Adverse reactions to food in pets are worth investigating as a potential cause of skin disease. While food allergies represent a small percentage of cases, food trials lasting 4-12 weeks can help diagnose food sensitivities. A true food allergy is immune-mediated and requires identifying and removing the offending allergen from the pet's diet long term through use of hydrolyzed protein diets or homemade recipes. Other potential contributing factors like infections, parasites, and environmental allergens should also be addressed. The webinar discusses guidelines for properly conducting food trials and alternative diagnostic tests to confirm food allergies in pets.
5. The Take Home Messages
• Food Allergy/Intolerance is an important cause of
skin disease in dogs and cats
• Food Trials are difficult to do well
• There are often other components contributing to
the itch
6. Outline of Talk
• Some definitions
• Aetiology and Pathogenesis
• Clinical Signs
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
8. Atopic dermatitis and food allergy in humans
• Numerous studies show a clear relationship
between food allergens and the development of AD
• Often food allergy seen in infants and young
children
• Just under 40% of AD cases will have concurrent
food allergy
9. Aetiology and Pathogenesis
• Not fully elucidated in dogs
• A subset have an IgE mediated food allergy
• Also type III and IV
• However vast majority no immunological cause
found
10. Aetiopathogenesis
• Puppies who have a poor start to life
• Intestines damaged by virus or worms. Protein allergens can
gain access systemically
• Histamine releasing factors continue to be active long after
offending allergen removed
• In older dogs sensitisation to an antigen may follow a long
refractory period of upto 2 years before clinical signs are
present
11. • In 80% of cases only 1-2 allergens involved
• Common allergens include: beef, soya, chicken,
milk, corn, lamb, wheat, eggs and lamb
12. How long should you perform a food trial for
• 7 days
• 21 days
• 28 days
• 42 days
• 84 days
13. What % of your allergic pets have a food
component
• Less than 5%
• 5-10%
• 10-15%
• 15-20%
• More than 20%
14. How common is Adverse Reaction to Food
• 30% Chamberlain
• 3% Kunkle
• 2% Carlotti
• 13% Saridomichelakis
• 23% Jackson
15. Clinical Signs
• Food allergy can develop at any age
• I see 2 subsets: very young and 7 plus
• Labradors predisposed
• Abyssinians also
16. Clinical signs 2
• Non seasonal pruritus
• Recurrent pyoderma
• Similar distribution to atopy
• angioedema
• Otitis
• Concurrent GI signs
17.
18.
19. Clinical signs in cats
• Miliary dermatitis
• Symmetrical alopecia
• Head and neck pruritus
• Eosinophilic granuloma complex
• Concurrent GI signs in about 30% of cats
27. Alternative tests
• Intestinal permeability
• Gastric provocation
• Colonoscopy provocative test
• Intradermal skin test
• Patch test
• Serum IgE testing
28. Food Challenging
• Feed all old diet back again
• Response usually rapid but upto 3 weeks reported
• Then individual ingredients
• Dairy relapse in 4 days, cereal 8 days(Harvey)
30. How much allergen is too much?
• Jackson’s beagle colony reacted to 1g of corn
• Some animals may be less sensitive
31. Are the diets sufficient for lifelong use?
• Anallergenic
• Hypoallergenic
• Home prepared diet
32. My plan for non-seasonal pruritus
• Treat infections
• Food and flea trial
• See back in 4 weeks
• Continue food trial if some improvement, possibly skin
test
• Food challenge at 8 weeks
• If positive try individual allergens
33. Vets South offer
• All my topics on slide share and access at The
Webinar Vet
• £1 membership offer
• Access to pet webinars
34. Upcoming webinars
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