How should pet health insurance shoppers deal with allergies?

Thursday, 4 February 2010 17:00

Ethical insurance shoppers may be interested in some advice on dealing with the allergies dogs and cats can get.

Vail Today's pet care specialist Nadine Lober examined the issue of food hypersensitivity in animals and recommended the most important aspect first of all was to be aware of its symptoms.

Noticing the difference between the occasional scratching canines are known for and a real skin disorder is vital and owners should be looking out for this during their daily grooming.

"The best type of testing is a restricted diet. You can use a home diet or a commercial limited-antigen diet," she explained, adding that the basis for this regime is to provide one protein source and one starch source.

Ms Lober also highlighted Hills' and Purina's hydrolyzed protein diet, which makes the protein break down into pieces that are small enough to sneak by the body's immune system radar, thus avoiding an allergic reaction.

According to vet Michael J Day of the University of Bristol, the most common causative allergens are beef, chicken, milk, eggs, maize, wheat and soya-bean and there are no breed associations.

Animal Friends Insurance, one of the largest independent pet insurers in the UK offer dog insurance, cat insurance and horse insurance to UK residents.

Posted by Angela