🤯 BUSTED: Pet food allergy myths

Learn the real science behind food allergy diagnosis and treatment in pets.
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📑My Credentials:
Bachelor of Science, Animal Science: Emphasis in Animal Biology
Honors: Cum Laude 3.85/4.0 GPA
University of Florida, 2005
(relevant coursework includes but not limited to: MAC3472 Honors, CHM2045, CHM2045L, MAC3473 Honors, CHM2046, CHM2046L, ANS3043, ANS3317L, ANS3384, CHM2210, CHM2211, PHY2053, PHY2053L, ANS3006C, ANS3206, PHY2054, PHY2054L, CHM2047, MCB3020, MCB3020L, VME4103, ANS3440)

Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
University Of Florida College of Veterinary Med 2009
4 years: 8+ hours a day, 5-7 days a week, 12 months a year (ie: too many courses to list )
3.4 GPA/4.0

Small Animal General Practice 2009-present
USDA CLASS 2 Certification/Accreditation (2009-Present)
Pet Nutrition Certification (Jan 2024-Present)

💌Instagram: @animaldocrea

⛔Unless specified, none of my videos are sponsored. I do not recieve any perks, free food, or "kick backs" for the foods I review unless specifically disclosed. The content provided is my own opinions based on the information at hand at the time of filming, my Veterinary Doctoral degree, continuing education coursework, and personal experiences in practice.

💻Helpful websites:

⚕️⚕️⚕️Please note that these videos are for educational purposes only. They are not intended for diagnosis or treatment of any animals. If you have questions regarding your pet's health or are having a pet related emergency, please contact your personal veterinarian. 📽️All videos are property of Animaldocrea, LLC

[PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

While I still worked for Hills I always asked vets here in Colorado how many allergy cases were food vs environmental. It was consistent to hear 75% environment.

[pandora_]

Such a great video Dr. Rea, thank you so much for this valuable information. I live in a rural area and lots of deer come through my yard so a food trial just isn’t going to work. I was convinced my dog had a chicken allergy but I started giving him freeze dried chicken as a treat and he’s been eating that for about three months now with no reaction whatsoever. Nice to have more options for his food now.
Love your chicken earrings too!

[sarahwheeler]

Awesome awesome video! So many people online think their dog has a food allergy, to the point where it’s ridiculous. They ask and change diets randomly instead of going to a vet and figuring it out. I love these type of videos Dr. Rae I hope you make more.

[kims]

Thank you for all the information. Love the education videos too

[Fabhuntress]

There are third party companies that will let you send in saliva and hair from your pet, and they will tell you if the pet has food allergies. The problem is that a veterinarian sent in teddy bear fur and saline as saliva, and they said both of those had allergies.😂😂😂 they also sent in actual animal Fur and saliva in animals that they knew had no allergies, and it came back that they also all had allergies. These companies need to get shut down.

[julienjulien]

Thank you for the excellent content ! Loved the format and deep dive ! Essential point about difference between allergies and sensitivities. As a pet food retailer we see a good proportion of customers, maybe 1/3 mentioning food sensitivities issues with their pets. These are usually rather mild gastrointestinal intolerances but nevertheless source of discomfort for the animal. Are more and more pets subject to food sensitivities ? Is it a result of breeding and "modern" diets ? I think many would benefit from objective knowledge (like your content) on what is a common food sensitivity, how they manifest, what diet options and approach exist to limit intolerances and when they have to start to consult a vet. Although some food manufacturers do "some education" on the topic, they are logically biased into placing their products. Just thinking the format of this video (lesson like) could be spot on to deal with the topic of sensitivities too !

[deetles]

Thank you for shedding light on this subject. I put my 14 yo GSD down in August…she had 4-5 auto immune issues and had to be on the HP diet. It truly helped her reach 14 yo! Could you do a video on sensitivities tho? Currently have a 10 mo. Old spaniel who is having vomiting and or diarrhea episodes every 6 weeks or so. I have changed his food a few times & the vet wants to hold off using an hp diet & I’m not sure if I should change his diet or not. I’ve been feeding fish based food and was thinking of going to lamb & rice limited ingredient food. Vet has him on RC Gastrointestinal just until his system calms down. I’m kinda confused by what should be my next step.

[PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

Loved this! Reminds me of my glory days at Hills!

[debrasmith]

Thank you so much for this video! Our bullmastiff puppy has consistently had diarrhea from lunch on and when you search online the majority of comments are that it’s a chicken allergy 😔 our breeder told us to try Firm Up to add some fiber to his diet and it’s working wonderfully. It seems like “chicken allergy” is the newest TicToc hype, so glad to see it’s very low on your chart.

