Welcome back to allergy awareness month here at Liberty Vet. Sydney once again, and this week I want to go into greater depth on food allergies.  If your dog or cat is anything like me, they love food!  Just about any food too, we aren't that picky.  But just like in humans, not all foods agree with us. For pets, it's mainly the protein source that can cause havoc on our bodies.  You know the signs:  skin or ear infections causing red and itchy skin, even vomiting or diarrhea.

     Since there are so many varieties of dog and cat foods out there, with a variety of ingredients, it is best to seek professional help.  Trying to figure out if it's the chicken, beef, pork, milk, eggs, or fish (whew!) that is the culprit is too much to manage on your own.  Your veterinarian is a great place to start. They will work with you and your pet to determine what ingredient is the problem.  Most likely it will be a dietary food trial to pin point which ingredient is the problem.  Once they know which one it is, they can give suggestions on the proper food to feed your pet.  Liberty Vet, for example, carries Royal Canin dog and cat food that has specific blends for allergy diets.  Once you've got your pet on the right diet, and there is no more scratching or biting, they will be dancing for joy!  Or spinning in circles, we like to do that too.

     So, stay alert and watch the signs your pet gives you.  And if you suspect a food allergy please reach out to your vet for help.  Speaking of food, it's dinner time for me.  I can't miss that, but I'll be back next week here on Libertyvet.net to talk about inhaled allergies (achoo!).  Until then, eat responsibly my friends!

Now for some word search fun!