Regarding [#Pet Name], here is some information about Food Allergy
Description:
Food Allergy occurs when your pet becomes sensitized to a particular agent in the food and is complicated by an antibody response, which causes inflammation in the skin or intestinal tract.
Causes:
Certain pets are genetically predisposed to developing food allergies.
Common offending agents (ingredients) are:
Symptoms:
Symptoms of food allergy either appear as itchy skin and recurring ear infections, or as the purely gastrointestinal form showing signs of diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss. Affected pets may have more frequent bowel movements.
Diagnosis:
Elimination diets and food trials may be used to diagnose food allergy, but they need to be strictly adhered to, and require patience, as it may take up to 12 weeks to eliminate all offending food in the GI tract. Blood testing can also be used to screen for food allergies, but ultimately, a food trial is the only way to be sure.
Treatment:
Feeding the successful food trial diet exclusively is the treatment.
Your pet may initially or additionally require anti-allergy medications such as prednisilone.
Care should be taken to avoid flavored medications, chew toys, rawhide, table scraps etc.
Special hypoallergenic treats are available.
