\u201cFoods with limited ingredients<\/strong> are a good place to start,\u201d says Judy Morgan DVM, CVA, CVCP, CVFT. \u201cStart with a \u2018novel\u2019 protein, meaning one your dog has not eaten in the past. Rabbit, duck, pork or fish tend to be good choices. Rabbit is one of the least allergenic. Some people will use venison or lamb. New foods are hitting the market with very novel proteins such as alligator, emu and llama. But owners also have to look at the secondary ingredients. If the initial food contained peas or other legumes, the new food should contain a different starch \u2014 maybe potatoes or oats or brown rice.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s also what\u2019s called a hydrolyzed protein diet<\/strong>. \u201cThese diets usually have hydrolyzed proteins in which the proteins are broken down into very small pieces and are able to elude the immune system,\u201d says Megan McGlinn, VMD.<\/p>\n Defining an elimination diet is the easy part. It can take a bit of sleuthing to determine which food is the problem. But that sleuthing shouldn\u2019t be considered a DIY project \u2014 your veterinarian should be your lead detective.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of pet owners do it on their own but they don\u2019t do it methodically, so they just keep switching diets,\u201d cautions Cailin Heinze, VMD, MS, DACVN, board-certified veterinary nutritionist. \u201cIf pet owners are worried the issues are food related, try one diet with different ingredients. If that doesn\u2019t make a difference, they should then work with their vets.\u201d<\/p>\n Like many other things in life, this doesn\u2019t have a one-size-fits-all solution. \u201cThere is no one best dog food for food allergies. It is dependent on the dog and will vary on a case by case basis,\u201d Dr. McGlinn says, also endorsing you get your veterinarian\u2019s recommendation based on your dog\u2019s health history.<\/p>\n And it may not be quick. \u201cA true elimination diet can take months to determine what the dog can tolerate,\u201d according to Dr. Morgan.<\/p>\n The good news is that once it has been determined that diet helped resolve the issue, the diet that works can be fed long-term, says Camille Torres, DVM, DABVP-Canine\/Feline.<\/p>\n The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where Dr. Heinze is an adjunct associate professor, has a detailed handout for clients about the elimination diet process and includes the checklist below. It provides an overview of what you\u2019ll be looking at before and during the diet trial, which is often six to 12 weeks.<\/p>\n Before starting the diet trial, go through the following checklist. Be very strict during the trial in order to get accurate results.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll notice treats don\u2019t appear on the list, but Tufts has your dog\u2019s back. Again, check with your vet based on your dog\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n Thumbnail: Photography \u00a9PoulCarlsen | Getty Images<\/p>\n Elizabeth Anderson Lopez is an award-winning writer based in Lake Forest, California. She and her husband have many pets, including two English Bull Terrier rescues named Dexter and Maybelene. You can contact her at\u00a0fromconcepttocontent.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Dog Food Allergy: The Elimination Diet<\/a> by Elizabeth Anderson Lopez<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Dog Food Allergy: The Elimination Diet<\/a> by Elizabeth Anderson Lopez<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n \u201cFoods with limited ingredients<\/strong> are a good place to start,\u201d says Judy Morgan DVM, CVA, CVCP, CVFT. \u201cStart with a \u2018novel\u2019 protein, meaning one your dog has not eaten in the past. Rabbit, duck, pork or fish tend to be good choices. Rabbit is one of the least allergenic. Some people will use venison or lamb. New foods are hitting the market with very novel proteins such as alligator, emu and llama. But owners also have to look at the secondary ingredients. If the initial food contained peas or other legumes, the new food should contain a different starch \u2014 maybe potatoes or oats or brown rice.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s also what\u2019s called a hydrolyzed protein diet<\/strong>. \u201cThese diets usually have hydrolyzed proteins in which the proteins are broken down into very small pieces and are able to elude the immune system,\u201d says Megan McGlinn, VMD.<\/p>\n Defining an elimination diet is the easy part. It can take a bit of sleuthing to determine which food is the problem. But that sleuthing shouldn\u2019t be considered a DIY project \u2014 your veterinarian should be your lead detective.