Feeding the right diet is the foundation of managing pets with food sensitivities, intolerances and digestive tract disorders. Everyone who comes into contact with your pet should realise the importance of feeding only the recommended diet. This means avoiding any treats or snacks. It is also important that your pet does not scavenge food elsewhere.

Specially formulated diets, such as Royal Canin Hypoallergenic, are a very important aid to your pet's health. They are formulated to minimise the number of potential sources of sensitivity or intolerance. They are lactose-free and wheat gluten-free.

Royal Canin Hypoallergenic diets are recommended as an aid in the investigation and management of pets with:

nDietary sensitivity or allergies to a particular food component

nDietary intolerance

n Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Dietary sensitivity and intolerance can manifest as:

n Skin disorders

n Vomiting

nDiarrhoea

A highly digestible diet, without the protein 'allergen' responsible for your pet's reaction is indicated in the diagnosis and management of dietary sensitivity.

Royal Canin Hypoallergenic diet is also suitable to help manage diarrhoea due to other causes. In such cases, the diet presents a low digestive challenge. It is suitable for use in adult dogs and cats, puppies and kittens.

The key features of Royal Canin Hypoallergenic diet are:

n Inclusion of low molecular weight (very small) proteins

n Low allergy protein (soy protein isolate)

n Highly digestible n Lactose-free n Wheat gluten-free n Balanced for feeding puppies

and kittens

Where an allergic reaction occurs, it's best to remove the offending foodstuff from your pet's diet completely, and as quickly as possible. In all other circumstances, changing your pet's diet should be carried out over several days according to the following instructions: On day 1, begin by adding a small amount of the new diet to your pet s existing food. As each day passes, add more of the new diet to less of the original food, until eventually you are only feeding the new diet. This change should take around 5-7 days.

Royal Canin are leaders in palatability. So confident are we that your pet will enjoy their food that we offer a no quibble, money-back guarantee. Simply return the food to your veterinary practice for a full refund*.

* Terms and conditions apply

PROTEINS Proteins are complex organic compounds. Protein is the main component of muscles, organs and most body tissues and is vital in the diet for growth and body maintenance. Proteins are the most common source of dietary sensitivity.

FOOD ALLERGENS Food allergens (the very small particles responsible for an allergic reaction) are proteins within the food that are not broken down by the heat of cooking, by stomach acids or by the enzymes that normally digest food. As a result they survive to cross the gastrointestinal lining, enter the bloodstream and cause an allergic reaction seen often as itchy skin or gut upsets.

WHAT DOES 'LACTOSE-FREE' MEAN? Lactose is a sugar commonly found in milk and lactose intolerance is common in both dogs and cats. It usually results in diarrhoea. Levels of lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, fall after weaning. If milk is fed to adult dogs and cats, undigested lactose remaining within the small intestine can cause digestive disorders. Royal Canin Hypoallergenic diet does not contain lactose, so avoiding this problem.

WHAT DOES 'WHEAT GLUTEN-FREE' MEAN? Wheat gluten is a cereal protein historically associated with food sensitivity (food allergy ) in dogs and cats. Royal Canin Hypoallergenic diet does not contain wheat gluten, so avoiding this problem.

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

My pet is affected by acute diarrhoea , what does this mean?

Your pet is affected by acute diarrhoea when the normal digestive processes are disturbed. Water and nutrients are not efficiently absorbed from the intestine into the body; this results in large volumes of diarrhoea. Pets with severe diarrhoea are at risk of becoming dehydrated due to this loss of fluid. Vomiting, if present, results in even more fluid loss.

Your Veterinary Surgeon will advise you when to begin to feed Royal Canin Hypoallergenic diet. This highly digestible, bland diet allows the intestine to easily digest and absorb the essential nutrients needed by your dog or cat.

Why does my pet s diet contain a specific source of protein?

Royal Canin Hypoallergenic is a highly digestible diet in which the protein content is:

n Soy protein of high nutritional value

n 'Pre-digested' or ''hydrolysed' and so unlikely to cause a reaction

When proteins are hydrolysed they are broken down into small pieces that are unrecognisable to the body, this also increases their digestibility.

The recommended diet

Changing your pet s diet

Strict rules for feeding an allergic pet

Key features Definitions

A specific diet for your pet

Protein

Histamine release

Antibody (IgE)

Sensitised immune (mast) cell

Wash all items used in feeding your pet (including their bowl, feeding scales and measuring cups) with soap and thoroughly rinse all equipment after every meal.

Have a separate set of feeding equipment reserved just for the affected pet. Feed separately from other pets and do not leave other pet s food down between meals to completely avoid snacking from each other s bowls.

Ensure that every member of the family understands the danger in feeding your pet anything apart from Hypoallergenic. If your pet snacks throughout the day, keep a small amount of their daily ration in a clean, sealed container for rewards. One bag should last around two weeks and no longer than three weeks.

Keep the bag of Hypoallergenic sealed between meals and store it in a clean, dry, place. For added protection, you may place the bag inside a sealed container (but do not pour the food out of the bag). Hypoallergenic was packed in contaminant-free conditions, so within the bag itself is the best place to store it.