Food allergy in pets
Food allergy is a common concern for pet owners, however, true
food allergy is not very common in dogs and cats, and is a condition
that is frequently over-diagnosed by veterinarians.
Food allergies account for only 10% of all pet allergies.
Flea allergy and environmental allergies (called atopy) are a much more
common cause of itchiness and skin problems in pets. Pets are often
misdiagnosed with food allergy when what they really have is food
intolerance. This is an important distinction to make. Food allergy is
a TRUE allergy and a pet shows characteristic symptoms such as severe
itching, hives, skin breakouts, etc. Food intolerance often causes
vomiting and diarrhea and does NOT create a typical allergic response.
However, whenever a pet experiences vomiting or diarrhea from a food,
owners and veterinarians alike are quick to blame "food allergy".
Common food allergies: Real food
allergies can strike at any age and can develop to any protein or
carbohydrate in a pets food. The most common food allergens in dogs are
beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn and soy. The
most common food allergens in cats are fish, beef and dairy. You will
note that these foods are the most common ingredients in standard pet
foods. Therefore, these are the foods that pets are exposed to most
frequently in their everyday meals. However, in order for a pet to
develop a true allergy, they must not only have this chronic exposure,
they must also have the genetic profile to develop an allergy.
For example, most pets eat combinations of the above
ingredients EVERY MEAL, EVERY DAY, yet very few pets develop true food
allergies. Again, I stress, this is not a very common condition.
Adverse food reactions, however, are very common and it is hard to
predict which pet will react badly to what component of a food. We know
pets may react to artificial dyes, preservatives and additives in food
(not to mention the gross rendered stuff)....so these are best avoided
by the use of natural pet foods.
Symptoms of food allergies: Common
symptoms of food allergy include itching of the face, feet, sides of the
body, legs and anal area. These pets will often have yeast ear
infections and skin infections that respond to antibiotics, but recur as
soon as the treatment is finished. Some pets with food allergy will
also have increased bowel movements and soft stool. Again, food
allergies should not be confused with food intolerances which generally
cause more severe vomiting and diarrhea.
Diagnosis of food allergies: If you
suspect your pet may have food allergies, contact your veterinarian. The
only way to truly diagnose a food allergy is to perform a food trial
with your pet. Other forms of allergy testing, such as blood and skin
tests, are not reliable for diagnosing food allergy. Although you will
get results from these tests, they don't accurately correlate with food
allergies present in either the dog or cat and are NOT recommended by
board-certified dermatologists at this time.
For accurate diagnosis, a food trial should be
performed using unique (novel) protein and carbohydrate foods to avoid
possible allergens to which your pet has previously been exposed in
order to "cleanse" their system of potential allergens. The “gold
standard” of food trials is the home-cooked diet. The advantage of a
home-cooked diet is that it is free of preservatives and other additives
which can also cause allergy or intolerance in pets. Common recipes
recommended include protein sources such as venison, rabbit, ostrich,
buffalo, or pinto beans. Some veterinarians recommend the use of
commercial hypoallergenic diets or hydrolyzed diets in which the protein
source is broken down into smaller proteins so they are less
allergenic. It is important to keep in mind that these smaller proteins
may still be allergenic for some pets and may result in food trial
failure. While many pets respond favorably to these options, some pets
will not have the response they will on a home-cooked diet.
The diet trial must be conducted for 8 to 12
weeks before it can be considered successful or unsuccessful. During
this time, your pet must ONLY eat the prescribed food—no table food,
scraps, treats, vitamins or chewable medications (even heartworm pills)
can be given during a diet trial. If a positive response is seen after
this trial, your veterinarian will advise you on how to proceed.
Treatment of food allergies: Treatment
of food allergies is simple…once the offending ingredients are
identified, they must be avoided. As a note of caution, some pets may
develop new food allergies in 1 to 3 years, so if a flare-up of
itchiness occurs, a new food trial may be warranted. If you were
feeding a home-cooked diet during the food trial and wish to continue,
make sure you work with your veterinarian and a nutritionist to balance
it specifically for your pets needs. Otherwise, work with your
veterinarian to select a natural diet that will work best for your pet.
Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM,is a
renowned, board-certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist who
has practiced at the Animal Medical Center in New York City and other
leading institutions. She is an active member of the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical
Association. Dr. Donna has written and lectured extensively on topics
including nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, kidney
failure and respiratory disease. She is widely recognized for her role
as consulting veterinarian to HALO, Purely for Pets, her TV appearances
with Ellen DeGeneres and her widely-quoted pet health advice in print
and on radio. Dr. Donna performs medical, nutrition and weight loss
consultations for dogs and cats through her web-based veterinary
consulting service,
www.SpectorDVM.com.