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of pet owners do it on their own but they don\u2019t do it methodically, so they just keep switching diets,\u201d cautions Cailin Heinze, VMD, MS, DACVN, board-certified veterinary nutritionist. \u201cIf pet owners are worried the issues are food related, try one diet with different ingredients. If that doesn\u2019t make a difference, they should then work with their vets.\u201d<\/p>\n Like many other things in life, this doesn\u2019t have a one-size-fits-all solution. \u201cThere is no one best dog food for food allergies. It is dependent on the dog and will vary on a case by case basis,\u201d Dr. McGlinn says, also endorsing you get your veterinarian\u2019s recommendation based on your dog\u2019s health history.<\/p>\n And it may not be quick. \u201cA true elimination diet can take months to determine what the dog can tolerate,\u201d according to Dr. Morgan.<\/p>\n The good news is that once it has been determined that diet helped resolve the issue, the diet that works can be fed long-term, says Camille Torres, DVM, DABVP-Canine\/Feline.<\/p>\n The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where Dr. Heinze is an adjunct associate professor, has a detailed handout for clients about the elimination diet process and includes the checklist below. It provides an overview of what you\u2019ll be looking at before and during the diet trial, which is often six to 12 weeks.<\/p>\n Before starting the diet trial, go through the following checklist. Be very strict during the trial in order to get accurate results.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll notice treats don\u2019t appear on the list, but Tufts has your dog\u2019s back. Again, check with your vet based on your dog\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n Thumbnail: Photography \u00a9PoulCarlsen | Getty Images<\/p>\n Elizabeth Anderson Lopez is an award-winning writer based in Lake Forest, California. She and her husband have many pets, including two English Bull Terrier rescues named Dexter and Maybelene. You can contact her at\u00a0fromconcepttocontent.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Dog Food Allergy: The Elimination Diet<\/a> by Elizabeth Anderson Lopez<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nEnsuring an accurate elimination diet trial<\/h3>\n
![\"✔\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/11.2.0\/72x72\/2714.png\")
Make sure all family members understand the \u201cOK to feed\u201d and \u201cdo not feed\u201d foods.<\/p>\n Ask your primary care veterinarian about alternatives for any flavored medications (including chewable heartworm preventives), medications in gelatin capsules and flavored toothpaste.<\/p>\n Discontinue feeding all table foods, commercial treats, rawhides, and other edible chews and flavored toys.<\/p>\n Make sure that your pet will not have access to other pets\u2019 bowls or other food sources.<\/p>\n Wash your pet\u2019s bowl thoroughly.<\/p>\n You can set aside some of your pet\u2019s diet and put it in a clean treat jar to give as if they were special treats. In addition, you can bake the prescribed canned novel or hydrolyzed diets into small cookies to give as treats.<\/p>\n If feeding a novel ingredient diet, you can make homemade treats using only the ingredients in the diet. For example, if your pet is eating a diet containing salmon and potato, he or she can be fed small amounts of cooked salmon or potato as treats if they stay within the recommended treat allowance and are compatible with any other nutrient goals.<\/p>\nAbout the\u00a0author<\/a>:<\/h3>\n
Learn more about dog health care at\u00a0dogster.com<\/a>:<\/h3>\n
\n
\nEnsuring an accurate elimination diet trial<\/h3>\n
Make sure all family members understand the \u201cOK to feed\u201d and \u201cdo not feed\u201d foods.<\/p>\n Ask your primary care veterinarian about alternatives for any flavored medications (including chewable heartworm preventives), medications in gelatin capsules and flavored toothpaste.<\/p>\n Discontinue feeding all table foods, commercial treats, rawhides, and other edible chews and flavored toys.<\/p>\n Make sure that your pet will not have access to other pets\u2019 bowls or other food sources.<\/p>\n Wash your pet\u2019s bowl thoroughly.<\/p>\n You can set aside some of your pet\u2019s diet and put it in a clean treat jar to give as if they were special treats. In addition, you can bake the prescribed canned novel or hydrolyzed diets into small cookies to give as treats.<\/p>\n If feeding a novel ingredient diet, you can make homemade treats using only the ingredients in the diet. For example, if your pet is eating a diet containing salmon and potato, he or she can be fed small amounts of cooked salmon or potato as treats if they stay within the recommended treat allowance and are compatible with any other nutrient goals.<\/p>\nAbout the\u00a0author<\/a>:<\/h3>\n
Learn more about dog health care at\u00a0dogster.com<\/a>:<\/h3>\n
\n