Mono-protein pet food is particularly effective for treating pets with allergies and intolerances, but when fed to a pet without an allergy, it has no advantage.
In dogs and cats showing clinical signs of AFR (i.e. Adverse Food Reactions: food allergies or food intolerances), a single source protein diet can be used as a diagnostic method or as a long-term treatment. Most of the AFR are generated by proteins, so the single source protein diet can help limit the exposure to potential allergens, being beneficial for dogs and cats suffering from allergies or intolerances.
Prophylactic use of monoprotein pet food that consequently limits the body's contact with a variety of proteins may lead to disturbances in the normal response of the body's immune system. Therefore, in healthy pets, there is no need to limit the sources of proteins in their food, as long as they are fed with a complete and balanced diet.