Using a cat food allergy elimination diet is a great way to find out what your cat’s food allergy is, and how to treat it. A diet can help your cat avoid eating the foods that cause allergies, and can help your cat get back to feeling healthy again.
Symptoms of food allergies in cats
Symptoms of food allergies in cats can vary, but the symptoms are usually itchy skin. Chronic itching is common and can be a sign of a yeast or bacterial infection as well as a food allergy. The symptoms can last for years or even a lifetime.
If your cat has symptoms of food allergies, the first thing to do is to avoid the suspect food. If you can’t avoid it, consider an elimination diet. This involves removing suspect proteins from the diet and monitoring the cat’s response. This will help you discover what the problem is.
If the cat does not improve within 12 weeks, the diet trial is considered over. However, you should talk with your veterinarian before attempting an elimination diet on your own. This will help you determine the best way to treat your cat’s food allergy.
Symptoms of food allergies in cats will usually begin to improve within a few days of removing the suspected allergen from the diet. It’s important to watch for re-occurrences of symptoms.
A typical diet includes home-cooked meals or alternative protein sources. Cats can also be allergic to grasses, wheat, corn, and dairy products.
It is important to keep a record of your cat’s symptoms at home. This can help you determine the cause of the allergy. The dietary history should also include details of the pet food, treats, and medications your cat has been on.
Diagnosing a food allergy in your cat
Managing a cat’s food allergy requires that you feed him the right diet and avoid the source of the problem. An elimination diet trial will show you what foods your cat is allergic to.
A food allergy is a condition that causes gastrointestinal and skin symptoms. The symptoms may be mild and last only a few days. However, if the allergic reaction is severe, it can be life threatening.
In order to find out if your cat has a food allergy, your veterinarian may prescribe an elimination diet trial. This involves eliminating the source of the allergen from your pet’s diet and then slowly reintroducing the original ingredients.
An elimination diet trial may take a few weeks to several months to complete. During the elimination diet, your cat will only eat foods that your veterinarian recommends. Symptoms will usually decrease during this time and improve once the allergy is eliminated. It’s important to continue the trial until it’s done.
An elimination diet is the most reliable method for diagnosing a food allergy in your cat. In fact, it’s the only method that has been proven to work.
The main advantage of an elimination diet is that it’s simple to do. A few ingredients can be introduced to the diet one at a time and monitored for a couple of weeks.
Treating a food allergy in your cat
Changing your cat’s diet is the most common way to treat a food allergy. However, it can be a lengthy and challenging process. A veterinarian can help you with this.
First, your veterinarian will conduct an examination. He will ask you about the pet’s diet and other recent changes. He will also ask you about skin irritations and other reactions. You should keep a record of these symptoms at home.
Once the veterinarian has determined that the cat has a food allergy, he will recommend an elimination diet. This diet will consist of foods that your cat has not eaten before. This is a trial diet that lasts for at least four weeks. The vet may suggest you try a different type of carb or protein every week.
Once you have completed the trial diet, your veterinarian will recommend you begin a second trial. This can be another type of diet or a different brand. You can also try switching to different brands of food, but you will have to follow the recommendations of your vet.
This second trial should last for at least a month. If your cat continues to have an allergic reaction to the new diet, you will need to stop feeding it for at least one month.