By Dr. I Elizabeth Borgmann.Why does it seem that so many pets have food allergies? It’s not that food allergies are so prevalent, but rather that you are hearing about them. As people become more aware of food sensitivities in people, so they become more aware of them in pets. They exist, but are not as rampant as you may think. Implying that the allergies are rampant and that certain foods are ‘bad’ is great for business – for the pet food industry.

So, how do you know if it is hype or real? Ask your veterinarian. But first, let’s try to answer some of the food allergy questions here. How do food sensitivities show up in pets? They show up either as skin issues or gastrointestinal issues.

Pets with skin signs will have increased itching and be more prone to secondary infections. The single most common sign of food allergies or sensitivities is recurrent ear infections combined with paw licking. Now, that is not to say that all ear infections are due to food allergies, or that all paw licking is due to food allergies….but 25 percdent are! Just imagine. One out of four dogs could be free of recurrent ear infections and obsessive foot licking with diet modification! But remember, a dog can be itchy for many other reasons (and a poor quality diet can be to blame, rather than the protein and carbohydrate within that diet). So is the diet the problem (poor quality) or the protein/carbohydrate source (an allergy)?

Gastrointestinal food allergies or sensitivities show up as increased flatulence, intermittent soft stool, chronic vomiting, loud intestinal sounds, belching and bad breath. The focus of this series of articles is skin, but you need to be aware that other areas of the body can be affected by food allergies. And the same applies here….are the signs present because the food is of poor quality or is it due to the protein/carbohydrate source?

If your vet suspects a food allergy or sensitivity, how do you test for that? Here comes the hard part…the food allergy trial. Now, I say the hard part, because most people have a soft spot for their pets. Putting pets on a strict diet is not easy! Your pet will either be put on a prepared hypo-allergenic diet or on a home cooked diet for at least two months to see if it makes a difference. But here is where some of the frustration comes into play. The first food you try might not work. And if a single morsel of a different food is consumed by your pet during the trial you have to start over again.

What types of hypoallergenic diets are there?

These basically fall into two categories: unique proteins and carbohydrates; and hydrolyzed diets.

The unique protein/carbohydrate category has been the old standby but the veterinary field has run into some problems here. That problem is the drift of most of these ‘novel’ proteins into the regular pet food market. Originally, we had the lamb and rice diet. But for some reason, it became perceived that this must be a better diet because vets were prescribing it. So it entered the pet food market. The same happened with…rabbit…venison…fish…bison…Now what sort of unique protein do we have? The most popular with many dermatologists is Kangaroo and Oats. Because that is all that there is left! It’s not that the protein or carbohydrate is better; it’s that it is different!

Because of the loss of so many unique proteins from the veterinary arsenal we have had to move to hydrolyzed diets. This technology is very effective but very expensive. It involves using foods where the protein and/or carbohydrate have been broken down so small that the immune system can’t recognize it. This is what they do with baby formula.
Sometimes, the sensitivity is to the pet food additives and you need to make a simple (but imbalanced) short term diet involving only one protein and one carbohydrate. This is for short term testing purposes and is very imbalanced.

You can see why it can be difficult to get the right food first time! Novel protein? Novel carbohydrate? Hydrolyzed? Prepared commercial? Home cooked?
Once you and your vet have chosen a test food, you & your pet need to stick with it for at least 2 months. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, can pass those lips of your pet for 2 long hard months. This can be extremely challenging! Is everyone in the family on board with this food allergy trial? Can you prevent your pet from snarfing down a snack on a walk?

Is it working?

If yes, it now becomes time to test the food. You need to reintroduce the original food and see if the clinical signs return. If yes, remove the food and repeat the food allergy trial. Now that is the theory and the right way to do it. But in reality, most people do not want to risk subjecting their pet to the same sort of discomfort they were experiencing before and this step of conformation of food allergies is not performed. That’s ok. If the clinical signs were suspicious for food allergies, and the food allergy trial helped make the pet comfortable, then chances are it was a food allergy.

If you were on a limited home cooked diet of one protein and one carbohydrate, you start another challenge – finding a balanced commercially prepared quality diet to which your pet does not react. Patience is in order!
What if your pet doesn’t have food allergies? Can you pave an easier path for the future? Remember, for most pets, chicken is fine, corn is fine, wheat is fine, beef is fine….These foods are only an issue for a very small group of pets.

How can you make it easier for your vet and your pet….just in case they may be one of those breeds that are heading towards allergies? Keep your pet on a basic chicken and wheat or corn diet. If a problem develops, then you can switch to lamb and rice or fish and potato. Don’t go hopping between protein and carbohydrate sources or you have nothing inexpensive to turn to if (and I do mean if) your pet develops allergies.

If your pet does develop food allergies, be patient. The answers take time.
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Dr. Borgmann has been practicing in the Fraser Valley for over 11 years and can be reached at the Whatcom Road Veterinary Clinic