Providing The Best Of Care For Your Pets
Have you been thinking that recently when it comes to your pet, you find that you are so frustrated? You have discovered the annoyance of the licking or itching and scratching that seems to never end lately with your pet. Or maybe, your pet has been licking themselves and itching so bad that they now have bald patches of fur or sore spots on their skin. Finally, after many nights of lost sleep, because all you hear is the obnoxious licking or scratching, you decide to take your pet to the veterinarian. After a few visits and minimal improvement, your veterinarian may have diagnosed your pet with food allergies.
Food Allergies can be a sad and frustrating thing for pet owners! When it comes to getting control of the food allergies, it can sometimes be an exhausting and expensive process. I have been blessed with two of my dogs having food allergies. Let’s talk about what to do (and what not to do) when your pet has been diagnosed with food allergies, and how to cope with the changes.
Not only is it disappointing to hear your pet has food allergies, but it can also be quite a shock to your finances. There is the expense of handling secondary issues such as the skin or ear infections going on, plus the expense of the medications and new food. Although the process is overwhelming and can be frustrating, it is imperative to follow your veterinarians’ recommendations. You also must be comfortable enough to talk to your veterinarian if you have any kind of reservations, physical or financial limitations so your veterinarian can work with you to find solutions.
Likely, your veterinarian will need to work with you on getting your pet on a different type of food. This can be the hardest part about the whole experience with food allergies, is first determining what your pet is reacting to. Likely there will be a process of elimination that you have to go through to figure out the ingredients that your pet is reacting to. This could be a long process, as veterinarians say there is not a reliable allergy test for pets with food allergies to determine what they are allergic to.
According to veterinarypartner.com, it can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks to get the effects of your pets’ former diet out of their system. In addition to changing food, there may be a lot of things that need to change with the family and environment at home. This can be the most discouraging part of the whole process, is the time and expense of trying to figure out what your pet is reacting to. Do NOT cut corners in this process and once again it is important to follow your veterinarians’ exact recommendations to ensure you can get things corrected as quickly as possible.
Let’s face it, one of the major ways we show love to our pets is by giving them treats, whether it be small bits of people food or crunchy biscuits, and there is nothing wrong with this until your pet has food allergies.
To ensure success, you will need to evaluate your pet’s home and living environment to eliminate any chances of them eating or chewing on something they shouldn’t. Here are some things to consider:
When your pet is on their special diet, the veterinarian will tell you that it is imperative they are fed NOTHING ELSE during this time. This is to make sure you can determine the diet is working for your pet. If your pet even eats even a fingernail-sized amount of food that they are allergic to, their body will react.
Is your pet on any medications? This is where some mistakes can happen.
Does your pet have a favorite chew toy or treat? Make sure all treats, chew toys, or ANYTHING ELSE that goes in your pet’s mouth does not contain ingredients your pet may be allergic to. Make a list of everything your pet eats or chews on and you can go over this with your veterinarian. This includes rawhide bones, bully sticks, and any other sort of flavored bone or chew toy on the market.
Imagine the feeling when you first start a new diet or try to eliminate something bad out of your regular diet. People usually tend to go a little crazy for the first few days and may even want that food even more now that they know they cannot have it. In a way, your pet may react in the same manner to a change in their food! They are not dumb, they know when we are holding out on them! Just be prepared for your pet to do things to get food that they may not have done in the past.
Just because your pet has been diagnosed with food allergies doesn’t mean it is the end of the world for them! There are many things you and the family can do to adapt to the pet’s new dietary limitations:
The most important thing to remember is that food allergies can be managed well once they are properly diagnosed and under control. My pups were diagnosed with food allergies when they were 2-3 years of age, and they are now 9 and 12 years old. They have lived happy lives, get plenty of treats, and once we figured out their dietary restrictions, they are hardly ever miserable with itching and scratching. We found proper treats for them and made sure there were always treats for when visitors came over. We taught them to “go to their bed” at dinnertime.
With these small changes and a lot of love, we adapted to the situation and have hardly had any problems. It can be a long process to get allergies under control, but the good news is there are many medications, natural solutions, products, supplies, and dietary changes that can be made so your pet can live a happy, comfortable, itch-free life!
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