Did you know that animals can have allergies? Don’t believe it? So, let’s figure it out, using cats and dogs as our example.
A 2017 study in BMC Veterinary Research revealed that allergies or food intolerances affect 1 to 2% of all animals with health issues. This can manifest upon contact with household chemicals, cosmetics, pollen, fragrances, animals, insects, and various food components, as well as on humans. Surprisingly, pets can occasionally develop allergies to humans. The symptoms the animal experiences are the same as those we experience when we have allergies to humans.
How to understand that your pet has an allergy (hopefully not to you.
Upon arriving home, you noticed that your furry friend was licking himself in one spot for a long time. At first, you don’t pay much attention to it. But after a couple of days, you notice that the cat has started to noticeably lose fur in the area where it licks. The initial suspicion is that the cat may have fleas or mites, which can come in a variety of forms, so it’s important to exercise caution. We take our furry friend under our arm and head to the veterinary clinic, where they diagnose it as ALLERGY/FOOD ALLERGY. What? How? Where from? Perhaps it was the delicious sausage he snatched from the table yesterday, or perhaps it was the new premium-class food. It’s better to figure it out so we don’t encounter such a problem again in the future.
What is a food allergy in an animal? Essentially, a food allergy in an animal refers to an insufficient immune system response to certain components, primarily proteins, which typically do not result in pathological reactions, especially when kept under control. An animal can develop food allergies at any age, but atopic dermatitis is not what happens before one year. The symptoms, such as bumps, rashes, and itching, remain unresponsive to hormone therapy. In most cases, the condition is accompanied by gastrointestinal problems, and symptoms such as nausea and vomiting are also observed.
In addition to allergies, the body can also develop a condition known as food intolerance, a reaction to components it cannot digest or for which it lacks sufficient additional enzymes for processing. Food intolerance usually occurs immediately upon first exposure to such a component. Don’t confuse it—this is not an immunological reaction, and it does not involve the skin. Food intolerance can lead to symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome, soft stools, or even nausea due to a toxin reaction. In this situation, all you need to do is analyze what has recently been added to the pet’s diet and eliminate it.
Essentially, allergies and food intolerances are opposites of each other. However, the similarity of the reactions often leads to confusion between them.
What can cause a food allergy? Chicken, beef, fish, and other components are part of our lives and diets, which means our pets also have access to them. This does not mean that they are all initially allergens; your pet may be allergic to rabbit but have an absolutely normal reaction to eggs and beef. Therefore, to determine a food allergy, it is not necessary to undergo a series of tests and examinations.
Talk to a dermatologist, describe the symptoms, and they will create a diagnostic diet for your pet for 4-8 weeks. Believe me, this is enough to identify the allergen. When creating a diagnostic diet, the pet’s diet should include products that they have never had before or have rarely had. We also consider possible cross-allergic reactions when creating a diagnostic diet. A truly challenging task awaits the dermatologist: creating a diet that considers your preferences, your pet’s preferences, the composition of your family, the various treats your pet may receive, and your financial capabilities. This raises the question of which food to choose: one that contains protein or protein hydrolysate, or perhaps one that is homemade.
The hydrolysis method produces the hydrolyzed protein in the feed, which is a food mixture.
Enzymes use the chemical process of hydrolysis to break down protein molecules into smaller structural components, such as amino acids and peptides.
So, if your pet is allergic to chicken, they will 100% have a food allergy to chicken liver and hydrolyzed protein. Therefore, we advise against using feeds that contain such protein. Additionally, when selecting feed, seek guidance from scientific studies that utilize PCR and ELISA methods to identify the presence of specific proteins. Recent research has demonstrated that numerous feeds include components not listed on the manufacturer’s packaging. Be careful and read the ingredients.
Many dog and cat owners also try to supplement their pet’s diet with various vitamins in gelatin capsules, not knowing that they contain pork and beef protein. Additives like milk and beef enhance the flavor of these capsules. All these ingredients contain protein, which is the primary cause of allergies.
Try to approach the diagnostic diet with full responsibility, as your pet’s health and life depend on it. For eight weeks, you will be able to observe if your pet responds to the treatment. Has the itching decreased, and has the gastrointestinal tract normalized? The diagnostic diet treats the pet for fleas, ticks, and internal parasites. Don’t expect quick results. And if your pet has itching and the skin requires treatment due to allergies, use the medications prescribed by the veterinarian to treat these areas. If the dermatologist observes positive dynamics during the diagnostic diet, they may recommend reintroducing all previously excluded products to trigger an allergy. Why is this necessary? Determine if your pet experiences allergic reactions to these food products, such as diarrhea, nausea, or itching.
If there is no reaction—CONGRATULATIONS! Your pet does not have a food allergy. If a food allergy is present, you should return your pet to the diagnostic diet. If the symptoms subside, you only need to maintain the pet on the chosen diet without using any medications. And if you want to go even further, you can gradually reintroduce the old product one by one and monitor your pet’s reaction, thereby identifying the food allergen. You can easily identify and treat other allergic reactions to chemicals, fragrances, pollen, etc. by either eliminating the allergen or, just kidding, changing the owner.
