Diet Trials

Pets may be diagnosed with allergic dermatitis or recurrent otitis (ear infections) potentially due to cutaneous adverse food reaction (dietary hypersensitivity or intolerance). The clinical signs include recurrent ear or skin infections, and/or year round itchiness. Ideally for the most effective and fastest results, we often recommend  Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein (HP), a prescription hypoallergenic, hydrolyzed diet or Royal Canin Ultamino. The most common food intolerances we see are to the protein in the food. For canines, it’s most commonly seen with chicken, beef and lamb. For felines, it’s most commonly seen with chicken, beef and fish.   

If a prescription diet is not an option, an alternative first step to determine the diagnosis is an 8-12 week dietary trial with a single novel protein diet (venison, bison, rabbit, for example) or a hydrolyzed protein diet. If you are trying an over-the-counter diet please make sure the ingredients on the back of the bag do not include the mentioned proteins. Oftentimes the front of the bag advertises a single protein, but there are still additional proteins (like chicken) in these diets since they are not prescription. There is also a chance of cross contamination in over-the-counter brands and in most cases if the pet is not responding to an over-the-counter diet, we still consider a prescription diet as the best option. 

The diet trial is a diagnostic test that must be done without error. Therefore, it is crucial to follow this diet flawlessly.

• Feed the recommended diet strictly for a minimum of 8 weeks.

• During the diet trial, your pet cannot be given any of the following:

  • treats (other than what your doctor has recommended)

  • table scraps

  • animal byproducts

  • flavored chews or medications

• Improvement in your pet's dermatitis will be a slow process. Do not expect results overnight and do not give up too soon!

Food sensitivities can be aggravating as they are very trial and error in our pets. Our main goal is to decrease the amount of infections and flare ups our pets have.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. As always, we’re here for you and your pets.