Food Allergy

Another common primary cause of canine and feline ear disease is food allergy. Termed “cutaneous adverse food reactions,” many components of this syndrome have a direct effect in the ear canal. Allergies in animals tend to become additive— that is, the severity of the clinical signs increases as the patient is exposed to more and more allergens, such as pollens, molds, insects, and foods. When the total antigen exposure is in excess to the tolerable antigen load, clinical signs develop. Some allergic animals can be controlled with a reduction in allergens. It is not uncommon to do a food trial with a hypoallergenic diet for 2 or 3 months with result­ant reduction in otic signs. See Chapter 6 for a discussion of cutaneous adverse food reactions.