Year 2025, Volume 10, Issue 1
| Year : | 2025 |
| Volume : | 10 |
| Issue : | 1 |
| Authors : | Grace HANDLOS, Cierra CROWELL, Amer ABUGHAZALEH |
| Title : | FOOD ALLERGIES IN DOGS AND CATS: A BRIEF REVIEW |
| Abstract : | Food allergies (FA) in companion animals can affect pet health and cause concern for their caretakers. Pet owners maintain emotional bonds with their pets, therefore emphasizing the importance of well-being in their companions. However, successful diagnosis and treatment of FA remains inconsistent due to lack of consensus among scientifically based literature articles. Therefore, this work aims to improve general reader knowledge by reviewing various crucial aspects of FA, including terminology, clinical signs, risk factors, known allergens, treatment management, and prognosis. Use of proper terminology encourages accurate diagnoses by limiting confusion between various conditions, particularly given food intolerances (such as toxicity) can be misdiagnosed for immune-related reactions because clinical signs may appear similar at times. Symptoms of FA may be expressed as dermatological or gastrointestinal, ranging in afflicted area, severity and appearance. Diet composition, life stage, genetics, species (canine or feline), and the gut microbiome may contribute to FA prevalence. Food allergens provoke a physiological immune response, which can be activated acutely or chronically. Common pet diet ingredients associated with inducing FA symptoms include beef, dairy, chicken and fish. Although prognoses for FA are good when the offending dietary component is successfully removed from the pet food, care must be taken to address additional contributing factors, such as flea and mite prevention. Natural hyposensitization rarely occurs and future episodes of FA are possible after diet adaptation. Future work should seek to establish standardized diagnostic protocols for FA as well as to methodically investigate the links between risk factors and FA occurrence. |
| Keywords : | Food allergies, pet nutrition, hypersensitivity, atopic dermatitis. |
ISSN 2490-3434 (Printed)
ISSN 2490-3442 (Online)
ISSN 2490-3442 (Online)
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