Should I vary my cats' protein sources to avoid future allergies?

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!

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.

Ideally the kitten should stay on a kitten diet for at least the first six months of their life as their nutritional requirements are different than adult cats. One method of successfully feeding them different diets is to "meal feed" the kitten, meaning the kitten gets fed at specific times versus leaving the food out all the time as well as feeding the kitten in a closed off area like a bathroom or closet.

In most animals with food allergies hydrolyzed protein sources are ok. However, if it is possible I usually recommend switching to a novel protein source instead of the hydrolyzed diet. This way you can ensure there is no reaction from the food. Additionally I would avoid other poultry proteins as well. Some animals that are allergic to chicken also have reactions to foods with duck as the primary protein.

This is a great question and the answer depends on the dog you are feeding and whether or not they have a food intolerance or allergy. Typically, in a normal dog, feeding different protein sources to should not cause any problem. If the food is switched too quickly however, it may cause some GI upset like diarrhea and vomiting. If you are feeding a mixture of the proteins all at once this will probably cut down on tummy upset because you aren't switching back and forth. The only problem I can forsee is if the dog has an allergy to one of the proteins you are feeding her. Food allergies typically cause problems with the skin, ears and anal glands. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hello, if you could recall the protein source or flavor of the food they really liked and had little to no digestive issues, then I would try something similar to that. Certain cats can have reactions to different kind of proteins and ingredients, so offering a novel protein (fish, duck, venison, lamb), limited ingredient (sweet potato, peas) diet is likely the best way to approach her GI issues. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Waiting for my colleague reply, I can say that it is best not to switch between different proteins but to maintain the same one (often allergy comes from protein source). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.