Food Allergy Hypersensitivity:  Food Intolerance, Food Allergy

Affected Animals:  Dogs, cats, and humans. Any age, sex, or breed of dog or cat can develop food allergies.

Information and Overview:   Animals that have food allergies may develop them after being on the same diet for quite some time, or after switching suddenly. Animals are usually allergic or sensitive to the protein source of the food, either meat or carbohydrate. The most common protein source causing allergy is beef, and carbohydrate sources commonly causing allergy are corn and wheat gluten. Food allergies are the third most common cause of itching, and account for about 10 to 15 percent of all allergic skin diseases in canines. Unlike animals with seasonal inhalant allergies, animals with food allergies tend to itch year round, and do not experience much relief from anti-itching medications. Therefore, it is essential to identify and remove the type of food that is stimulating the allergic response. Some animals will have other allergies concurrently, such as fleabite hypersensitivity and inhalant allergies, which have severe symptoms when they are not controlled. There are many diets available with novel, or single protein sources that can be tried. Often animal on a feeding trial may not see results or resolution of signs of allergy for up to 4-6 months. Allergy testing by blood submittal to labs can tell your veterinarian which foods can cause a problem.

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