Allergies and Intolerances
What exactly are pet food allergies?
Pet food allergies are defined as immune system or inflammatory responses triggered off by certain foods. Other pets may not have true allergies but are still sensitive to certain ingredients, on a less severe level. While often referred to as ‘allergies’, these types of lower-grade long term reactions to diet are more accurately described as food sensitivities.
A food allergy or sensitivity is entirely specific to the individual animal and a food that is ‘non allergenic’ for one pet may cause severe reactions for another. Just as a cake may be labeled ‘hypoallergenic’ for most human beings because it’s made without nuts, dairy and gluten, it could cause a severe and even fatal reaction for a person with a strawberry allergy, if it is made with strawberries. Similarly, a “hypoallergenic” pet food made with, say, lamb and rice or duck and potatoes, will not even come close to improving the situation for a dog who’s allergic to lamb, or potatoes.
There are lots of different theories about how and why pet food allergies occur. Most holistic practitioners agree that true allergic reactions are usually the result of an underlying health problem or system imbalance. All dogs and cats are exposed to a variety of allergens in daily life and never have a reaction of any kind. Pets don’t actually develop allergies as a result of exposure to allergens, but because they have suddenly become susceptible or vulnerable in some way.
Feeding a single type of food long-term without any dietary variety is also thought to be linked with an increased risk of food-intolerances developing. Pets that enjoy a varied, whole-food diet develop far fewer food allergies than one-food pets. Bad quality food in itself may deplete the immune system over time, because they are laden with toxins and other substances that place unnecessary burden on the body, or because they lack important nutrients, antioxidants, enzymes and so on.
Many such nutrients may not be included in AAFCO nutrient profiles but are still vital for the long terms optimal health and vitality of a cat or dog. Vaccines, chemicals, medications like antibiotics or steroids, stress and genetics can all predispose a pet to pet food allergies as well. It’s true that certain ingredients have a much higher incidence of causing allergic reactions than others but the key is to uncover what your own pet can and cannot tolerate. For many pets, the most common culprits are wheat, corn, soy, rice and sugar beet pulp – as well as various preservatives and by-products.
Steps to identifying allergies and sensitivities: The Elimination Diet
Start off feeding an ultra simple diet of ideally, just two ingredients. Many vets recommend turkey and sweet potatoes, and nothing more. You’ll probably have to home-make these meals for the test period. The idea here is to ‘eliminate’ everything else from the diet in the hope that the allergies or yeast infections will at least begin to show signs of starting to subside. (If they don’t, try just turkey and quinoa or maybe beef and sweet potatoes instead). Don’t feed any other foods or treats at all, as these can throw off your results.
Feed this ultra-minimal diet for about 2 to 3 weeks and possibly even longer, to observe for improvements. You probably won’t see a complete cure but you should start to see a little less itching and irritation. Once you’re at this point, you can begin to very slowly add additional ingredients, one at a time only, at a rate of one every one or two weeks. Don’t feed any other treats or ‘unplanned’ foods still. Keep a record of what you’re adding in each week and what reactions if any, occur. You may find you can add green beans one week and oatmeal the next but as soon as you add flax, she gets all itchy again. Note this, take out the problem ingredient, and make a note of it.
It’s a time consuming process involving a certain amount of trial and error, but an elimination diet really can work in helping you to work out what foods your pet can and can’t tolerate. Some pet owners are amazed to discover that their dog can tolerate almost anything that’s home-made, raw or minimally processed yet the moment they switch to a highly-processed kibble of the same ingredients, the allergies flare back up. There are a couple of suspected reasons for this: Either the kibble is laden with chemical preservatives which are causing the reaction, or it was processed under such extreme heat and pressure that the amino acid structure of the raw ingredients was altered and your dog’s body can’t even recognize that ‘chicken meal’ as true chicken!
Once you’ve pinpointed the allergies, you can either continue to home prepared meals, or try a very minimally processed diet with just a few simple whole-food ingredients. Many people have success with our Thrive recipe, which is chicken and quinoa (an ancient, gluten-free seed) plus vegetables – no fruit or flax.
