A food allergy or intolerance in a dog or cat: what's the difference?

Does your dog or cat often vomit, have diarrhea or itch and scratch a lot? Chances are this is due to certain ingredient(s) in your pet's food. This is caused by a food allergy or intolerance. Many people think these terms have the same meaning, but nothing could be further from the truth. Both are considered food hypersensitivities and although the physical symptoms in pets are fairly similar, food allergies or food intolerances cause different reactions in the body. In this blog, we will explore the differences.

The difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance

In both a food allergy and a food intolerance, a dog or cat does not react well to the food the animal is currently receiving. Although the symptoms are fairly similar (making it difficult to tell whether it is a food allergy or a food intolerance), in a food intolerance the animal suffers primarily from gastrointestinal and/or intestinal problems. With a food allergy, dogs or cats often suffer from skin and coat problems. Symptoms may include excessive shedding or a lot of dander, but the animal may also be itchy and start scratching until red or balding develops. Sometimes the dog or cat may even be itchy to the point that it scratches its skin, causing scabs.

In a food allergy, the dog or cat's immune system always reacts. In most cases, the dog or cat's body reacts to a certain protein in the food, then the animal's body produces histamine in response to the protein. The production of histamine causes itching, red skin, vasodilation (= dilation) of blood vessels and possibly swelling, among other things. The most common proteins in pet foods that cause allergic reactions in dogs or cats are beef, chicken, wheat (gluten), dairy products, eggs and soy. These are called allergens.

In a food intolerance, a dog or cat's body reacts unusually to a particular ingredient, but the immune system is not involved. Thus, no histamine is produced either. In this case, the certain substances in the food to which the animal reacts are not called allergens but triggers. With a food intolerance, the dog's or cat's body is unable to digest a certain substance, so the animal may experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain and/or diarrhea.

How does a food allergy occur in a dog or cat?

Although a food allergy often occurs in young animals less than a year old, a dog or cat does not have to be allergic to a particular protein from an early age. In fact, the animal's body can build up an allergic reaction later in life as well. So it may be that your dog or cat has been fed the same food for years without getting an allergic reaction to it, but after a few years he still develops a food allergy to a particular protein in the food. In fact, most food allergies are developed to ingredients that the animal ingests more frequently. The chances of a dog or cat reacting to a new protein source (that is, the animal has never had the protein source before) are very small. Heredity can also play a role in food allergies.

How do you find out what your dog or cat is reacting to?

It is difficult to diagnose food allergy or intolerance because the symptoms associated with a food allergy or intolerance also occur with other conditions. Think fleas, parasites or a variety of other allergies. Nevertheless, it is possible to find out exactly what the dog or cat is reacting to. For example, a veterinarian can perform an allergy screening through blood and hair tests. Another option is to put the dog or cat on an elimination diet. An elimination diet involves giving the animal food consisting of only one protein source, which the animal should be fed for at least six weeks. If the dog or cat still reacts well to the food after these six weeks, the animal is not allergic to the protein source in the elimination diet. If the symptoms are not over and your pet reacts badly to the food, then the animal is probably allergic to the protein source processed in the diet. If this is the case, the idea is to put the dog or cat back on an elimination diet that incorporates a different protein source. You repeat this process until you find a food that your pet responds well to.

Important! Keep in mind that during the elimination diet, all foods given to the animal must contain only one and the same protein source. So this applies to dry food and wet food, but also definitely to snacks or other snacks. Do you want to give your four-legged friend a snack? Then only give him a snack that contains only the same protein source as the elimination diet.

Hypoallergenic food

When the results of the vet's allergy screening show which ingredients your pet reacts to, you can look for a food free of these allergens. This also applies to the elimination diet: if your dog or cat reacts well to the particular protein source after 6 weeks of the elimination diet, you can continue to give this food or look for a food that contains the ingredients your pet reacts well to.

Often hypoallergenic foods are best suited for food allergies or intolerances. These are foods that are low in allergens, significantly reducing the chances of an adverse reaction. Hypoallergenic dog or cat food has several definitions. For example, hypoallergenic foods may consist of only one (animal) protein source, or they may be formulated with unique protein sources or hydrolyzed protein sources. In the blogs "What is hypoallergenic dog food?" and "The benefits of hypoallergenic cat food," we discuss these different definitions in more detail.

Always look at the ingredient list

When you are looking for a suitable food for your dog or cat with a food allergy or intolerance, make sure you always carefully read the ingredient list of the food. When a food is hypoallergenic, the manufacturer always mentions this on the packaging. Because a dog or cat with a food allergy may react to even a small amount of protein in the food, it is important that you choose a food with an open declaration of the list of ingredients. This means that all nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and trace elements) are present in the correct proportion and listed on the packaging. In the blog "Dog food, what exactly is in it?" we give you some tips on what to look for when reading the ingredient lists of pet foods.

It is important not to be misled by certain text. For example, a package may say 'with beef', but when you look at the list of ingredients, it may still contain animal proteins other than beef, making the food unsuitable for your dog or cat with a food allergy or intolerance. Another term to watch out for with pets who have a food allergy or intolerance is "meat and/or animal by-products. When this is listed on the package, it is not clear which protein source is used in the food. Not helpful if your pet is sensitive to a particular protein source....

Please note that dogs or cats with a food allergy or intolerance can only react to the proteins in food and not to fats (because they do not contain proteins). For example, is your dog or cat hypersensitive to chicken and the food is free of chicken protein, but contains chicken or poultry fat? Then your dog or cat can still eat this food without suffering from its allergy or intolerance.

Why choose Riverwood dog or cat food?

The main ingredient of Riverwood dog food and Riverwood cat food is the meat from three hypoallergenic unique protein sources (note: in the case of the cat foods, only the Outdoor, Derma and Sterilized varieties are hypoallergenic). Due to the high meat percentage, the foods have high digestibility. In addition, all Riverwood dog and cat foods are completely grain- and gluten-free and the foods are made complete with a selection of fresh fruits, vegetables and a rich blend of potent herbs. Thus, Riverwood's hypoallergenic dog and cat foods are suitable for and ideal for pets with food allergies or intolerances.

In addition to dry foods, Riverwood also has a range of canned foods for dogs, namely the Mono Protein canned wet foods. These canned wet foods contain as much as 70% meat from, as the name implies, only one protein source. This makes this wet food great for selective diets resulting from food allergies or intolerances.

Riverwood also has a wide range of natural meat strips and trainers, reward snacks and natural chew snacks. Most of these snacks are formulated with unique protein sources and some snacks even contain only one protein source. In the composition of the products you can find which ingredients are used in the snacks, so you can determine if the snack is suitable for your dog with a food allergy or intolerance.

Do you doubt whether a particular food is suitable for your dog or cat or do you have any other questions? Do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to help you!

Many pets already enjoy Riverwood every day. Would you like your dog or cat to enjoy our delicious foods and are you curious which variety would suit your dog or cat best? Then answer some questions about your dog here or your cat here and order an inexpensive sample pack.