Pet Allergies – Are your pets allergic to their food?
Humans aren’t the only ones who can suffer from allergies. Unfortunately, many animals, including our pets, can also suffer from them. Like us humans, they can be allergic to a wide variety of things from airborne particles like pollen to the food they eat.
Symptoms
The most common allergy symptoms in your cat or dog will appear either in the skin or in the digestive system. Symptoms appearing on the skin include things like itching, scratching, lesions, redness, ear infections, and hair loss. Digestive symptoms may include diarrhea and/or vomiting.
Finding help
Allergies can be difficult to diagnose in a pet, and other health problems must often be ruled out first. When it comes to their food sensitivities, it’s important to know that there is also a difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. Although, if you suspect your cat or dog has an allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity to certain ingredients, you’ll need to try foods specifically made for pets with food sensitivities. These foods are sometimes labeled as hypoallergenic or restricted diet foods, or sometimes the label will say that they are specially formulated for a cat or dog with a sensitive stomach.
Pets can be allergic or sensitive to a number of products found in cat and dog food, but some of the most common problematic ingredients are corn, wheat, soy, and beef. What you feed your pet is extremely important and will directly affect his or her health. Many additives and fillers used by commercial pet food companies can be harmful to our pets. Be conscientious about what you feed them and become a label reader.
Find quality dog and cat foods that use natural ingredients, with no by-products, artificial additives or preservatives. Even if you buy a quality food, your pet may still be sensitive to an ingredient in it. If he or she vomits regularly after eating, you probably need to look for a new food. You can find pet foods made specifically for animals with food sensitivities, many of which are grain-free because grains can be a trigger for many animals.
Just changing your pet’s food can make a big difference, but be sure to make the change gradually by slowly adding the new food to the old food. Supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids and enzymes can also be very helpful. But always remember to check with your vet first; do not attempt to diagnose the problem yourself.
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