Can frequent diet changes really worsen my pet's food 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.

Hi there. This is a good question! When we do a food trial, we're normally using one of two types of diets - either a hydrolyzed protein diet, or a novel protein diet. A hydrolyzed protein diet is specially processed so that the protein molecules in the food are too small to trigger an allergic response. A novel protein diet, on the other hand, contains unusual ingredients that your cat has never eaten before - often the main ingredient is something like kangaroo, rabbit, etc. that isn't in most over-the-counter diets. Having a food allergy requires previous exposure to the ingredient that's causing it, so it's impossible to be allergic to something you've never eaten before. So with either one of these types of diets, it's essentially impossible for your cat to be allergic to them. So when we do a food trial, we're looking to see if there is improvement in the allergy symptoms after switching to the prescription diet. If so, then that's pretty good evidence that your cat has a food allergy! If not, then she probably doesn't. The diet trial doesn't tell us *what* she's allergic to - only whether she has a food allergy, or not. If she responds well to the diet, you can either choose to just keep her on it indefinitely (many clients choose this option, since it's easier!), or cautiously start re-introducing specific foods one at a time and watch for a recurrence of her symptoms. This is how you would go about determining what specific foods she's allergic to, if this is something you want to pursue. But you can also just feed the prescription diet long-term if she does well on it.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately, Nikki's itching is more likely to be related to environmental allergies than food allergies. Environmental allergies are usually to things like grass, pollen, trees, etc - all the same stuff humans are allergic to. And these allergies can appear at any age. If benedryl helps, it is considered quite safe to use long term for most dogs (talk with your vet first). If you are trying to avoid medicaitons and side effects, talk with your vet about the cytopoint injection. It is not a medication or drug- it is actually just a protein that blocks the itch receptor and is considered very safe. It lasts 1-2 months in most dogs. If it works for Nikki, it also shows that her allergies are environmental in nature (that shot does not work well for food allergies). There are also many great sprays, mousses, and foot soaks that may help - talk to your vet about these options. Getting back to the food situation, if you have any concerns about the safety of the food, I definitely recommend switching. Though I will say I have several patients on Core Wellness doing fantastic as far as I can tell. For allergic dogs, I do like to avoid the common allergens which are chicken, pork, and beef (it's almost never grains). So sticking with fish or a more "novel" protein like lamb, kangaroo, or rabbit may help. hope this helps and best wishes to you and Nikki!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think that this is still likely due to allergies. Sometimes dogs can be allergic to more than 1 thing at a time. It may be that she has allergies to something else in the food that she is eating or that she is also allergic to something else in the environment or fleas. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hello. It sounds like you dog has food allergies, which can cause the secondary conditions you listed. Dogs with food allergies often cannot ever eat normal dog foods. If she's doing well on the fish and sweet potato diet, that's what I would leave her on because new food will flare her allergic response. Also ask your vet about Apoquel. This is safer and more effective option than prednisone. This medication works just on the allergic response and is safe. I'd have your vet check her and see if that's right for her, as well as try a hypoallergenic diet like z/d of Ultamino. Best to you and your dog!

Many dogs like Frank have allergies. They fall into four main categories: fleas, food, thyroid conditions or environmental allergies. The key is to go through and systematically rule out each one. If none of the diets seem to be helping, I would recommend to try a special hydrolyzed protein diet as this is like an elimination diet. If that does not seem to be helping then I would bet Frank does not have food allergies. Make sure Frank is on an oral flea preventative like Comfortis as this will ensure that fleas are not a problem. To determine his thyroid levels he would need a blood test. Lastly environmental allergies can be the most challenging to diagnose and there are many different treatment options available. If his skin is breaking out that bad and oral antihistamines are not helping, take him into the veterinarian for further treatment. I hope Frank's starts feeling better soon.