Food Elimination Trial Instructions
Your pet is exhibiting clinical signs that could be consistent with an adverse reaction to food. This adverse reaction may be a food allergy, or your pet could be intolerant to a component of its current diet. Food allergies develop over time and are usually caused by something your pet commonly eats rather than by a recently introduced food. Changing to another brand of pet food rarely helps as many ingredients are common to many pet foods. Many over the counter diets have also been found to be contaminated with additional ingredients, despite their label claim. For this reason, we are recommending that you feed your pet one of the following diets for the next 8 to 12 weeks:
- Royal Canin - Hydrolyzed Protein HP Prescription Diet
- Royal Canin - Ultamino® Prescription Diet
Feed the amount indicated on the packaging for your pet’s weight unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian. If your pet is gaining or losing weight, adjust the amount accordingly. Slowly introduce the new diet—mix it with your pet’s current diet before switching over completely.
Switching Foods
In order to avoid a digestive upset, please make the diet change from the current diet to the new diet gradually over a week, according to the chart and diagram below. The food trail begins once your pet is eating the new diet exclusively.
Common Food Trial Pitfalls
The hallmark or a successful food is feeding only the prescribed diet for the required period of time. There are many pitfalls that can occur during a food allergy trial. These pitfalls must be avoided or the food allergy trial will be inconclusive. Without a proper food allergy trial, you and your veterinarian will be unable to determine whether your dog does indeed have food allergies.
It is important that NOTHING else is to pass the pet’s lips EXCEPT FOR the prescribed diet during the food elimination trial.
For greater clarity: this means no flavored vitamin supplements, chew toys, commercial treats (bones, pig ears, rawhide chews, biscuits), snacks and table scraps. You may use the new diet as a treats. For example, you can use some kibble as a treat if you use a dry formulation. If a canned diet is fed, you can either make meatballs by rolling the food in your hands or bake slices into dry cookies. In doubt, please ask us about other acceptable treats that can be used during the duration of the food trial (slices of dried sweet potato treats, carrots, broccoli, apples etc.)
Do not use bread, cheese, Pill Pockets, sausages or meat to disguise oral medications. You can use the canned diet (if available) to make hand-rolled meatballs, or vegan marshmallows (you can usually purchase these at Trader Joe’s or other organic food stores).
All family members and visitors should comply with the food trial.
Eating another pet’s food or feces will disrupt the food trial. Try to monitor the pets or separate the pets when they are fed. Stools will need to be picked up and bagged immediately. Put cat food out of the dog’s reach or feed cats in a separate room. Avoid or stop free feeding all pets in the household in order to control food access.
If you are conducting a food trial on a Cat, ideally they should be kept indoors during the food trial to prevent hunting.
If your pet receives a flavored medication (chewable heartworm/ flea pills; flavored antibiotics; flavored vitamin, mineral, joint or coat supplement), please have those changed to non-flavored form or a topical medication applied to the skin between the shoulder blades (Revolution, Advantage Multi)
Make sure you have enough food for a minimum of 8 weeks. It is important not to have breaks during the food trial in order to have the best results.
Please contact us if you notice any of the following:
- The change of diet causes vomiting or diarrhea.
- Your pet refuses to eat the new diet.
- Your pet goes more than 3 days without a bowel movement.
- Your pet appears to lose weight.
Food Trial
It may take 6 to 8 weeks to see any improvement in your pet, especially if your pet has been diagnosed with concurrent problems. Please don’t lose hope—Please call us with any questions you might have. Be aware that a complete food trial can take 12 to 16 weeks, so your patience and persistence are needed.
We will want to reassess your pet at the 4 and 8 week mark after starting the food trail.
Please give us an update each week by phone or email. (618) 207-4000 [email protected]
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Other Observations |
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