Food Intolerance in Dogs on the Rise

If asked about food allergies and intolerance, many of us would have a friend or relative who is unable to digest wheat or dairy. In fact it is so uncommon that restaurants and retailers now cater for a wide range of intolerances and allergies, so why are we yet to consider our pets and their intolerances?

Food intolerance and allergies in pets are becoming increasingly common and for one pair of dog owners a blood test led to a vast improvement in health for their much-loved pet.

Tony and Barbara Bridger from Tring were worried about their Border Terrier Cross, Ebbie.

For months she had been passing blood and mucus and being generally unwell. Just about everything had been tried until the vet mentioned food allergies.

Tony said: “You don’t like to see a pet suffer in that way and you don’t know what to do.

“It would not have occurred to us that it might be a food allergy, in fact we would have scoffed at the thought. Our pet allergic to food? We thought a test wouldn’t show anything.”

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The article comes from a pet owner whose Yorkie became ill, and after a couple of days in the vet’s office, the owner looked at her Eukanuba canned food and realized it had expired 3 years ago. When she checked the cupboard she discovered several other cans of dog food – all recently purchased at PetCo – had expiration dates from 2004.

What happened to this pet owner (and pet) can easily happen to anyone. How many times have you purchased something and never looked at the expiration date?

Read More – https://www.totaldogmagazine.com/dog-dates-matter-dog-food/

The vet drew some blood and sent it to Yorktest Veterinary Services who carried out extensive diagnostic tests on the sample.

The laboratory, which has carried out 12,000 tests over the past few years, specialises in finding out whether a food intolerance or an allergy may spark a pet’s problems.

Signs of an allergy can vary from one animal to another including skin problems such as scratching and hair loss or gastrointestinal problems which includes vomiting. Some pets also show behavioural problems.

Barbara says: “The vet said we should give the test a go before we begin to accept the symptoms as a condition or weakness.

“Since we had the results back which highlighted which foods Ebbie was allergic to, she has been a picture of health. It’s been marvellous – well worth doing.

“We would not have believed it would clear up so quickly. Looking at her now it’s hard to believe just how poorly she was. Her health improved in a week or two.”

Tony added: “In similar circumstances we would definitely do it again – and we would say to other pet owners they should not hesitate to have the test too.

“From the poorly state Ebbie was in this was like a miraculous cure.”

Paula Peacock from Yorktest Veterinary Services, said: “An allergy is a reaction caused by either direct contact such as eating or breathing in an allergen such as food or pollen. If a dog is regularly exposed to an allergen, for example, the same food, the resistance of its immune system will weaken, often resulting in poor health.

“Once the test results are known, pet owners can then discuss with their vet the type of therapy needed – ranging from dietary changes through to immunotherapy which is a series of vaccinations which help build up a dog’s immune system against pollens and insects.”


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