If you don’t have the time to home-make your dog’s meals, the other approach is to feed a completely grain-free pet food diet for a few weeks and see if that does the trick. Our Embark and Force are both 100% grain-free, as are most of the commercial raw food diets on the market.
Q & A with Kat: Atopy in dogs
Question:
I just found out that my dog is atopic. What exactly is this and how is it different than other skin allergies? What can I do to help him?
Answer:
According to Dr. Martin Goldstein, DVM, Atopy is a hereditary predisposition to react to certain allergens: molds, trees, ragweed, wool, flea saliva, and especially, house dust. And he claims that more and more of our pets are showing the most common symptoms of allergies: sneezing, itching, tearing, and paw licking. The good news, he says, is that these animals can be helped with homeopathic remedies, herbs and nutritional support. These types of treatments “boost the immune system first rather than suppressing the symptom chemically.”
Dr. Barbara Fougère, BVSc, of Australia agrees, “Atopy is an inborn tendency to be allergic to various environmental allergens.” Perhaps about 15% of dogs suffer from this type of inherited condition. After flea allergies, it is the second most common allergic skin disease. “Once it develops,” she claims, “dogs tend to scratch on and off for the rest of their lives.” Furthermore, she says that “8 out of 10 of atopic dogs are also allergic to fleas, and up to one third are allergic to certain types of food.” Perhaps 80% of these atopic dogs are allergic to house dust mites or house dust, which is a mixture of dander, insect parts, molds, and dust mites.
Atopy, or canine atopic dermatitis (AD), is an allergy to substances in the environment that are either inhaled or absorbed through the skin. These substances do not affect non-Atopic dogs. It is unclear the exact cause but it is likely a combination of genetics, environmental factors and abnormal immune response. The symptoms of Atopy appear very much like symptoms of other allergies or skin disease and they can appear very much like the symptoms of hay fever in humans. By far the most common is itching of the face and paws, sometimes progressing to other areas such as the ears, armpits, elbows and groin. Your dog may be observed rubbing his face, licking his paws, licking or chewing his legs, scratching his armpits, biting his tail or shaking his head. You may also see discharges from the eyes and nose and something resembling a “post-nasal drip”. This is likely to be seasonal at first then, over time, as the animal ages, these symptoms become year-around and not quite so seasonal in nature. Symptoms will usually appear sometime after 4-6 months of age and before 4 years of age (8 years according to some) and is one way to differentiate this from other allergies.
A high percentage of these animals also suffer from recurrent ear infections or skin lesions that have been caused by incessant scratching. Some will end up with pyoderma, a secondary skin infection with hair loss. Still others might show signs of conjunctivitis.
The following are some of the questions asked by traditional veterinarians when making a diagnosis of Atopy and distinguishing it from other possible skin diseases: (If you can answer, “yes”, to these questions, it is possible that your dog is Atopic.)
- Is the dog a breed that has a common genetic predisposition to Atopy? (i.e. Boston Terrier, Boxer, Cairn Terrier, Shar-pei, Dalmation, English Setter, Golden Retriever, Irish Setter, Labrador Retriever, Lhasa Apso, Miniature Poodle, Miniature Schnauzer, Pug, Scottish Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Wire-Haired Fox Terrier)
- Have the clinical signs manifested between 6 months and 4-8 years of age?
- Do symptoms increase and decrease in intensity with the changing of the seasons?
- Do symptoms respond to corticosteroid treatment?
- Has a complete medical history and thorough examination been performed?
- Has a skin scraping been done to rule out demodectic or sarcoptic mange?
- Has a fungal culture been done to rule out ringworm?
- Have skin and/or blood testing been performed to try to determine the specific allergens your pet may be reacting to?
- Has an elimination diet been offered to try to rule out a food allergy?
So, what do you do if your dog turns out to be Atopic? Here are some holistic options to consider:
- Manage the flea population in your home and environment. Try washing your dog’s bedding on a weekly basis to help control the flea population and removing any particles they may be contributing to their allergies.
