Food Allergies and Doing a Strict Food Trial

Food AllergiesAnd Doing aStrict Food Trial

A food allergy is an abnormal immune reaction to food that may cause your pet to lick, chew, or scratch at their paws, skin, or ears. Food allergies may be limited to chronic ear infections or can cause full blown skin reactions. Some pets will have gastrointestinal signs such as chronic vomiting, soft stools or diarrhea, excessive gas, or frequent bowel movements. Often the offending ingredient in the food is the protein source (the antigen) that stimulates the immune response.
Appointment

Food Allergies and Doing a Strict Food Trial

Starting a strict food trial is the only method for diagnosing food allergies in dogs and cats. Blood testing and intradermal allergy testing are not reliable methods of diagnosing food allergies and veterinary dermatologists do not recommend their use. Most commercial pet foods contain similar ingredients or may be contaminated during processing and, therefore, are not appropriate to use for food trials. Even pets on grain free, holistic, or “novel protein” diet scan develop food allergies, especially if they have been on the same diet for a long time. Changing the brand of food, or to different proteins within a brand of food, does not typically alter the symptoms. Only a small number of commercially available diets are truly hypoallergenic. Your veterinarian will recommend a specific diet that your animal will eat and it is very important that you follow the guidelines listed below for the best results.

Determining whether a food allergy is responsible for your pet’s skin or ear problems is not easy and requires complete avoidance of everything your pet has previously eaten. Please discontinue all treats, cookies, raw hides, pig ears, people food, flavored Nylabones, vitamin supplements, probiotics, omega fatty acids/fish oil, flavored medications/flavored tablets, medications with capsules (i.e., Glucosamine, Rimadyl chewable tablets, Duralactin, etc.), or access to other pet’s food. Medications should NOT be given with anything else, such as peanut butter, cream cheese, bread, etc. These foods will negate the food trial. Do NOT add broths to the food. Most oral heartworm and flea preventatives are flavored. You must discontinue Heartgard Plus chewable, Interceptor, Comfortis, Trifexis, etc. Alternatives would be Revolution, Advantage Multi, oral Ivermectin, Capstar (for fleas) and Sentinel with the outer flavor-coating washed off.

You may feed pieces of potato (frozen, baked, boiled — without flavorings or sauces except a small amount of salt), Serenegy treats (potato), meat balls of the recommended canned food, or meat specific to the diet (i.e., cooked rabbit, duck, venison, or fish) as treats, or for giving medications.

The food trial should be conducted for 8 – 12 weeks. About 80% of patients have some response by 8 weeks. Some breeds, especially Labrador Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels, take longer than 8 weeks to respond. To start the food trial and reduce potential gastrointestinal upset, you should gradually wean from your pet’s original diet to the hypoallergenic diet over the course of a week using the following guideline:

Old Diet

New Diet

Day 1

75%

25%

Day 2

75%

25%

Day 3

50%

50%

Day 4

50%

50%

Day 5

25%

75%

Day 6

25%

75%

Day 7

–

100%

It is important that all family members and friends know that your pet is on a special diet. Do not allow access to any food items outside the prescribed diet to maintain compliance.

Please let us know if your pet:

    • Refuses to eat the new diet
    • Has vomiting or diarrhea on the diet
    • Appears to lose weight
    • Goes more than three days without a bowel

movement

Do not hesitate to call us with any questions or concerns during your pet’s food trial. Schedule a recheck appointment with your veterinarian approximately 8 weeks after fully transitioning your pet to their new diet.

Share This