Cat Food Allergies Symptoms

Affected cats may develop recurrent infections of both the skin and ears.
Cat food allergies symptoms. Cat food allergy symptoms. As a pet owner your first step should be recognizing common cat food allergy symptoms. The only way to diagnose a food allergy is to feed your cat a prescription or hydrolyzed protein diet exclusively for 12 weeks that means no flavored medications or treats. Symptoms in cats and dogs.
Other times cats have prolonged issues from steady exposure to something in their regular diet. However unlike seasonal or environmental allergies cat food allergies are much more difficult for a veterinarian to diagnose and treat because there is no accurate fast diagnostic test. Cats can develop food allergies at any age and whether they have been eating the same food for years or have recently started eating something new. If your pet has a food allergy you may notice.
If your cat has food allergies or food intolerance you may notice some of the following signs. Symptoms of food allergy in cats irritated itchy skin that does not respond to steroid treatment. Food allergies can develop at any time during a cat s life typically causing chronic year round itching and skin inflammation. The main symptoms of food allergies in cats are as follows.
Food allergies in pets can begin at any age. About 10 of allergic cats have a food allergy. Only 10 15 percent of all cat allergic reactions are caused by food. Food allergy refers to an allergic reaction to a protein found within food.
An allergic cat will typically display the following symptoms. Cat food allergy is common in pets and most frequently cats are allergic to foods such as corn beef or soy. While chicken is the most common protein allergy for cats some may also be allergic to fish beef lamb and or pork. Irritated itchy skin can happen.
Consider using grain free food options with single source proteins. If your cat vomits frequently has diarrhea irritated skin a poor coat condition or hair loss then she may have a food allergy. This diet will be free of potential allergy causing ingredients and will ideally have ingredients your cat has never been exposed to before. When ruling out food allergies it is best to start with protein sources.
Food allergies in cats are quite common and happen when your cat is sensitized to a particular food which causes reactions within the antibody structure. Symptoms of food allergies in cats can vary in severity. The symptoms of cat food allergy are similar to other types of allergies. Also known as allergic dermatitis this is the most common type of allergy in pets.
The most common symptoms of a food allergy or food intolerance are digestive upset or skin irritation. To diagnose a food allergy your cat must be fed either a novel ingredient diet e g duck and potato or a hydrolyzed food and nothing else but water for six to eight weeks.