Oh dear, what's up Doc?

Published on Saturday 20 October 2007 13:41

A RABBIT with an allergy to carrots and lettuce - it sounds like a punchline to a bad joke but for pet bunny Gizmo, who was recently stolen from its family home, its a very unfunny reality.

Gizmo has special dietary requirements and, if fed what many of us would see as the usual bunny cuisine, can become extremely ill. And Gizmo is not alone.

Unfortunately, pets with food allergies, or hypersensitivity as it is known, are not as rare as you might think and are not unlike people when it comes to the world of food intolerances, detox (yes, detox) and elimination diets.

While the most common allergies seem to be to fleas and external parasites like dust mites, food hypersensitivity is next on the list.

"It's very easy to get sidetracked and think it's strange that a rabbit could be allergic to carrots and lettuce but rabbits eat grass and, although highly palatable, carrots and lettuce are not animal's natural diet," says Chris Ross, a vet at the Braid Veterinary Hospital in Edinburgh. "What would be really strange was if a rabbit was allergic to grass."

Although not particularly common, Chris, who has been in practice since 1978, says that food hypersensitivity affects all animals.

And although it is seen most in companion animals - like dogs and cats - rabbits, rats and mice may also show allergies but this is usually to things in their environment like man-made bedding or other fabrics. "Symptoms like a recurrent ear infection and facial dermatitis could be the symptoms of food hypersensitivity, but the first thing we need to do is eliminate other factors such as fleas and parasites such as mites," explains Chris.

"And while there are blood and skin tests, we usually first look at doing a food trial with the animal. The owner needs to feed the animal a completely novel diet for about six to nine weeks. It's quite a challenge, particularly if the animal lives outside."

Chris remembers one case of a cat which was brought in with terrible ulcers around its ears and head and it took 18 months to discover what the problem was.

"We ruled out all the usual allergies to fleas, parasites and mites and then somehow we got the condition under control.

"The cat was doing well for about a year until the owner's boyfriend moved in and the cat quickly deteriorated. After much questioning, the boyfriend admitted to feeding the cat pizza. Culprit found."

Just like people, pets can also develop allergies to foods they've been eating for a long period of time and, just like us, animals sometimes take a liking to things that cause them problems or their bodies have an intolerance to.

But as Dr Ross points out, an allergy is about the individual animal but there are dietary problems inherent in certain breeds. German Shepherds, for example, can exhibit food intolerances to high protein foods.

It's not until the animal is a couple of years old that the sensitivity may start to present itself.

While it's a good idea to speak to a vet when you are thinking of buying a new pet, particularly in relation to its diet, the individual nature of food intolerances mean that you don't know if your pet is going to develop a food intolerance or not.

MILK FOR PETS IS NOT ALL WHITE

ALTHOUGH its not an allergy, it is worth remembering that most animals (bar cows and humans) are intolerant to cow's milk.

People frequently call the Scottish SPCA about injured animals and, while they are waiting for an inspector to call, will resort to feeding the animal milk. But this can sometimes make the situation worse as it may cause diarrhoea and therefore cause further distress to the animal.

Further information about the work of the Scottish SPCA is available at www.scottishspca.org.

PET FACTS

BE warned, if taking on a pet from a rescue home, you may have to contend with its taste in music.

Snowball is an 11-year-old medium sulphur-crested cockatoo who was given to a bird rescue shelter in Indiana, US, and he just can't get enough of the Backstreet Boys.

When he hears the boys' voices, he lifts his legs, squawks and bobs his head, flashing his bright yellow crest to the beat. He even takes a bow with a vigorous bob of his head at the end of the song.

• MONKEY business isn't always funny business - in fact sometimes it's deadly serious. King Alexander of Greece died on October 25, 1920, after being bitten by his pet monkey when he stepped in to break up a fight between the monkey and his pet dog. Although the official cause of death was sepsis, a visiting French surgeon insisted that it was in fact a plot to assassinate the young monarch.

• IF you're planning on visiting Colorado, best not take your pet. And if you do, don't leave it outside. Jeremy Kocar recently found this out the hard way after his Rottweiler-Labrador mix puppy was attacked by a mountain lion. Kocar then shot and killed the lion and, in doing so, he broke the law. Officials decided not to press charges but it's a warning for all responsible pet owners in mountain lion country everywhere.

• MORE people request to be cremated with their pet's ashes than any other funeral rite. Other popular requests made by people planning their funeral included being buried with their savings, being buried in their own garden and having a mobile phone with them in the coffin.

Age Concern Funeral Plans polled more than 100,000 of its customers for the report.