Canine diet and cutaneous adverse food reactions

Veterinary nurses who provide nutritional advice to clients with pruritic dogs are faced with an ever-increasing array of low-allergy diets. Selection of a diet can be difficult because each animal's requirements are unique. However, as most itchy dogs should be food-trialled at some stage in the work-up of their skin disease, it is important to be able to guide clients about the best diet for their pet. Recent studies have demonstrated that the selection of an appropriate diet and client education around the diagnosis and treatment of their pet's condition aids compliance (Tiffany et al, 2019), and hence increases the chances of establishing a diagnosis.

A diagnosis of cutaneous adverse food reaction (CAFR) should be included on every list of pruritic skin diseases in the dog. While CAFR can affect any age or breed of dog, the literature does suggest some predispositions. Although CAFR has been recorded in dogs as old as 13 years, it is generally seen in much younger animals. About 22–38% of dogs start with clinical signs between 6 and 12 months of age (Olivry and Mueller, 2019), suggesting that dogs with CAFR tend to present at a slightly younger age than those with canine atopic dermatitis—although there is overlap between the two diseases. The Labrador, golden retriever, West Highland white terrier and German shepherd dogs account for about 40% of those affected (Olivry and Mueller, 2019).