Adverse food reactions in pets – what is it and how to react?
Like humans, our pets may experience adverse reactions to some food or ingredients. Whether we give them dry food or raw meat, there is always a risk that the food will not suit our pets, perhaps simply because they cannot digest it. How to recognize adverse food reactions and how to prevent them? That's what we asked veterinarian Veronica Leisuková.
What can cause adverse food reactions in pets?
The term adverse food reaction is quite broad. Most commonly, it includes two problems, namely food allergies and food intolerance. In food allergies, the cause of the problem is immunological, known as hypersensitivity. In food intolerance, the problem is not immunological. Clinically, however, both conditions are indistinguishable and are dealt with the same way.
What are the symptoms of such adverse food reactions?
The most common symptoms are gastroenterological or dermatological. In the long term, affected animals may suffer from limited growth, weight loss and poor health, and tire more easily. They may suffer from vomiting or diarrhoea, increased defecation frequency, flatulence and meteorism. Of the dermatological difficulties spectrum, the most common clinical symptom is itchiness, which is typically unseasonal. It occurs all year round, mainly on the head, between the fingers, around the anus, and in the armpits. Patients also suffer from pyotraumatic dermatitis (i.e. hot-spots), impaired coat quality, hair loss, various skin defects, and often even from yeast inflammations of the external ear canal.
As for allergies, are these congenital reactions or do pets acquire them during life?
Patients can be born with a congenital predisposition, most commonly known in different breeds (e.g. WHWT, German Shepherds, Labradors and Retrievers, as well as many others), but allergic symptoms and what raw materials animals are allergic to develop only during life. Problems may occur both at an early age as well as in geriatric patients.
How can such allergies be treated? Is there any way to fight them?
To combat food allergies, there are special feeds designed and produced for that purpose by animal food producers. There is also a special elimination diet, prepared for the animal by the owner. Dry and wet food contains hypoallergenic materials, and in order for the diet to work properly, the proteins in the food should be hydrolysed. Hydrolysation breaks down the individual components that do not irritate the immune system in the digestive tract and reduce or completely suppress the development of adverse food reactions.
You mentioned an elimination diet, what does it involve?
Any pet owner can prepare an elimination diet in the form of raw or cooked food. The diet involves at least six weeks of serving of one type of animal protein, and the effects are evaluated at the earliest in six weeks. This is how long it may take for the allergens from the previously served food to leave the body. After this period, if the source of the animal protein is suitable, a plant component – such as rice – can be added for six weeks, and the diet can be evaluated again. Whichever version of the diet you serve to your dog, make sure that during the time, the dog eats only this food, with no added goodies or treats that could hinder your efforts. Giving your dog “off-the-table” food for humans is completely out of the question.
Are there any food allergies that occur in animals more often than in the past? Is there any component that animals are more sensitive to than they used to be?
The question is how do we know, and from what we can ascertain, that animals suffer from something more than before. Science is constantly developing and moving forward, and we, veterinarians, need to continuously educate ourselves. In the past, patients with food allergies were often mistaken for primarily gastroenterological or dermatological patients, and therefore, food allergies may have been underdiagnosed, despite most likely being here. Currently, the most common allergens are components widely used for the production of animal food. This includes beef protein, milk protein, chicken protein. Of plant raw materials, this includes soy, wheat, corn and barley.
Kitten Lady describes her activities as kittens’ advocacy and humane education. This all is done by young beautiful Hannah Shaw. She’s a kitten rescuer, spreads the principles of humanity and is an unwavering advocate of animal rights. She decided to...
Several kinds of hedgehog are kept as pets. The most common one is the four-toed hedgehog or an African pygmy hedgehog in other words. This pet which is not very common but is becoming more and more popular can live up to 9 years in captivity and...
More than one artist fell in love with these creatures and looked for inspiration for work in them. One of them was Ernest Hemingway. He is the author of the well-known saying “One cat just leads to another”. He really kept a large number of cats (in...
We have an active and healthy lifestyle. Or at least we try to have. In relation to that, we don’t only think about our own food but also about our dogs’ food. The trend of barfing has already come to the Czech Republic, too. It is a method of feeding...
If you go camping for the first time, it is good to prepare for all various reactions of your furry friend. Do you travel with it by car and by public transport with no problems? Is your dog okay when not sleeping at home, e.g. in a mountain cabin? It...
As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which...
Let us get this straight, what is monoprotein food? It is wet food (i.e. cans and pouches) which contains only one type of meat, muscles and bowels. And why is it better than common wet food?
A meat bomb in a form of a dog paté or can doesn’t have to be only a reward. If you are planning to go on a long hike – to the mountains or to the valley – you can make the use of a dog meat can. Dogs in move, usually when doing any sport outside, need...
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is...
Runner Dion Leonard could talk for hours about the bond which is created between a man and a dog and also about how an unknown Asian crossbreed dog becomes one of the most famous dogs on planet Earth. He bumped into a dog companion at the ultra-trial...
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with...
Cats can also be heroes and put their lives at risk to save someone from risky or life-threatening situations. The first cat hero I will introduce you to is Scarlett. She showed her heroism in the most natural form – she saved her kittens. She took...