Top 5 dvm360 videos of 2024: #3

As 2024 draws to a close, dvm360 is counting down our Top 5 videos of 2024. The ranking is based on measurable interest and engagement from our digital viewers. These 5 videos feature thought leaders from throughout the veterinary care industry, who discuss a variety of topics.

The #3 video on the Top 5 countdown features Julia Miller, DVM, DACVD, an assistant clinical professor at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. In this VetXchange® program sponsored by Blue Buffalo, Miller talks with Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, chief veterinary officer of dvm360, about diet trials in dogs and how they can be used to determine an allergen and for developing a diet plan. The video also offers the option to earn 0.5 continuing education credit.

The following is a partial video report:

“The diet trial [is currently] the only way to fully diagnose a dog as a food-allergic dog,” said Julia E. Miller, DVM, DACVD. On a recent episode of VetXChange, Miller joined Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, to discuss diet trials as a treatment plan for canines experiencing allergic reactions.

Food elimination trial criteria

When a patient comes into the clinic because it is experiencing itchiness, clinicians usually consider 3 types of allergies: flea, food, and environment. Once ectoparasites are ruled out as the cause, the clinician should ask the client follow-up questions to determine whether the allergen is environmental or related to food.

Allergies caused by environment typically affect dogs aged 1 to 4 years, though certain breeds, like French bulldog, American bully, and doodle, can experience effects at just 6 months of age.

“If I’m getting a dog that’s itchy before 6 months of age, [I’m implementing a] diet trial,” said Miller. “That’s the first thing on my list every single time.” Similarly, if a dog has never had allergic reactions but becomes itchy at an older age, environmental allergens are an unlikely cause.

View the video here.