{"id":3219,"date":"2019-08-27T15:43:44","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T19:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/?p=3219"},"modified":"2019-08-27T15:45:20","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T19:45:20","slug":"allergic-pet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/allergic-pet\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right Diet and Lifestyle for an Allergic Pet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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An allergic pet may suffer from excessive itching, watering of the eyes, diarrhea, or many other symptoms. An allergic dog or cat may be in chronic discomfort, so a worried pet owner will try any number of things to alleviate their pet\u2019s distressing symptoms. These may include trying different medications and diets or switching shampoos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrition is a big factor in helping many allergic pets. The important thing is to understand your pet\u2019s allergies, including food allergies, and the impact of diet and lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Dealing with Pet Allergies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Allergies in pets can come from multiple sources: airborne sources, like molds, pollen, and dust<\/a>; flea bites; food; and contact allergens, such as an allergy to chemicals used in carpet. Many pets who suffer from allergies are sensitive to foods, and most likely animal protein. Dogs, in particular, are often allergic to beef, chicken, soy, wheat, and other ingredients in pet food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food sensitivities can lead to symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, and also scratching, chewing, and skin-related problems. More than one-third of allergic pets react to more than one thing, which might include dust and pollen, as well as beef and dairy. A pet that is sensitive to more than one allergen can have a variety of allergic reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only way to know what your pet is allergic to is to go through the careful process of elimination, removing one ingredient at a time for a few weeks to see if things improve. Your veterinarian should help you design an elimination diet and how long your pet will be on it. You may also order additional allergy testing, including blood work, saliva and hair analysis, and exposure to small samples of various allergens to see if they are reactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding Allergy-Friendly Pet Diets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many products out there that claim to be hypoallergenic or allergy-free. Sadly, there is no pure hypoallergenic diet. Along with this, \u201cgluten-free\u201d is sometimes erroneously linked to being allergy-friendly. More pets are allergic to beef, dairy, and eggs rather than wheat. So, don\u2019t make the leap to a grain-free pet food<\/a> without first knowing the source of your pet\u2019s itches and sneezes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are diets that can better support a dog or cat with allergies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n