You may think that food allergies are very common in pets, but the truth is that they are the least common. In fact, most allergies in dogs or cats are found to be caused by other factors. A food allergy will only happen when the pet’s immune system cannot identify a food properly responds to it as an invader. It then starts to react to it, and this reaction manifests itself as allergy symptoms like itching or scratching, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Here’s what every pet parent should know about food allergies to protect their pets:

• Vets believe that pet parents often make the mistake of treating their pets like humans. Just because they love their furry companions, they want to pamper them all the time. To do so, they start to overfeed them. The truth is all pets do not need the same quantity of food and sometimes, feeding them less will help them. Going by the serving sizes mentioned on pet food packets is a wrong thing to do; it may lead to unwanted obesity.
• When you want to know what every pet parent should know about food allergies in pets, an important tip is that just because your pet is not feeling too well does not indicate a food allergy. Your dog could well be allergic to some other environmental allergen. Incidentally, dog health issues are seldom associated with food allergies; more so owing to the environment. So, it is a big mistake to tweak their diet without consulting your vet. If your pet is obese, he/she needs to be checked out by the vet because obesity can lead to more complications such as arthritis, diabetes, and heart problems.
• You must never give human medicines to your pet without a prescription. Such medications are not designed for them and can end up fatally harming your pet. There are many gastrointestinal problems in cats and dogs, and these could be due to the foods containing viruses, bacteria, parasites. Sometimes it may be due to food allergies or because of intolerance to a specific kind of food. For instance, foods that have too little or too much fiber or fatty foods can be problematic for pets. Sometimes, certain ingredients do not suit a pet and it may look like a food allergy to you, but in reality, it is because of something else.
• Even if there is a food allergy involved, diagnosing it is rather difficult. You can perform many tests using saliva, blood, or hair performed at a vet’s clinic or by buying these test kits online. But none of these tests, one should remember, is guaranteed to provide accurate results. So, the best way, what pet parents should know about food allergies in pets, to diagnose a food allergy is by doing the elimination trial. You can start feeding your pet a diet containing a handful of ingredients, usually a single protein and a single carb with minerals, vitamins, fats, etc. This is provided for a month to see if the pet’s symptoms improve. If this happens, the pet has to be put back onto the earlier diet for confirming a food allergy. When there is a relapse, it means that the earlier diet has an ingredient that is triggering the allergy.
• There is no diet that is hypoallergenic, suggesting that it will never trigger allergies of any kind. The best options you have as pet parents are hydrolyzed diets that you can buy from your vet. Your pet could be allergic to any ingredient present in pet foods. Moreover, rotating diets routinely is also not going to ensure that your pet never experiences another food allergy.