Diagnosis and Management of Adverse Food Reactions

W Jean Dodds*

Received: March 07, 2018;   Published: March 19, 2018

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.03.000868

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Abstract

Adverse food reactions in people and pets closely mimic those from environmental allergen and contact exposures, and are manifested typically as cutaneous or gastrointestinal signs or both [1-6]. Neurological sings including memory loss, confusion and cognitive dysfunction may also occur, especially in the aged. Some experts equate the increase in food-related disorders in pets with the promotion of dry kibble and wet canned foods by the commercial pet food industry, to address the time-strapped societal demands of our fast-paced Western world [6]. The question arises, however, whether modern domestic dogs and cats can adequately digest and assimilate dry commercial pet foods, when they are ancestrally carnivorous. Although cats have maintained their carnivorous nature over decades, dogs have evolved with domestication by adapting genomically a starch-rich diet [7]. This evolutionary adaptation of canines from the carnivorous wolf targeted 19 of the 36 genomic regions which contained genes important in brain function and behavior, and ten genes with key roles in starch digestion and fat metabolism [7].

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