DIAGNOSING AND MANAGING THE FOOD-ALLERGIC DOG

Food allergy is one of the potential causes of pruritus in dogs. It is important to remember that several other clinical signs can be associ ated with food allergy, including seborrhea, recurrent otitis externa, recurrent pyoderma, and recurrent Malassezia infections. The diagnosi s of food allergy has been aided considerably by the recent developmen t of good commercial elimination diets that obviate the need for home cooking. Convincing owners or the necessity of feeding their dogs an e limination diet and the subsequent provocative test remain the most di fficult tasks associated with the diagnosis of food allergy.