Hair cycle is influenced by health status, genetics, photoperiod, ambient temperature, hormones and nutrition. Vitamin E deficiency unlikely in cats or dogs when fed a typical commercial diet. Growing dog syndrome Zinc-responsive cutaneous lesions have been described in rapidly growing puppies. Choose a diet that avoids excess minerals and contains adequate amounts of Zn and essential fatty acids. Dogs can synthesize arachidonic acid from linoleic acid.
Cats require both dietary linoleic and arachidonic acids.
Idiopathic seborrhea Therapy Switch to a higher fat diet. This reaction can be elicited from various allergens, but food allergens are almost exclusively proteins. Ability of allergenic protein to induce IgE antibody-mediated hypersensitivity dependent upon size and structure of protein. Majority of exposure is through GI tract. Acids, enzymes, bile salts in GIT usually render allergens immunologically inactive.