Both dogs and cats can have allergic reactions to certain ingredients in their food. This causes the immune system to overreact to certain ingredients in the food. Between 1 and 5% of all allergic skin diseases in dogs are caused by food allergies. Animals of all breeds and ages are affected. As in humans, an increase in allergies can also be observed in dogs and cats.
Feed allergies are triggered by certain proteins in the feed to which the body's cells react with an excessive immune response, causing damage to the body's own tissue. Feed allergies must be distinguished from feed intolerances, which do not involve the immune system. In this case, the animal cannot tolerate certain feed components due to a lack of digestive enzymes or damage to the stomach or intestinal mucosa and reacts with gastrointestinal symptoms such as cramps, vomiting, or diarrhea. A feed intolerance can disappear after a certain period of time due to changed conditions.
In most cases, animals react to one or two components of the feed, and much less frequently to three to five or more. The most common feed allergens (= allergy-triggering substances) include meat types such as beef, chicken, or pork, but dairy products, eggs, soy, and yeast can also trigger allergies. Even a small amount of the ingredient in a small treat or supplement is enough to trigger a reaction. In some cases, feed mites, which can infest dry feed during both production and storage, can also cause allergies.
A food allergy can manifest itself in symptoms affecting the skin or digestive system. The majority of animals suffering from a food allergy display typical skin symptoms such as itching, which occurs regardless of the season on the face, paws, under the armpits and in the groin area, resulting in hair loss, redness and skin lesions. As the condition progresses, inflammatory skin changes can develop, which often become infected with bacteria. Ear infections can also be a symptom of a food allergy.
Approximately a quarter of all affected animals show gastrointestinal symptoms. The most common symptoms include vomiting, salivation, grass eating, belching, diarrhea, and increased stool production. The symptoms are caused by inflammatory changes in the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to insufficient nutrient absorption and, in the worst case, chronic gastrointestinal inflammation (IBD).
Diagnosing a food allergy is not easy for a veterinarian, as skin changes and itching in particular occur in a similar way in many other allergic diseases. A thorough general examination and your detailed preliminary report on the onset and extent of the symptoms, your pet's current diet and any changes to it will provide your veterinarian with valuable information for making a diagnosis. A blood count can rule out other diseases and provide indications of an allergic reaction. Specific allergy tests (blood or skin allergy tests) are rarely used in diagnosis as they do not provide reliable results.
The only sure way to prove a food allergy is with an elimination or exclusion diet. This means feeding your dog only one type of meat and one source of carbohydrates for at least six to ten weeks, ideally something they haven't eaten before. If the itching disappears completely after such a diet, a food allergy can be assumed. However, a definitive diagnosis can only be made after a so-called provocation test. For this test, the old food is fed to the dog again. If the itching returns after 14 days at the latest, it was the food that caused the reactions. In order to filter out the ingredient in this food that triggered the allergy, the individual ingredients are gradually added to the exclusion diet.
Once the allergenic food ingredient has been identified, feeding the new low-allergen diet is usually sufficient to make the symptoms disappear. If feed mites are present, the contaminated feed should be disposed of and new feed must be stored in an airtight container to prevent reinfestation.
In cases of severe skin symptoms, local anti-inflammatory ointments, creams, or lotions may be necessary to speed up healing. Your veterinarian will treat secondary bacterial infections with an antibiotic preparation. Severe gastrointestinal symptoms are usually treated with anti-inflammatory and mucous membrane-protecting medications in parallel with the change in diet.
If the new diet is followed and the allergy-triggering ingredients are excluded, there is a very good prognosis that the dog or cat will be able to live symptom-free with this condition.
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