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Gastroscopic food sensitivity testing in 17 dogs
Author(s) -
Elwood C. M.,
Rutgers H. C.,
Batt R. M.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1994.tb01689.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hyperaemia , retching , gastroenterology , nausea , blood flow
Seven of 17 dogs with gastrointestinal signs and suspected dietary intolerance had positive responses to gastroscopic food sensitivity testing (GFST). Five of the non‐responders and six of the dogs that responded to GFST were successfully treated with dietary control alone. The seventh dog that responded to GFST had an ileal adenocarcinoma and did not survive to follow‐up. Local reactions to GFST included mucosal oedema, mucosal hyperaemia and gastric hyperperistalsis and systemic reactions consisted of hyperventilation and retching. The character of the responses to GFST is consistent with a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction to the food antigen, suggesting that IgE may mediate dietary sensitivity in some dogs. Positive responses to GFST may, therefore, demonstrate gastric mucosal hypersensitivity to food antigens and be useful in formulating therapeutic diets; negative responses need to be interpreted with caution. The limitations of the procedure are that it requires a videoendoscopy system, may significantly add to general anaesthetic time and will only detect immediate reactions.