Allergies in Dogs. Is Hydrolyzed dog food a good solution?

Article Type: Technical Solution: Vet Expert Hypoallergenic Ultra When a dog has an allergy, it usually causes a great deal of worry for their owner. Allergy symptoms are not always clear-cut and the road to diagnosis is often long. Be sure to read this article if you have noticed that: your dog is scratching. your dog's eyes are watering. there is swelling of the face, throat, lips, eyelids, or earflaps. there are visible skin abnormalities (especially on ears or paws) and/or your dog has diarrhea.   These symptoms could be due to a food allergy! Allergy is a life-long disease, and this is why it is so important to determine what triggers your dog's allergy to eliminate it from the animal's diet or environment.   Allergies in dogs: causes An allergy is a reaction that occurs when your pet's body overreacts to a foreign substance called an allergen. This type of reaction affects the immune system. How long will your dog's allergic reaction last? Allergy is a life-long disease, and the primary dietary management strategy is to avoid contact with the allergen. Food allergy is also known as an adverse reaction to food (ARF), and it most often causes digestive or skin symptoms. A food allergy affecting the skin is often called a cutaneous adverse food reaction (CARF). A food allergy affecting the digestive system can manifest itself as enteropathy which means abnormal changes within the intestine in response to specific foods (food responsive enteropathy, FRE). This type of allergy can cause, e.g., allergic gastritis.   Allergies in dogs: symptoms The first signs of allergy appear in young dogs between 4 and 6 months of age, but they may also occur in adult or older dogs over 10 years of age. There are no predisposed breeds when it comes to allergies, however, German Shepherds, West Highland White Terriers, Boxers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Pugs are considered to be high-risk breeds. The major clinical symptoms are: severe, unseasonal itching that causes the animal to scratch, which leads to hair loss and skin damage. bilateral ceruminous otitis externa. skin lesions (e.g., erythema, alopecia), which may be complicated by bacterial or fungal infections (the location of skin lesions is not characteristic of food allergy, and they may occur either all over the body or only in the facial region, abdomen or between the toes). The most important clinical signs of food allergies affecting the digestive system are vomiting and/or diarrhea, which sometimes can cause disorders of digestion and absorption of nutrients, and consequently (in the absence of appropriate treatment), severe malnutrition.   Food allergies in dogs: what are the most common food allergy triggers? Regardless of whether a food allergy causes skin or digestive problems, the key dietary management strategy is to eliminate the symptom trigger, i.e., the allergen, from the dog's diet. Historically, the allergens identified to affect dogs included primarily beef, dairy and wheat. However, due to the widespread use of poultry meat (most specifically chicken meat) in dog food, this source of protein is now considered to be responsible for a majority of allergic reactions.  It should be pointed out that allergens are mainly proteins (high-molecular-weight glycoproteins). Their resistance to high temperatures and insensitivity, e.g., to acids means that some of them are classified as so-called ‘strong allergens' (e.g., casein). In the case of weak allergens, thermal processing reduces their capacity to cause a food allergy, and as such they are suitable for nutrition purposes.   Allergies in dogs: how to diagnose? To diagnose a food allergy, it is necessary to use an elimination diet to remove food allergens from your dog's daily meals. An elimination diet is a diet free of potential allergens, based on simple combinations of ingredients, such as hydrolysed proteins and purified starch. Hydrolysed proteins are proteins whose molecules (figuratively speaking) have been broken down into smaller ones. Hydrolysis significantly reduces the capacity of proteins to cause an allergy: most dogs allergic to a particular type of protein (e.g. those found in poultry meat) can consume the hydrolysed proteins without problems. Hydrolysed protein in the form of a mixture of single amino acids, peptides or polypeptides, where 70% of the molecules have a molecular weight of less than 3,000 Da (the dalton (Da) is an atomic) does not trigger any reaction from the immune system. An alternative to hydrolysed dog food is a protein source that is new to a, e.g., horsemeat or other sources of protein that so far have not been used in the dog's daily diet. An elimination diet should be followed for a period of 4 to 8 weeks. If the clinical symptoms do not completely resolve within this period, the diet should be used for 10-12 weeks. If the existing skin or digestive problems disappear after this period of time, this confirms that the dog has a food allergy. However, to identify the triggering allergen, it should be reintroduced into the dog's diet during the so-called provocation period. During this period, possible trigger foods are re-introduced, one at a time, for a period of 7 to 14 days. If there is a reaction to a specific food, it can be classified as 'trigger food' that should be eliminated for good from the dog's diet.   Allergies in dogs: home remedies Many dog owners, in order to protect their dog from allergens, decide to make their dog's meals on their own while avoiding undesired ingredients. Unfortunately, it is difficult to provide a well-balanced home-made diet, and usually it is unbalanced.   How to treat an allergy in a dog? Commercially available hydrolysed formulas provide a complete diet that can be used in the long run. Whatever long-term diet you decide to use, your dog should regularly receive follow-up blood tests and you should strictly adhere to your veterinarian's recommendations. This is because every diet is considered be therapeutic food and it should not be started, modified or stopped without first consulting your veterinarian. Sometimes it is possible to switch your dog from a hydrolysed diet to a non-hydrolysed single-protein diet, i.e., a diet based on a single source of animal protein. If you decide to opt for this solution, you need to carry out a provocation test and identify trigger allergens and allergen-free foods. After the diet switch, it is recommended using diets based on atypical proteins, e.g., insect protein.   What is ideal hypoallergenic dog food? When looking for the right hydrolysed diet for your dog, always follow your veterinarian's recommendations. However, among the products available on the market, it is worth choosing a diet that will add to the effectiveness of your dog's treatment for food allergies and intolerances: hydrolysed animal protein – low molecular weight protein (70% with a molecular weight of less than 2,000 Da, max. 6,000 Da) helps to reduce the risk of adverse reactions. single protein formula – a single source of protein helps to avoid the risk of nutrient intolerance. absence of vegetable protein – potato and sweet potato starch, highly purified of protein, as a single source of carbohydrates. high content of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids – an optimal amount of unsaturated fatty acids supports skin function in digs with dermatoses and excessive hair loss. simple and clear composition – a short list of ingredients of the highest quality minimizes the risk of adverse reactions to the diet ingredients.   Solution VET EXPERT's Hypoallergenic Ultra is a ready-made diet formula that can used both for an elimination diet or a complete long-term diet for dogs with food allergies and other types of allergic skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic flea dermatitis or other pruritic dermatoses. The use of Hypoallergenic Ultra significantly reduces the exposure to food allergens while improving the comfort for the dog and the dog's owner. For more information on the packing size, please click on the image.     Feature Video NA