- Consider trying a hypoallergenic mattress or pillow cover.
- Control dust mites, pollens and molds in the home with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter and change filter on a regular basis.
- Try a soft t-shirt to help protect her skin from environmental allergens and booties or try washing her feet after outings.
- Improve your dog’s diet to include wholesome, preservative-free, fresh natural foods and consider an elimination diet.
- Try supplementing with fatty acids including fish oil as well as evening primrose, borage, flax, safflower or sunflower oils. Many dogs respond well to this.
- Supplementing with Quercetin or Vitamin C, which has an antihistamine-like effect.
Overall, the best way to minimize and manage your dog’s symptoms and keep him or her as comfortable as possible is to be proactive and keen to the first signs of allergy symptoms, treating them when they first appear and before they become more severe. The sooner they are treated and addressed, the better. And remember to keep your dog’s immune system strong with a healthy, nutritious fresh diet and a well-managed environment.
Resources:
Dr. Barbara Fougère, BVSc, The Pet Lover’s Guide to Natural Healing for Cats & Dogs
Dr. Martin Goldstein, DVM, The Nature of Animal Healing
Susan Gayle Wynn, DVM, http://www.jaspenhof.com/article/Allergic%20Skin%20Disease.pdf
Narda G. Robinson, DO, DVM, MS,
Jan Allegretti & Katy Sommers, DVM, The Complete Holistic Dog Book
Show your pup some love by giving him a wholesome, well-rounded diet.
Wholesome, healthy food is a cornerstone of well-being for all living things, and there are numerous benefits of feeding a natural diet to your puppy. In many cases, getting off to the right start with good nutrition will set a pup up for a lifetime of great health.
Much of the poorer quality pet foods contain so many cheap fillers and indigestible ingredients, that a pup has to
eat a huge amount in order to obtain the nutrition he needs. Recipes that contain whole foods and organic ingredients are generally better quality overall.
Because of the dramatic increase in allergies, immune problems and even illnesses such as cancer since the introduction of commercial pet foods years ago, many people have decided to begin making their own dog food. A carefully balanced homemade diet can be an excellent source of nutrition but can often be very time consuming to prepare and tricky to balance.
There are of course, also some human foods that dogs should never eat; these include grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, macadamia nuts and any foods containing the natural sweetener Xylitol, to name a few. However, these foods aside, healthy people food that is properly balanced to provide all the nutrients required by a puppy, adult or senior dog is one of the best things you can offer your pup!
Regardless of whether you choose to offer a homemade or commercially produced diet, there are some important nutritional differences between what a pup needs in order to grow and develop properly compared with what an adult dog needs as a maintenance diet.
Puppies need proportionately more calories, protein, vitamins and minerals than adult dogs— balance is crucial, and more is definitely not always better. Pups have a faster metabolic rate than adult dogs. Growth and development alone consume a lot of energy. Many pups go through growth spurts, and even more food than usual can be required at these times, but care should be taken to keep the puppy lean and ensure he doesn’t grow too big, too quickly.
Proteins
Protein, made up of amino acids, is the primary building block of skin, muscles, cartilage, organs and other tissues. Puppies require certain amino acids, such as Arginine, in much larger quantities than adults. For large-breed puppies, restricting protein intake, as many people try to do, can alleviate fear of causing skeletal problems. In fact, a moderate protein intake is best. Around 25 percent to 29 percent is a good starting point for most pups.
Calcium + Phosphorus
These minerals must be provided to a puppy in balanced ratios for proper skeletal development and healthy teeth. The ratios can be between 1 part calcium to 1 part phosphorus, and up to 2 parts calcium, to 2 parts phosphorus—with the optimum ratio between these two values. Feeding calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D (which aids in the absorption of calcium) in quantities outside of their optimal ratios increases the risk of developmental deformities in growing pups.
RAW BEEF MARROW BONES MAKE AN EXCELLENT TREAT BETWEEN MEALS.
