2 common misconceptions with diet trials

Julia Miller, DVM, DACVD, outlines practical guidelines for selecting diets, counseling owners, and avoiding the pitfalls that can compromise trial success.

Transcript

Julia Miller, DVM, DACVD: Okay, yeah—so I love talking about diet trials. The goal for my diet‐trial lecture is to make it very approachable, so that practitioners can identify which cases are appropriate for a diet trial, learn the rules of a diet trial, choose the best diet for their patient, and then successfully complete the diet trial. That includes communication tips and tricks for clients. I think it’s essential to equip veterinarians with talking points so they feel confident walking into exam rooms and saying, “I know this patient needs a diet trial. Here’s how I’m going to counsel you, and here’s how we’ll get it done properly.”

I see two big misconceptions routinely as a dermatologist. First, people often choose over‐the‐counter diets for their diet trials—but you really need prescription diets when you suspect a food allergy in a dog. Prescription diets are critical; they are the backbone of the diet trial. Second, many practices do not counsel clients enough. Diet trials require a lot of communication, and you must ensure you have time in your schedule and an educated staff to help clients understand exactly what it takes to complete a diet trial. I see so many patients whose owners are spending money on a prescription diet, but then they add chicken or other foods because the dog “doesn’t like” the diet. That misunderstanding sets the trial up for failure.

Diet trials are very doable—but they require rigorous communication. We’ll discuss how to verbally counsel clients and also how to use handouts effectively. I also want to emphasize that currently, blood tests for food allergies are not accurate. I see veterinarians using blood food‐allergy testing and telling clients, “Your dog must be allergic to X, Y, or Z based on this test.” Multiple studies have shown that those tests do not accurately determine whether a dog (or cat) has a food allergy or identify the specific allergens. I wish there were an “easy button”—blood draw, test says “allergic to beef,” and we avoid beef. But these tests aren’t reliable, and I do not recommend using blood food‐allergy testing for patients.