Playing percentages, your pet probably does not have food allergies.

Food allergies in pets are not as common as many pet owners might think. Only 5 percent to 10 percent of pets with allergies have a confirmed food allergy.

However, pets can have certain types of reactions to food substances that are not considered to be true food allergies.

Allergies are an immune-mediated response, which means the body’s immune system reacts or over-reacts to certain things the immune system is exposed to called allergens.

Allergens stimulate the immune system more than normal.

Some reactions to food substances such as vomiting, diarrhea or excessive gas may or may not actually be an immune-mediated response and subsequently not a food allergy. Some ingredient in food is not digested properly by your pet and should be eliminated from your pet’s diet.

The primary symptom of food allergies in dogs and cats is very itchy skin. I often say a pet with allergies scratches 10 times more that a non-allergic pet that has fleas.

The problem is other allergies in pets such as pollen, grass, trees and mold also cause pets to itch excessively.

Only about 15 percent of pets with itchy skin from food allergies develop gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, excess gas and diarrhea.

Most food allergies show up as skin problems and ear infections but not gastrointestinal signs.

The most difficult part is trying to identify the actual ingredient your pet can’t digest well and it is even more difficult to identify the ingredient that causes an actual immune-mediated response or food allergy.

Although specific blood tests for other types of allergies are accurate, there are no reliable tests for food allergies.

It takes a lot of detective work to determine the food substance your pet is allergic to.

Although pets can develop an allergy to many different ingredients in the food, corn and grain allergies in pets are rare. Most commonly, pets with food allergies are allergic to the meat protein source in the food such as beef, pork or chicken.

There have also been no confirmed cases of gluten allergies in pets. Sure, gluten-free foods are the newest fad and gluten is the catch-all bad component in human food according to many food consumers.

At this point in time, gluten is of no concern to pet owners trying to determine what their pet is allergic to.

Often, the first statement from a pet owner when questioned about the possibility of food allergies is “My dog has been eating the same food his whole life so it can’t be food allergies.”

Pets can develop food allergies at any age and their immune system responds over time to the repeated exposure developing an allergy to the same food they have eaten for years.

It’s not sufficient to simply change your pet’s food in an attempt to determine the cause of their itching. There are several reasons this approach won’t work well.

First, pet owners change food brands but have not actually changed the protein source.

Another common mistake is pet owners often continue to give their pet other treats containing a different protein either in the form of commercial treats or table scraps.

Just because the protein featured on the front of the bag such as “Real Chicken” is obvious, does not mean there aren’t other proteins in the food. There could be other proteins present and listed in the ingredients on the back of the bag as beef by-products, chicken by-products, etc.

Many pets with food allergies also have environmental and seasonal allergies. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine if a particular type of food is working well for your pet if they continue to itch excessively from their other allergies.

What does all this mean? Food allergies in pets are complicated and different from human allergies.

It is not always easy to diagnose or treat food allergies in pets.

If your pet has symptoms of food allergies such as itchy skin and chronic ear infections, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to ensure your pet lives a long, healthy and happy life.

Dr. Jeff Castle is a veterinarian at Clark County Veterinary Clinic.