My cat has chicken allergies. Should I avoid all poultry and hydrolyzed chicken?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The most common food protein allergen is chicken. I tell clients they can try 2 different over the counter novel protein diets for 2-3 months each before trying a prescription hydrolyzed diet. A novel protein diet means the protein or meat is one that the dog or cat has never eaten before. Only pick one at a time. Examples are Venison, duck, fish, rabbit with green pea, sweet potato, etc. The animals need to eat this diet exclusively, meaning no table scraps, treats or bones, rawhides, greenies or pig ears. The only treats you can give the pet are ones that contain the new protein. You need to give the diet 2-3 months before trying a different protein. There are prescription novel protein diets as well. Hydrolyzed diets are prescription only. The protein is broken down to a very small protein size that isn't recognized as as an allergen by the immune system. Examples are: Hill's z/d, Royal Canin HP and Purina HA. If you find the correct protein that your dog is allergic too then she should only give that diet. Some dogs have food allergies and environmental allergies or atopy. So sometimes food isn't always the perfect fix. But if it is then yes it can help prevent skin and ear infections as long as they don't get anything else to eat that they may be allergic too. I hope this helps! Good luck!

I would consider a food that has an alternative source of protein from chicken since protein is the most common type of food allergy in dogs. Purina ProPlan has a lamb and rice dog food, so I recommend trying that food. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fortunately, there is an option for Bizu that is a newer poduct from Royal Canin, which is a multifunction pet food. They have a combination diet that is urinary (like he is on) and hydrolyzed protein, which is specifically for allergies. Hydrolyzed diets may use chicken and other proteins in them, but the protein sources are broken down so small that the body doesn't recognize them and they don't cause the itchiness we see with food allergies. This may be a great option for him!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sage. Most over-the-counter foods are contaminated with ingredients not listed on the label. For example, if the diet lists the main ingredient as salmon, there could be small amounts of chicken in the food. This makes it very difficult if a patient has a food allergy. Prescription veterinary diets such as a hydrolyzed or a limited ingredient diet will be most successful for a food allergy. They are more expensive, but in the long run typically end up saving you money. If she is not constantly seeing her veterinarian for exams and medications due to skin disease, this will save you money. Hydrolyzed diets have the protein source chopped into such small pieces that the body's immune system does not recognize and react to it. Examples are Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Ultamino, Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets HA or Hills ZD. The same companies make limited ingredient diets with one protein and one carbohydrate source. It can be some trial and error to find the best food. I hope this information helps!

If your kitties are on their current diet because of suspected allergy, and the current foods are well tolerated, i would not switch. If they are both balanced diets then you don't necessarily need different protein sources. It they like the food and are maintaining weight with no tummy upset then it's a great diet for them. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am sorry to hear about Azul! It is possible she could eat duck or turkey without issue but I would probably try offering it in small amounts and monitoring her closely. With food allergies we must be very careful because over the counter diets can be contaminated with other protein sources due to being produced in the same factory or due to poor quality control. In cases of severe allergy then prescription veterinary diets are recommended. With these diets, the entire factory is dedicated to a specific diet and all equipment is cleaned to ensure there is no cross-contamination. I would not recommend jumping back and forth between diets with different protein sources as this can lead to us not having any protein sources to resort to if a dog develops an allergy to their current one. I would stick with a diet if it is working for Azul until/unless a problem arises.

If Maze was previously diagnosed with food allergies and they don't seem to be better yet, then they were not adequately diagnosed. First, it can take several weeks for the allergy to go away after a diet change. So, if it's been less than six weeks after the diet was switched, then you'll need to wait a little longer before you know if it worked. Food allergies are due to certain proteins and they are usually animal proteins (beef, pork, dairy, etc.). To find the actual protein Maze was allergic to, you must have done an elimination trial. If there was not an elimination trial done, then you would be only guessing at the source of the allergies. One way I often bypass the elimination trial is by recommending a hydrolysed protein diet such as Hill's i/d. In these diets, the proteins are broken down, so there is minimal chance of them causing an allergy. This would have to be prescribed by a veterinarian though. In the meantime, you may consider starting a diet trial to see if that helps to relieve the problems Maze is having. Here is a link to a good article that explains how to do the diet: http://communityvet.net/2010/03/diy-elimination-diet-for-the-dog-an-cat/ Keep in mind that your diet trial will cease to work if she is getting any treats or table scraps. Make sure that there is no possibility of this happening - especially if there are kids in the house. As always, it's recommended to do these things in consultation with your vet.