Elimination-Diet Companion
A strict 8 to 12 week food trial is the only reliable way to diagnose a food allergy. There is no blood, saliva or hair test that does it. This companion counts you down, tracks the itch, keeps you strict, and runs the challenge at the end. A wellbeing aid, not a diagnosis.
The test most owners never finish
Hair and saliva “intolerance” kits are not validated, and a blood test cannot diagnose a food allergy. The only thing that can is feeding nothing but a single trial food for eight weeks, then challenging it. Most trials fail for one reason: a stray treat. This tool exists to get you to the finish line.
How it works
- 1
Pick the trial food
A hydrolysed diet, or a single novel protein your pet has never eaten. Your vet helps you choose.
- 2
Feed it, and only it, for 8 to 12 weeks
No other food, treats, flavoured medication or scavenging. One slip can reset the clock.
- 3
Track the itch as it (hopefully) falls
Score the itch each week. A real food allergy settles over the weeks of a strict trial.
- 4
Do the provocation challenge
Reintroduce the old food. If the itch comes back, the diagnosis is confirmed. This is the step that proves it.
What a working trial looks like
The itch score falling week on week on a strict trial. That is the line you are trying to draw, and the challenge at the end is what turns it into a diagnosis.
This companion is a wellbeing and communication aid, not a diagnosis. Choose the trial food and run the provocation challenge with your vet's guidance, and never start, stop or change treatment based on this tool alone.
Read next
The companion keeps you on track. These go deeper on the diagnosis and the daily reality of the trial: