For dogs, veterinarians in Clearwater, Florida, might use one of the two types of allergy tests. It includes blood tests and skin tests. Before diagnosis is given, the vet looks for physical signs. 

It can consist of irritation in the skin or seeing redness around their ears, etc. After recognizing these types of signs, the vet then proceeds further and runs some skin tests. This is done by exposing the animal to various allergens. 

It will help the vet to see the reactions to those allergens, and accordingly, they will be able to tell about the condition. For instance, let us say there are gastrointestinal problems; the vet can do an analysis for urine samples or check the blood count, etc. 

There are times when imaging techniques like X-rays or ultrasound imaging might be used to make sure there are no other complications. If there are allergies to food items, then a particular type of serum is used to see the effects. 

However, this process can be costly for many. The results are also not always positive and genuine. You can check with a Clearwater veterinary clinic to see if your pet has any allergies. 

What is “the elimination diet trial”?

It is also called ECDT (Elimination Challenge Diet Trial). It is a slow process in which home testing of food allergies is done for animals. There are four phases in this entire process, including eliminating, challenging, confirming, and identifying. 

This is to see what the different ingredients that your pet might be allergic to are. The diet only has certain ingredients, mainly carbohydrates and proteins are included. It is something that dogs do not really get to eat on a regular basis. 

It is a way to eliminate all the allergens and introduce something that they might not be allergic to or less allergic to, so basically, they are trying to have their immune system back in place. The immune response is reset in this way. 

How can elimination diet trials be conducted?

Since it is a home-based process, it does not cost as much as a professional one would. It also allows the owners to learn about the food sources of their pets that are allergic to them and thereby remain informed in the future. This can only be done successfully when you are entirely dedicated. 

First step- eliminating:

You start by introducing less common meat, such as rabbits or kangaroos. The image should not be something that your pet has tried before. For carbohydrates, you can add peas or sweet potatoes. 

To recommend something healthy, home-cooked diets that are balanced can be great for the starters. It is simply because these diets are less likely to be contaminated in any way. 

Second step – Challenging 

From your first step, the allergies are significantly reduced, so what you need to do now is to introduce the original diet to their plan and see the reaction of the allergies that were there before. No, if the allergy is present in the food, the symptoms are going to be there again in just a matter of a couple of days. 

Third step – Confirming 

Now that you know that there is an allegation in the original diet, you can again re-introduce the diet that you made and check if the allergies are disappearing again. This is going to give you an idea of whether the diet is causing the allergic reactions.

The fourth and final step is identifying 

Now, in this step, you need to know what exactly is causing the allergic reaction. This can be done by only introducing one ingredient at a time. It is mainly for dogs who are used to having complex ingredients in their diet.

When to see the veterinarian?

It is essential that you check with your vet as soon as possible and not come up with a diagnosis or conclusions on your own. A professional can educate you with more detail about the condition of your pet and come up with solutions accordingly.