The two cases reported by Taylor and Schmeitzel were fed commercial food 8 as were the two cases in the current study. Periodontal disease is prevalent in the modern pet population. Periodontal disease is interpreted in different ways by different authors. 9.10 Authors agree that a departure from the normal diet, which requires vigorous chewing and tearing, is the reason for the build up of plaque on the teeth of carnivores. 4.6.11 Aspects of both the dietary change and the dental treatment are thought to have influenced the rapid and lasting resolution of the presenting signs in the two cases of plasma cell pododermatitis.
Artificial diets are almost invariably heat treated and contain chemical additives.
Many formulations contain grains, milk byproducts and soya beans for which the carnivore biology is ill suited. Apart from the physiological and anatomical incompatibility for digestion of these products there remains the issue of bacterial fermentation and production of irritating chemical products. 12 Wills and Harvey report that the pathogenesis of an adverse reaction to a food component involves the interaction of the component with a biological amplification system that leads to inflammation and the development of clinical signs. The amplification system may include immunological mechanisms, complement pathway, eicosanoid synthesis, chemotaxis of phagocytes, and production of inflammatory mediators, such as kinins, leukotrienes and histamine. On occasion, there may be direct toxicity from the ingested component, without amplification, such as reactions to pharmacologic substances.