How Do You Know If Your Cat Has A Food Allergy

The end result of this response can be itchy skin or ear and skin infections in some pets while. Diarrhea can happen immediately after eating or start over time but is almost always caused by your cats food.

What Every Pet Owner Should Know About Food Allergies Clinical Nutrition Service At Cummings School

You may notice a cat allergy based on the timing of your symptoms.

How do you know if your cat has a food allergy. Some cats may have allergies to certain foods. If your vet suspects your cat has an allergy to cat food they will probably recommend an exclusion diet trial. Some people are allergic to some cats but not others as all cats produce their own individual amount of cat allergens.

Cats with food allergies typically develop skin or gastrointestinal symptoms sometimes both. Your veterinarian can help you find out which foods are irritating your cat and create an. The foods most commonly associated with food allergies in cats include beef fish chicken and dairy products.

Some cats also show their discomfort by excessively licking around their rectum or scooting. This is where you will temporarily feed your cat a bland hypoallergenic diet where the proteins in any ingredients are so small they cant or very rarely cause an allergic reaction. As long as the cat eats chicken it will also have diarrhea.

In order for a cat to develop a food allergy the food must be one to which the cat has been previously exposed. A cat allergy can cause symptoms such as red eyes and sneezing. Food allergies occur when an animals immune system misidentifies a protein from a food as an invader rather than a food item and mounts an immune response.

Some cats develop both skin and digestive symptoms. The most noticeable one is persistent diarrhea. 6 Watery Eyes Eye discharge and itchiness is a common symptom in cats exposed to environmental allergens.

He or she will initially do a complete history and physical exam for your cat to determine the source of the allergies. An animal cannot develop an allergy to a food that it has not been exposed to. Hives also known as urticaria may pop up 6 to 24 hours after your dog eats the food they are allergic to.

If your dog has short hair these itchy red bumps are easier to see. This can cause skin itchiness vomiting or diarrhea. If the symptoms disappear during that time your cat has a food allergy.

Skin rash or hives. If a cat develops a food allergy it will also display symptoms. Diarrhea can also be caused by food allergies and is one of the first signs owners have that something is wrong.

Itching hair loss redness and irritation of the skin and chewing at the paws or tail may all also be seen in a cat with allergies. 1 These symptoms are very common in cats with flea food and other environmental allergies. Those signs can include vomiting diarrhea flatulence loss of.

Cats with food allergies may also suffer from frequent bouts of vomiting diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. If your vet suspects your cat has allergies he might want to perform blood tests or experiment with your kittys diet to narrow down the cause. They might not have an episode after every meal but vomiting or having loose stools a few times every week is cause for concern.

This type of diarrhea is maintained by the presence of the allergen the chicken. If a food allergy is indeed suspected the specific allergen should be identified and removed from the animals diet. The first sign of your cat having food allergy is the presence of gut sounds.

To diagnose a food allergy your cat must be fed either a novel ingredient diet eg duck and potato or a hydrolyzed food and nothing else but water for six to eight weeks. The most common food allergens for cats are chicken beef dairy egg and fish. While your cat is having food allergy it is more likely to have some gut sounds.

For many people the signs are more subtle and it can be tricky to identify the cause of your allergic reaction particularly if your symptoms are triggered by another factor. Cats most commonly develop food allergies between the ages of 2 and 6 and must be repeatedly exposed to the offending allergen for example by eating it every day to develop signs of a problem. Many cats develop itchy skin or recurrent ear infections while others develop vomiting and diarrhea.

A cat of any age can be affected and it can occur in a cat that has been on the same diet for years When the signs appear a cat should receive prompt veterinary care. These allergies can be triggered by direct exposure to cats or by indirect exposure through fabric or air.

Feline Allergies Types Symptoms Diagnosis And Treatment Petcoach