diets break down the proteins in the food so that they are too small for the immune system to recognize and react to them. Depending on the diet chosen, some are also suitable for long-term feeding, so if your dog has an excellent response to the diet change, they can remain on it long-term.

Final Thoughts

While egg allergies are relatively uncommon in dogs, diagnosis and treatment yield satisfying results. Getting to the bottom of the specific allergy can be a challenging and time-consuming process for a dog owner, so a certain amount of dedication is required.

However, since allergies are a lifelong condition, the payoff is tremendous. Having an open and honest relationship with your veterinarian, in which you can work together well with the common goal of giving your dog the most comfortable and happy life possible, will help improve the outcome for your pet.

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