What's in hypoallergenic cat food for cats with food allergies?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are 2 categories of what we call "Hypoallergenic" diets: 1) Novel Protein: the food is made of a protein we assume your pet has never been exposed to before. Something like duck, fish, venison, rabbit, lamb, bison, beef. The most common allergic protein is chicken not grains. So do not buy a chicken grain free diet and assume you are buying hypoallergenic, because you aren't. 2) Prescription hydrolyzed diets: These can only be bought from a Vet or with a prescription. These diets take the protein and chemically hydrolyze it to a very small size, so small that it isn't recognized by the immune system as an allergenic. I hope this helps and have a great day!

The best food for a cat with food allergies would be a prescription diet specifically designed for this purpose, such as Hills z/d or Purina HA. You can purchase these through your vet's office, or order online with a prescription from your veterinarian.

Luna needs only about 155 calories per day, so I would recommend feeding 1/2 cup of this food per day. If you are feeding her canned food or other treats, you'll need to feed her less of the. However with allergies, it's best to have her only eat the hypoallergenic diet, with no treats, etc, for a full two or three months. I hope the diet helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

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 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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Romeo. What a handsome boy! Pet nutrition is a confusing topic and the internet is filled with inaccurate information. I agree that high quality ingredients are important. However, it is equally important that these ingredients are combined appropriately and in the right proportions to give the best nutrition. For this reason, I support companies that have board certified veterinary nutritionists on staff and perform feeding trials in live animals as opposed to simple laboratory analysis. I like Purina ProPlan, Royal Canin and Hill's Science Diet. They are will have each have a variety of flavors and formulas that would be appropriate for him. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Zelda! The most common reason for cats to chronically vomit are food allergies and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). If she has IBD she may be having a flare up unrelated to her diet, from a viral infection, worms, she ate something gross, she ate something foreign or has pancreatitis. Also I am not sure if you are using an OTC or prescription based hypoallergenic cat food. Studies have shown the the pet store diets are not as "pure" and chicken free as the prescription diets. I would have Zelda examined by your Vet and have some supportive medications started to stop the vomiting and consider starting a prescription hydrolyzed diet like Royal Canin HP or Purina HA. I hope this helps and I wish you and Zelda the very best!