Show Notes
In Episode 4 of the Skin Flint Podcast, we invite specialist Hilary Jackson to join us to discuss a large and very important topic - diet. Hilary was on the faculty at North Carolina State University, before returning to Scotland where she works as a clinical director at the Dermatology Referral Service in Glasgow. She has clinical and research interests in canine atopic dermatitis and immune mediated skin disease and has published and lectured widely on these subjects and other aspects of veterinary dermatology.
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Intro John Redbond introduces producer Paul Heasman and specialist Sue Paterson for this podcast focusing on diet in relation to pet skin. Sue introduces today’s interviewee as Hilary Jackson, the leading dermatologist on food allergy who has worked in the US and UK and recently finished editing the BSAVA dermatology manual. Chapter 1: A Balanced Diet 02:21 Sue welcomes Hilary, who introduces herself as in clinical practice in Glasgow with a specialist interest in allergic skin disease in dogs and cats; Sue clarifies her as a world authority on the subject having published a lot of research in the area before
03:20 Sue asks why it is important to feed a dog a balanced diet - Hilary clarifies this goes beyond simply considering food allergy, with the skin requiring a quarter of the protein in a dog or cat’s diet. The balance of minerals and fatty acids are also important for skin health. Hilary says any owner should consult a veterinary nutritionist to feed any diet, particularly if home preparing and issues arrive when people go ‘off piste’ 04:16 Sue then enquires about what sort of problems Hilary sees as a dermatologist related to insufficient diets or foods the individual pets are allergic to. Hilary replies saying dull hair or poor growth can be a sign of an insufficient balance in the diet and generally itching (or ‘pruritus’ as it is technically known) is the indicator for allergic response to food.
Chapter 2: Food Allergies 05:37 Sue asks when a food allergy could start in pets and Hilary suggests they can start at any age; however dermatologists see a lot of young dogs with this. They can go on to develop other allergies to things in the environment but generally if allergy is seen under 12 months it is a food allergic response.
06:35 John then asks what sort of foods owners should look out for with allergies, and Hilary says it is very much dependent on what the dog has been fed, so the vet needs to take a careful diet history of what they have eaten, then this will be one or a combination of those foods (likely protein). This will have developed over time, not be from a sudden change as is often thought.
07:35 John then asks what signs should be looked for with food allergy and Hilary says unfortunately no signs point between either food or environmental allergy, but the signs for both are itchy ears, itchy faces, paw licking, leg nibbling, tummy rubbing or sometimes scooting and rubbing the back end. With a food allergy occasionally intermittent vomiting, loose stools or diarrhoea could be a sign as this is an internal problem.
08:44 Sue asks if this is a pedigree problem related to specific breeds and Hilary says she sees it in all dog but some studies have suggested Boxers, West Highland White Terriers and Labradors can be more prone, but it is often dependent on the area you live.
09:49 Sue and Hilary together clarify any dog can get a food allergy and this isn’t related to the quality of the protein at all.
Chapter 3: The Right Diet for Allergies 11:05 John asks if there is an easy way of finding the protein they are allergic to, perhaps a blood test, but Hilary says blood tests have been shown to be unreliable so the only way is to feed an elimination diet for 6-8 weeks, consisting of something they haven’t eaten before, before going back to the original foods to find what was causing the reaction.
12:41. Hilary clarifies what a novel prote
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