Dog Food Allergy

Q. How do I know if my dog is sensitive to certain things like wheat and corn? If he seems fine, do I need to pay attention to that or can I get dog food and treats that are cheaper? Also, does organic matter when it comes to feeding my dog?
A. The most common symptoms of food allergies are: chewing and licking of the feet, chronic ear infections, and scratching/itching.

The most common food ingredients that dogs are allergic to are: corn, wheat and soy.

Even if your dog does not show any allergic symptoms, dogs cannot readily digest corn, wheat or soy. It sits in the stomach and ferments. Sometimes it ferments to the point that it makes the dog nauseous and they throw up a yellow bile. Otherwise the only thing that happens when a dog eats corn, wheat or soy, is that it creates volumes of excess stool.

Corn, wheat and/or soy have relatively no nutritional value for the dog. It is a cheap filler. And remember, most of the lesser quality dog goods only use ingredients that are not fit for human consumption. So it is a useless, low quality ingredient.

Regardless of what you spend on your dry kibble or treats, read your ingredient panels and avoid corn, wheat, soy or any glutens.

As far as “organic”, in most cases organic ingredients are cost prohibitive. Some products have some organic ingredients in them but not all ingredients. At the moment, organic is not as available for our pets as it is for us.


Tina McCain, MDTB/CNWI is the owner MerryMac Dog Training in Woodstock, Georgia. Tina has been successfully training dogs for over 40 years in and around Atlanta including Cobb, Fulton and Cherokee county puppies and dogs. Tina is a Certified Master Dog Educator/Trainer, an NACSW Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI), an AKC Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. MerryMac Dog Training is located at 2485 Towne Lake Parkway | Suite 108 | Woodstock, Georgia 30189. Phone: 770-579-3865.