This study evaluated four over-the-counter (OTC) venison dry dog foods available from an online retail vendor for potential contamination with common known food allergens. An amplified, double-sandwich-type enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test of soy, poultry and beef proteins was performed by an independent accredited food laboratory.
The ELISA test for poultry protein was found to be unreliable when testing in dry dog foods because false negatives occurred. ELISA testing of control diets for both soy and beef proteins performed as expected.
Three of the four foods with no soy products named in the ingredient list were ELISA positive for soy; one diet tested positive for beef protein though no beef products were listed as ingredients. One diet was not found to be positive for soy, poultry or beef proteins, but none of the four venison diets could be considered suitable for a diagnostic elimination trial as they all contained common petfood proteins, some of which were readily identifiable on the label and some only detected by ELISA.
If the four products in this study are representative of OTC products in general, OTC venison dry dog foods should not be used for elimination trials in suspected food allergy patients.
Source : D.M. Raditic et al., 2010. ELISA testing for common food antigens in four dry dog foods used in dietary elimination trials. JAPAN online October 2010. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2010.01016.x
