Food Allergies in Pets

Itchy skin is a common occurrence with food allergies. Skin can become red, have oozing bald patches, rashes and hair loss, all of which are uncomfortable to the animal and can cause aggravation not only to the pet but to the owner as well. Pet foods expose animals to a multitude of ingredients that pose the risk of an allergic reaction that can come about as a gastrointestinal inflammation and other body systems, most commonly the skin. The unforeseen problem occurs because food allergies can take years to develop; this means the animal may have eaten a certain diet for its entire life but it has recently developed clinical signs of an allergy.

If you have an itchy pet, a good place to start is to rule out any other possible problems such as fleas and other mites, such as the mange mite. Immaculate flea control is also an important factor.

If you pet has in fact been diagnosed with a food allergy a good place to start is with their diet. Starting the pet on a hypoallergenic diet for a set period of time and then evaluating their condition; has the itching stopped or gotten worse? If the animal has improved by being fed this diet then the previous diet can be fed for a couple of weeks to see if the symptoms return. If they do then it basically ensures that the animal is indeed allergic to something in the previously fed diet. The animal is then returned to the hypoallergenic diet. They are usually kept on this diet for the rest of their life and as the owner you must remain strict in feeding only the new diet, and their treats must also be hypoallergenic specific treats.

It is important that the pet is kept strictly on the diet, no excess medications, treats or edible chew toys.
If the diet is unsuccessful then and secondary skin infections have been taken care of then it is suggested that there is an inhalant allergy as a primary problem. Some considerations that must be ruled out are; the dog did not receive any other food during the trial? Was sarcoptic mange ruled out? Does your pet require a longer trial?

If diet change doesn’t work it may be an environmental factor that needs to be ruled out, the vet may then suggest a blood test to see where to go from there.

 

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