# Alfalfa allergy?



## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

its completely possible. My Eve has always had external allergies.. but within the last 2 yrs she started itching.. it was unrelated to the inhalant allergens she had as her environment did not have them. I thought it was due to the dry environment but then when we moved down here and she had to be put back on the hypo shots she was retested and it included food panel. By golly she had food allergies now.. to chicken/turkey, barley, eggs, kelp, green peas, carrots and borderline to wheat. It all made sense.. she had a weakened immune system due to her liver issues and at the time I switched her foods she started itching.. Aside from the chicken/turkey, and wheat she has been eating foods and supplements with the other ingredients with no itching for almost 4yrs prior.


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## zyrcona (Jan 9, 2011)

jasperspoo said:


> Has anyone heard of a dog being allergic to alfalfa?


I wouldn't be surprised if one was. Alfalfa (lucerne) is a clover-like plant more usually fed to grazing animals as forage or hay. It's rather a peculiar choice of filler ingredient to add to a dog food. They also seem to be hard to digest for non-ruminant animals, and will turn into farts. >

Additionally, phytoestrogens have been identified in leguminous plants such as clover and lucerne, and eating large quantities of such plants has been linked to infertility and spontaneous abortion in grazing animals. Oestrogens in general are noted to have cancer-promoting or outright carcinogenic properties; whether phytoestrogens of the sort found in clovers and soy are harmful or not is yet to be properly ascertained. It however may be worth avoiding products containing these ingredients where alternatives without are available both for oneself and one's animals until more information comes to light.


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

Yes, alfalfa is a common food allergen for dogs.


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