Vet360 Issue 6 Volume 2 | Page 28

DERMATOLOGY There is no evidence that raw foods are superior to cooked foods as an elimination diet. When proteins are heated they become less allergenic. In addition raw food diets place the dog and owner at increased risk of exposure to pathogenic Salmonella spp., E. coli, and other microorganisms.9 Commercial novel protein diets Commercial novel protein diets contain whole proteins which are not commonly found in dog foods. Truly “novel” protein is becoming more difficult to find as the regular diets available increasingly contain more varied and exotic ingredients. The choice of diet should be made on the basis of the protein content and should be one which has not routinely been fed to the pet in the past, and ideally not at all.7 The