Food hypersensitivity is a skin disorder of dogs and cats caused by an allergic reaction to food.  The condition can occur at any time of the year, and the reaction can be immediate (within minutes to a few hours after eating) or delayed. 

Most affected pets have eaten the offending food for over 2 years.

Skin reactions include itching, chewing (especially feet), redness, crustiness, and sometimes pustules (pimples). 

Many cases are complicated by bacterial infection and other skin disorders.

Other skin conditions to rule out are:

External parasites (mange, fleas),

Hormone imbalance  (hypothyroidism in dogs)

Environmental allergies (often seasonal with a few exceptions). 

In some cases, digestive disturbances (vomiting, diarrhea, gas or increased frequency of defecation) also accompany the skin condition. Keep in mind, some pets only show clinical signs of frequent ear infections or chewing at feet.

If you notice itching, dark staining of paws, frequent licking or chewing at the feet, skin rashes, or frequent ear infections,  then you need to consider a food allergy as an underlying cause of these problems.

Diagnosis of food hypersensitivity is difficult and requires feeding a non-allergenic diet for a minimum of 2 to 3 months.  During these months, the offending allergen will slowly be removed from the body and the skin or digestive problems should gradually improve. If your pet ingests another food source during these intial 2 to 3 months, then the food trial will need to be restarted.

An excellent first choice food trial is the Science Diet z/d diet.  Z/D has been specially formulated to lower the allergen content of the food. It is EXTREMELY important to not feed any other food (No treats, no table food, no vegetables, no rawhides, no dental care products. In other words, nothing in the mouth except the hypoallergenic food kernels).

During the food trial, the doctor may dispense medications to control the skin irritation while the allergens slowly leave the system:

Medicated Shampoo

Antihistamine

Fatty Acid Supplements

Antibiotic

Please call if the medication dispensed does not improve the problem within a few days.

Notify the Doctor if any of the following occur

♦          Your pet does not respond to the test diet or will not eat the food. Appetite stimulants are available to encourage your pet to eat the new diet if necessary.

♦          Your pet develops diarrhea while on the special diet.

♦          Your pets skin condition changes

♦          Your pets general health declines