Can food cause an allergy, runny eyes in dogs?

My dog has been having a problem lately with running eyes a crustiness in the corner of one eye. Took him to the vet and he got a shot and some eye cream. This morning i noticed that while the swelling had gone down in one eye, it had starting in the other eye.

My dog is basically an indoor dog, but we do live near lots of pollen. Could it be the pollen or possibly something else (like a food allergy- he is currently on IAMS mini chuncks which has recently changed their formula).

Food allergies are typically skin related, like they'll develop hives, swollen noses, I've only ever seen one dog get watery eyes from a food allergy.

Most food allergies are based on corn, which is a common ingredient in commercial dog food, including Iams. I would switch to a corn free holistic dog food. (Maxximum, Timber Wolf, Orijen.)

The eye watering could be a problem because she's a smaller dog, many dogs have over-active tear ducts, which causes watering and tear stains (poodles, yorkies, chi's, malti's).

Pollen could very well be your problem. Change the air filter in your home, so it will catch more unwanted air debris, keep windows closed (if you can help it), vacuum more often, bathe your dog more often too (pollen sticks to dogs fur, and when they scratch or lick, its released back into the air for them to breathe in). I don't know if your weather station has this, but many places have allergy watches for how high of a pollen index there is, so you could keep her outside for shorter periods of time when there is a highter percentage of pollen.

Talk to your vet about allergen medication for your dog, here is a site with TONS of info on dog allergies which may help you out:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...

Food can definitely cause allergies in dogs. The top 3 culprits are wheat, beef and dairy products, but there are also quite a few others, including corn and chicken. Signs include scratching, rubbing the eyes or ears, rashes and other symptoms.

Look for a high quality dog food that is all natural and has limited ingredients. A lamb and rice formula or a fish and potato formula are often good choices. The less ingredients a food has in it, the less likely there will be an allergic reaction.

Try switching foods, but do it gradually over the course of a week, blending the foods together until you are feeding the new food by itself. It will take a few weeks to tell if the new food does the trick.

In the meantime, let the vet know what is going on. You may need more eye cream or it could be something other than an allergy. Good luck!

Yes, it could be an allergy but more likely it is an infection in the eyes. Give the medicine 3-4 days to work, and if it doesn't clear up you may have to get your dog checked for other possible eye problems ( tear duct not working properly, eye muscle trouble). If it was a food allergy your dog would have stomach problems.

yes... and IAMS has not been a good food for a long time.. it contains some of the known allergy causers

read this link
http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/What-is-in-...
it will point out all the problem ingredients.. you will not find ANY good food in grocery store

you have to go to an independant store (not big box store), groomer, or livestock feed store.. in fact that is the cheapest place to get good food...

read the link !!

It could be seasonal allergies, I get antihistamines for my Lab when her allergies flare up.
She suffers from a dust allergy and also seasonal allergies, which cause her to have runny eyes, the antihistamines do help control it.