Calcium is also a necessary component of the blood and is important for nerve and muscle function. If dietary intake of calcium is too low to support normal blood calcium concentrations, then calcium will be mobilized from the bones. In contrast, excess dietary calcium causes additional calcium to be deposited into the bone.
A diet that’s excessively high in calcium may contribute to bone problems in young, rapidly growing dogs. There appears to be a link between the incidence of hypertrophic osteodystrophy, osteochondritis dissecans, and hip dysplasia and high dietary calcium intake. Scientific studies have been conducted in which researchers fed dogs calcium at a much higher amount than recommended and compare the incidence of disease in dogs that were fed normal or less-than-normal calcium levels. Those animals that were overfed calcium showed increased incidence of skeletal problems, including hip dysplasia.
Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins should also be supplemented very sparingly, if at all. A fat-soluble vitamin (A, D, E or K) will be stored within the body fat if fed in excess and can become toxic in very high quantities. But a deficiency of vitamin E can lead to muscle degeneration, and insuffi cient choline can be problematic for the liver. A vitamin D defi ciency can lead to osteochondrosis, and inadequate levels of vitamin A can cause eye and skin problems, reduced resistance to infection and abnormal bone development.
Water-soluble vitamins (C and the B group) are less problematic because any excess of these substances is excreted in the urine. Vitamin C is important for collagen production, healthy skin and immunity. Some holistic vets also recommend it for its anti-infl ammatory properties, especially in large-breed pups, though its use is not agreed upon because dogs actually manufacture their own vitamin C. The B vitamins are necessary for a whole array of functions including metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and enzyme formation.
Total Calories
Pups should be kept lean because getting chubby and overweight can put stress on delicate, developing joints. With larger-breed puppies in particular, it’s important to keep a close eye on total calorie intake. Studies have shown that dogs who maintain a lean body throughout life enjoy a longer life expectancy than those who are allowed to become overweight, so it’s important to start a puppy off on the right track.
Just as the correct balance of nutrients is essential for a pup’s growth and development, so too is digestibility. Focusing too heavily on the percentage of protein in a particular food can mean that not enough attention is paid to the quality of that protein, and how it will be assimilated by a puppy’s young body. For example, a food that contains poultry by-products like chicken feet, beaks and feathers is far less digestible than one that is made with true chicken muscle meat.
FOODS, SUPPLEMENTS AND NATURAL TOPICAL PRODUCTS ALL FORM PART OF AN OVERARCHING HOLISTIC PLAN TO COMBAT ITCHY SKIN AND EAR INFECTIONS. ALWAYS CONSULT A VETERINARIAN TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON THE PLAN THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU.
In addition to feeding a healthy diet, it’s important to try to feed only good-quality natural treats to your
puppy for rewards and training. Look for small treats that won’t fi ll him up too quickly and avoid products
with by-products, fi llers and chemical preservatives. With softer, jerky-style treats, avoid those containing
propylene glycol and excess sugars.
Raw beef marrow bones (also called soup bones) make an excellent treat between meals. Your puppy will not actually eat these, but gnaw on them in delight! These are available from many supermarkets and will help with teething and also keep adult dogs’ teeth clean and sparkling white. They also provide hours of chewing entertainment that can help to alleviate separation anxiety and reduce destructive chewing on household objects.
Extra nutritional supplements are not usually necessary with a healthy, wholesome diet unless your vet or breeder recommends them for your particular dog. Examples of supplements that may be recommended for a pup include green foods like spirulina, bone meal or an essential fatty acid supplement such as fi sh oil or seed oil.
The benefits of a good, wholesome, natural diet are numerous. A raw food or home-cooked diet is commonly associated with increased strength and vitality, “happy” eyes, and freedom from chronic skin and health problems such as dry hair, excessive scratching, ear infections and digestive problems. You may fi nd your puppy gets lots of compliments for his healthy, shiny coat and bright disposition!
Lucy Postins is a companion animal nutritionist and founder of The Honest Kitchen in San Diego, CA. More nutritional resources are available at www.thehonestkitchen.com or by calling (866) 437-9729.
Click here to view the pdf (7.47 MB)
