Adverse Reaction to Food

SACDERMVET

7465 Rush River Drive Suite 830

Sacramento CA 95831

916 234 5722

Sacdermvet does not stock or sell dog or cat food apart from our online VetSource store so we have no financial interest in which food you use.

We may sell hypoallergenic treats or dental chews at our clinic when they are available.

Elimination Food Trials

Some skin conditions in dogs or cats involve a reaction to something (usually a protein) in the food. Please read the instructions below carefully. It is a waste of time and money if you do not do the trial properly. It can take several weeks to see a response but if they have gut upsets you may see a response sooner.

Look for things they have not eaten before. If they are a rescue use a hydrolysed food such as z/d, HP or HA. In some cases we may suggest Royal Canin Ultamino or Purina Elemental.

Ask your local vet to supply one of these diets or a Banfield may sell it if you have a script or there are some on our online Vetsource store.

You may be able to buy larger amounts online once you know which food you are going to use for the trial but we suggest you start with a smaller amount.

Availability has been a problem with some foods discontinued or out of production.

Please DO NOT enter our details for an online pharmacy as they often do not reach us or have errors. Email us and we can send you a script for the food to upload.

Change their food gradually by feeding three quarters old food and one quarter new for 2 days then half old diet and half new diet for 2 days then one quarter old food and three quarters new food for 2 days then feed them only the new diet.

After this time they should eat the prescription food and water and NOTHING ELSE until we check them again in 10 to 12 weeks. There is sometimes a canned version of the same food to hide pills in if needed but do not use pill pockets, hot dogs, cheese etc. Stop all treats, snacks, rawhides, chews and supplements.

Please let us know if your pet is taking any other medications.

Please use ONLY a food specified by Dr Nagle. Special hypoallergenic allergy foods sold in pet stores are NOT suitable for elimination trials, regardless of what the sales person or online expert says. If you have questions about which diet to use please email us BEFORE purchasing it.

Please use Revolution for flea and heartworm prevention during the elimination food trial as most oral preventatives contain protein. Apply to the skin in the back of the neck once a month.

The Vanilla mint flavour of CET enzymatic toothpaste is suitable for food trials.

Although they are heavily marketed blood or serum (or hair or saliva) tests for food allergy in dogs and cats are not valid. They are not helpful in determining which foods an animal is allergic to or even which foods to use in a food trial.

"Immunotherapy is not available for food allergens. There is no scientific evidence to support serum allergen testing for food allergen. A strict hypoallergenic dietary trial is the preferred method for diagnosis of food sensitivity/allergy."

Which Foods can I use in an Elimination Trial?

Availability sometimes varies so email us if you have questions.

Hills Prescription diet

d/d Canine Potato and Salmon - dry & canned

d/d Canine Potato and Duck - dry & canned d/d Feline Duck and Green pea - dry and canned

d/d Canine Potato and Venison - dry only d/d Feline Venison and Green pea - dry only

z/d Canine - dry & canned & small bites dry z/d Feline - dry and canned

Derm Complete Environmental & Food Sensitivities dry & canned

Hills Hypo Canine treats Hills Hypo Cat treats

Royal Canin Veterinary Diets

Canine Vegetarian Dry

Canine Selected Protein Adult PD duck - dry Feline Selected Protein Adult PD duck - dry & canned

Canine Selected Protein Adult PR rabbit - dry Feline Selected Protein Adult PR rabbit - dry & canned

Canine Selected Protein Adult PV venison - dry Feline Selected Protein Adult PV venison - dry & canned

Canine Selected Protein Adult PW whitefish dry

Canine Selected Protein Adult PW Moderate Calorie Dry Dog Food

Canine Selected Protein Adult PW Large Breed Dry Dog Food

Canine Hydrolyzed Protein Adult HP - dry, canned & small breed dry Feline Hydrolyzed Protein Adult HP - dry only

Hydrolyzed Protein moderate calorie dry dog food

Hydrolysed Protein PS Dry dog food ( potato & hydrolysed soy)

Multifunction Renal support & hydrolyzed protein dry dog food

Multifunction Renal support & hydrolyzed protein dry cat food

Multifunction satiety and hydrolyzed protein dry dog food

Multifunction Satiety and hydrolyzed protein dry cat food

Multifunction Urinary SO + Hydrolyzed protein dry dog food

Multifunction Urinary SO and hydrolyzed protein dry cat food

Hydrolyzed protein canine treats Hydrolyzed protein feline treats

Royal Canin also make a dry food called Ultamino we sometimes prescribe

Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diet

HA Hydrolyzed chicken - dry & canned HA Hydrolyzed dry cat food

HA Hydrolyzed salmon or vegetarian - dry

Gentle Snackers dog treats

Purina also make a dry food called Elemental we sometimes prescribe

WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY PET?

How do I know if it is complete and balanced?

You can leave the food the same if it meets AAFCO requirements, is not grain free and does not have raw on the label. Do not introduce any fancy new hypoallergenic miracle foods, treats or supplements regardless of what any one in a pet store or dog park, or any online expert / top vet tells you. We may suggest you leave food the same for a number of months to avoid confusion as we change other things or if they are important for training. You should not change your pet's food frequently as this causes confusion and leaves us few options if we need to do a strict trial.

Ideally

"Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate it provides complete and balanced nutrition for [life stage(s)].”

But at least

"is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or Cat) Food Nutrient Profiles for [life stage(s)].”

There have been reports recently of dogs developing heart disease on grain free diets especially ones with peas and or lentils as a main ingredient and to a lesser extent potatoes or sweet potatoes so we advise against changing to fancy expensive foods with lots of marketing claims. If your dog is currently on a grain free diet we will probably suggest you change it.

If you need to change their diet choose a AAFCO approved complete and balanced diet for dogs (such as Chicken and Rice or Lamb and Rice) that is convenient for you. This can be a food they tolerated previously. Change their food gradually 3/4 old 1/4 new for 2 days the half and half for 2 days then 3/4 new 1/4 old for 2 days.

Many of our clients have been told many confusing things about what to feed their pets, usually by someone trying to sell them a different food. This is often delivered with a mixture of shaming or guilt and promises of miracle responses. Apart from our online Vetsource store we do not sell food or receive any financial benefit from prescribing food.

There is no one perfect or best food for any individual animal or breed. You should not ask any one in a pet store what to feed your pet.

Raw food is a public health risk and you cannot recreate a wild and free existence for your pet by buying food with romantic images on the label but you can expose them and your self and any immune compromised neighbours to various bacteria and parasites.

Home cooking for your pet is possible but it involves a lot of work and is difficult to maintain. It is also important to have a nutritionist make it complete and balanced. We see more skin problems caused by home cooked diets than fixed by them.

UCDavis has a Veterinary Nutrition Service or there is Balanceit.com

Please note! Red wine and potato peelings are not a complete and balanced diet for cats (or dogs).