[midnightedevane]

I would really love to see a video on low fat dogs foods! We had been feeding the farmers dog and all 3 of my dogs got pancreatitis on it. We had to switch to royal Caine gastro low fat for a while but I really don't like the ingredients (lots of peas) so we found the 4 health healthy weight food to be only a small amount higher in fat % than the prescription (5% to 8%). I would really like to see other options in the low fat category however

[Fabhuntress]

I have literally given my kitten every basic protein 😢 beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, and duck 😢 have I already done all the damage 💔 I'm so mad at myself rn

[mahrime]

Hi Dr. Rea! Thank you so much for this! I love your videos!

I have a very quirky 2 year old Cattle Dog/Border collie who *seems* to have sensitivities to some food ingredients. He was always pretty picky with foods since he was a puppy. His favorite was Open Farm Kind Earth, Insect Recipe and he did really well on it but it was very expensive and hard to get, and is now no longer available.

I went back to Farmina Ancestral Grains Lamb and Blueberry and he seemed to do okay on it, but I decided to try the Farmina Tropical Selection Lamb and he started to get itchy and had to go potty all night long. He was not sleeping well and had a total personality shift. He became very grumpy and easily agitated. I think because of the itching and stomach upset. His urine and blood work were all normal. I am not sure why he had such a bad reaction to it since almost everything is the same as the Ancestral Grains version, but with lower vitamins and minerals. Very perplexing.

I have since switched him to Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin, Pollock, Barley, & Insect Recipe. He is doing fantastic on it so far and no more itching or stomach issues! It seems to have a very good nutrient profile according to your pet food scoring system. I am just a bit concerned because the nutrient percentages on the bag vs. what is on their website seem inconsistent, especially for Vitamin E. They also don't list calcium or phosphorous on the bag, so I don't know what to trust!

Could you please do a video on Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin, Pollock, Barley, & Insect Recipe? I think you might have more luck getting the actual percentages than I will. Thanks so much!

[AshleyKarys]

My Vet told me that hydrolyzed protein diets are for severe allergies and are ultimately the last resort for you and your pet because they are likely going to be on it for the rest of their lives.

[blueback]

Thank you, what to do for environmental allergies?

[Mr..Roboto]

Dr Rea where can I find the data? I’m a data person and I know that data can be manipulated or the sample of data was corrupted. Just want to see the details. I have a French Bulldog who has had both food allergies and environmental allergies. I’ve addressed the food allergies with limited honest kitchen Turkey food. He is still itching on his paws and that is the environmental allergies I’ve been battling with. Thanks for sharing!

[jamesbrann]

Hi I live in Fredericksburg Va. my German shepherd has an itching going on around his muzzle area. His face is black but he has a white patch around his muzzle area. The vet tells me it’s nothing but he is really wearing his hair off. Thoughts. Thanks

[Fabhuntress]

I am so against vegetarian diets, and I think I have figured out why I feel so strongly against it. I'm really against the anthropomorphism of animals. We need to make decisions through the eye of our pets. We need to understand that animals do not feel the same way we do. I want my kitten to live his best cat life! Would he look cute in a little sweater, of course! But knowing cats really don't like anything that makes them feel weighted down, I don't do it.

[JJchi]

Hi Dr Rea, my dog obsessively licks her paws to the point her fur turns red, not sure if they are itchy as I have not seen her bite or scratch her paws. (I did a blood test (not knowing they are inaccurate), fish allergies came up positive. She does not have fish in her diet other than fish oil supplements).
Should I do a food trial to find out whether her paw licking is due to food sensitivities? or should I give her skin treatment for itchy paws? or is her paw licking more likely to be "soothing" behaviour?

[AshleyKarys]

Environmental allergies are real. I’ve been dealing with them since March for my Bengal Jack. It’s not easy to figure out. I go to the Vet regularly with him. He’s become a regular there lol 🤣!

[gloriazenor]

I have a three-year-old German shepherd male that started with allergy symptoms when he was a little over 2 1/2. Itching, hotspots. The vet gave him an injection that lasted for about four months, and an immediate acting one. Well that has all worn off and I'm at my wits end with him. I feel so bad for him. And I was ready to jump into the food allergy regimen. Then I saw your video. I live on a farm in Florida. It could be fleas, and it could be environmental. What is the protocol for those allergies? I use pet armor flea control, which is the same as Frontline just in case you're not familiar. I'm wondering since he is a German Shepherd should I have him tested for Cushing's? I don't want him on injections for the rest of his life. I'm trying to go totally homeopathic. I have him on omega-3. Goat kid claustrum. Quercetin however, he's been off of that for a couple of weeks. Flax, olive oil, farm fresh eggs, one egg a day. Raw liver. I was giving him yogurt switch to the colostrum . vegetables. And Purina dog chow, the green bag, about a cup and a half? He is a little overweight, but he also has not been getting a lot of exercise as he is an inside dog now. We are trying to remedy the lack of exercise for him and myself lol . Please respond when you have the time. Thanking you in advance.