P E T N U TR ITIO N
Food Allergy vs.
Food Sensitivity?
How can you tell the difference – and does it really matter anyway? by Dave summers, Ph.D.
Although the incidence of food Allergy vs. Sensitivity allergies in dogs and cats is statistically The most common symptoms of a low, a growing number of pets seem food allergy are: digestive problems including loose stools or chronic to be developing problems that correct diarrhea; inflammation of the skin with a change in diet. Let’s look into causing itching; hair loss; hot spots what you should be watching for and or chewing between the toes; runny your best solutions. eyes; or ear infections. A food
allergy is an immune response, most often to a protein from a particular ingredient in the food. The recommended treatment for a food allergy is to switch to a food with a limited number of protein-containing ingredients, and to ensure the protein ingredients in it are different from those in the previous food. A food sensitivity is defined as an adverse reaction to any food substance. The most common symptoms of a food sensitivity are: digestive problems including loose stools or chronic diarrhea; inflammation of the skin causing itching, hair loss, hot spots, or chewing between the toes; runny eyes; or ear infections. The recommended treatment for a food sensitivity is to switch to a food with a limited number of ingredients, and to ensure as many of the ingredients as possible in it are different from those in the previous food. As I’m sure you noticed, the symptoms and the treatment of a food allergy and a food sensitivity have a lot in common! There are differences between a food allergy and a food sensitivity that are of importance and of interest to a veterinarian or a scientist, but to you and your pet, do the differences really matter? Probably not. For too long I’ve felt the advice given to pet owners has concentrated
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too much on protein because of its association with a food allergy. Looking at alternative foods from a food-sensitivity standpoint can help solve more of the previously perceived food-allergy problems. The only difference is a food allergy concentrates on changing the protein ingredients in the food and a food sensitivity concentrates on changing all the ingredients in the food.
Where to start? First, you need to know all the ingredients your pet has been consuming, including those in its food, treats and supplemental foods. Next, you have to look for alternative foods that have different ingredients than those in the foods and treats you were previously feeding. Trying to change all the ingredients does pose a problem because so many of the minor inclusion or low addition rate ingredients, such as vitamins, are common to most foods. The most practical solution is to first concentrate on changing the major ingredients. In most foods this would mean all the ingredients that come before salt in the ingredient list. Switching to foods with a limited number of major ingredients is favored because having fewer ingredients means there is less chance of having the offending ingredient or ingredients in the new food. There are many good limited-ingredient foods at veterinarian clinics and specialty pet food stores like Pet Valu. The most appropriate single food is one sold by veterinarians that uses a hydrolyzed protein as its only protein source. The advantage of