Hypoallergenic LR (Lamb & Rice)
Efficacy
Food hypersensitivity (adverse reactions to food) can be divided into food allergy (immunological basis) and food intolerance (non-immunological basis). Affected dogs usually show dermatological signs (pruritis, erythema, oedema, self-trauma), but gastrointestinal signs (vomiting, flatulence, diarrhoea) can also occur.
Food hypersensitivity can only be diagnosed definitively on the basis of food elimination and provocation tests. Diagnosis requires good co-operation and compliance of the owner which is often frustrated by practical impediments.
The classical elimination diet is a homemade diet consisting of protein, fat and carbohydrate sources that are novel to the patient. Homemade diets generally are not nutritionally complete and have negative aspects for the owners (labour intensive, expensive, poor acceptance) so that compliance is poor (Tapp et al., 2002).
A commercial elimination and/or therapeutic diet that is nutritionally adequate, reasonably priced and can be fed for an unlimited period of time, is advantageous for both the owner and veterinarian. However, in canine patients with true hypersensitivity recurrence of clinical signs was seen in on average about 50% of the patients (Table 1). The good news is that with the availability of different hypoallergenic diets based on intact proteins, such as SANIMED Hypoallergenic LR and SANIMED Hypoallergenic DR, it should be possible to identify a diet that satisfactorily treats any individual patient with true food hypersensitivity (Leistra et al., 2001). Identification of the proper diet can be done trough trial-and-error only.
Characteristics
Table 1. Efficacy of a commercial, hypoallergenic diet containing intact proteins in dogs with true food hypersensitivity (diagnosed on the basis of elimination and provocation tests)
| Authors | No. of patients | Diet ingredients | Reaction good |
|---|---|---|---|
| White, 1986 | 30 | Various | 46% |
| Jeffers et al., 1992 | 13 | Egg/rice | 85% |
| Rosser Jr., 1993 | 29 | Lamb/rice | 62% |
| Vroom, 1994 | 18 | Lamb/rice | 67% |
| Leistra et al., 2001 | 40 | Chicken/rice | 47% |
| Fish/rice | 52% | ||
| Venison/rice | 15% |
On the basis of a questionnaire among veterinarians, the efficacy of SANIMED Hypoallergenic LR has been assessed in 2006. The response was 41 out of a total of 85 veterinary practices. Table 2 illustrates that the efficacy of SANIMED Hypoallergenic LR was considered good. It should be stressed that the questionnaire was completed by long-term clients and that the patients were not well defined. The outcome is expressed on the basis of the number of practices, without taking into account the number of patients.
Table 2. Efficacy of SANIMED Hypoallergenic LR in dogs with various clinical conditions
| Condition | Practices with/without experience | Reaction good or very good |
|---|---|---|
| Food hypersensitivity | 39/2 | 100% |
| Dermatological signs | 33/8 | 82% |
| Gastrointestinal signs | 34/7 | 94% |
| Various forms of enteritis | 27/14 | 81% |
| Small intestinal diarrhea | 27/14 | 78% |
| Large intestinal diarrhea | 24/17 | 75% |