FOOD ALLERGIES

Facts about food Allergies

• Food allergies are most commonly caused by horse meat, beef, pork, milk, eggs, or fish.  Preservatives, colorings, and flavorings have also been implicated.
• Sympotoms may be seen at any age.
• 70% had been eating the offending food for over 2 years.
• Most animals will not improve by changing to another commercial diet, since the diet is likely to have ingredients in common with the original diet.
• Sympotoms are nonseasonal and often unresponsive to steroids.
• Food allergies may be found concurrently with other allergies.

Clinical Signs

• The primary sign is itching resulting in licking, scratching, chewing, and rubbing.
• 10-15% of affected animals will also have digestive disturbances: vomiting, diarrhea, or excess gas.
• Area involved:  Dogs - ears 80%, paws 61%, stomach 53%, plus in 24% only the ears were affected.  Cats - ears 69%, temples 62%, neck 46%, face 31%.
• Food allergies may be a cause of miliary dermatitis and eosinophilic plaques in cats.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• A hypoallergenic diet trial is the only definitive diagnostic method.  Blood tests and intradermal testing are unreliable.
• Feed only ingredients to which the pet has no prior exposure.  For your pet we recommend: IVD or Hill's D?D (venison).
• Lenth of time for symptoms to disappear:  Dogs - 1-3 weeks 25%, 4-6 weeks 33%, 6-10 weeks 42%.  Cats - 1-3 weeks 31%, 4-6 weeks 54% 7-9 weeks 15%.  Therefore plan on feeding the hypoallergenic diet exclusively for 10 weeks.
• No other food, treats, or supplements must be fed.
• Once your pet is symptom free you may want to add various food ingredients to provide some variety.  Challenge with only one new food or ingredient at a time.  Wait one week before challenging with another food, as it may take up to one week for an allergen to cause symptoms.
• Occasionally a pet will not be able to tolerate any commercial diets.  In this case we will help you to formulate a balanced hypoallergenic diet.