The hairs of dogs and cats can cause allergic reactions among sensitive or asthmatic humans. But these dogs and cats can also suffer similar allergic reactions. One of the identified causes of pet allergies is food.

Some ingredients mixed in the pet food or in the human food which is given to pets may have cause the allergy. Vets have identified that these may produce the allergy:
• Dairy products
• Soy, wheat and similar food
• Sources of carbohydrates
• Processed meat products
• Additives such as
• Preservatives
• Food coloring
• Food flavoring

The symptoms of a possible allergy are varied. That is, the symptoms will lead the owner to believe that the pet is suffering from another illness and not from a certain food allergy. Still the presence of these symptoms must warn the owner that the dog and cat are having allergic reactions to the food given to them:

• The presence of sores – but this may not always show
• Unexplained irritation – that makes the pet (especially cats) less approachable
• Occurrence of a non-specific itch – indicating that something is not right inside their bodies
• Massive loss of hair – something that should sufficiently alarm the owner
• Vomiting – especially in cats, which throw up food, liquid, and hairballs. The vomited hairballs are pretty good signs that the cat has allergy.

To accurately diagnose the food allergy, the owner must bring the dog or cat to the veterinarian. The animal doctor will conduct skin tests and blood tests. So far, only these two kinds of procedures are available to determine an allergy. But sometimes, the results of these procedures do not accurately indicate an allergy.

The treatment of food allergy among dogs and cats can be viewed as an experiment or a “trial and error” process. That is, the owner must take stock of the kind of food eaten by the pet, and then, one by one, specific food items may be withheld to see if it was the one causing the allergy.

For example, the Brand X cat food may be changed and the cat will start consuming the Brand Y food or the home-cooked ones. Then, the owner will wait for six to eight weeks. Only after such time will the change in the diet show considerable effects.

Some owners may resort to purchasing “hypo-allergenic diets”. But, like the earlier change in diet, the positive results of the hypo-allergenic diet can be detected only after the same six to eight weeks.

The so-called hairball medications for vomiting cats are not always effective. The best course is to always monitor the nutrients and ingredients that are fed to the cat.