Dog & Cat Health - Food Allergy Symptoms
Does
your dog or cat suffer from chronic or persistent
diarrhea? Does he seem to be itchy year-round, or
frequently comes down with ear infections? If your
answer to any of these questions is yes, your dog
may be exhibiting symptoms of an allergy to what
he's eating.
Fish & Allergy to Cat Food
What
could be making your pet so miserable? The most
common causes of food allergies in pets are the
animal proteins and carbohydrates found in their
regular diet. This includes beef, pork, chicken,
milk, eggs, corn, soybeans and wheat. A sensitivity
to fish accounts for a large majority of allergic
symptoms in cats. Some veterinarians feel that preservatives
used in pet foods also might be problematic.
Sudden Diarrhea, Dog Cough and Food Allergy Symptoms
It
can be difficult to determine exactly what your
pet is allergic to-especially since an animal can
develop an allergy quite suddenly, even if he has
been eating a particular brand of food for years
without any problems. If you notice that your dog
gets sick after you give him table scraps, however,
he may be allergic to something you've been giving
him to snack on. Some allergies in pets are associated
with human foods such as milk, cheese, sausage,
tuna and egg whites. While it's best to limit these
foods anyway, it's especially important if your
pet shows any kind of allergic symptoms to them.
If you think cheese may be the culprit, Experts
suggest eliminating it from your pet's diet for
awhile. You can repeat this with other suspect snack
foods and. by process of elimination, you just may
find the one that's responsible for your pet's allergy.
If
you suspect that your pet is allergic to something
found in her regular daily fare, your veterinarian
may suggest an elimination diet. Your pet's doctor
can recommend a new food that's free of possible
allergy-causing ingredients, which you will feed
exclusively until your dog or cat's symptoms go
away. An ideal formula will be one that contains
ingredients that your pet has never been exposed
to. A lamb-and-rice diet, for example, is commonly
used to test for food allergy. Next, you will need
to gradually bring back your animal companion's
old foods. This way, if any symptoms appear again,
you'll know what's causing the problem.
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