Weird Symptoms: Pet Food Allergies
September 1st, 2010
After the dog food I had been feeding my two dogs scored an F on K9Cuisine.com’s Dog Food Rating Tool, I found another / new line of food from the same maker that scored an A+. As I mentioned in the post Dog Food Rating Tool – Explained, everything seemed terrific … until it wasn’t.
Dog Days of Summer: A Whole New Meaning
July was a rough month at my house with veterinary bills totaling more than all our other monthly bills combined. Ginko’s third knee surgery in 10 years cost us FOUR times the initial estimate.
He is mostly recovered now, after two major rounds of antibiotics to deal with the massive infection they found tunneling its way through his right knee.
Ginko was none to happy to wear the collar that kept him from licking his surgery leg, after last month's knee surgery.
But, in the process of healing, Ginko suddenly developed an unquenchable thirst, which of course led to lots of peeing and very little sleep for anyone at our house.
He would literally stand at the empty water bowl and CRY, after having just slurped down the entire thing.
Weird Symptoms: Pet Food Allergies
During one of his post-op appointments, where they drew blood samples and did some urinalysis (and found nothing of concern), our veterinarian concluded that the change in dog food was to blame.
How’d she know?
Oddly enough, she had recently switched her dogs to the exact same food, and they too had become “water mongers.”
Other Possible Causes
Now, with Ginko having just come through a tough 2+-hour surgery, and with the massive antibiotics he was taking, it was easy to think that perhaps those things had something to do with his sudden water issues.
Dog Food Switch: Take 2
But, just to be sure, we switched him from the salmon and sweet potato formula to the turkey and sweet potato formula.
My worried, skeptical husband really wanted to switch Ginko back to the old food … F grade or not, but I convinced him to that we’d just try another protein source in the A+ line instead.
He begrudgingly agreed, saying, “Let’s hope it isn’t the sweet potato that’s the problem.”
Problem Solved
After just one week, Ginko’s thirst issues vanished. He is completely normal again.
I’m not saying that Ginko is “allergic” to the salmon, but I believe there is some dog food intolerance or dog food sensitivity there. I cannot imagine that all that thirst and drinking and peeing doesn’t wear a dog down, so I’m glad we switched, and I’m glad he is doing better.
While we could have just returned what was left of the salmon food, I’ve continued to feed it to Lilly (my border collie, the canine heroine of our blog Champion of My Heart) … because she is doing great on the new food. I’ll just switch her over to the turkey when we run out of salmon.
This experience makes me VERY leery of moving them to a dog food rotation schedule … because, frankly, my budget can’t take many more expensive veterinary scares right now.
Trading Ills
Alas, the salmon-based food virtually made Ginko’s “gas” problem disappear, so now that he is back on the turkey (grain-free, gluten-free) formula … the gas has returned.
I’m also a bit stumped that we haven’t seen a great reduction in stool quantity from either dog.
Because Ginko was on strict house rest during his recovery, I supervised every trip to the dog pen for him to potty for several weeks, and I’ve got to say … what’s coming out the other end is NOT less than it was on the old food.
So, either the old food wasn’t all that bad, in terms of fillers, or there is a goodly amount of sweet potatoes, peas and such in the new food.
It’s been a long, long time since I fed so-called “grocery store” brands. Perhaps I just don’t remember stool quantities from the old days.
What Weird Symptoms?
So, beyond the typical symptoms veterinarians see in dogs with food allergies, what crazy things have you seen when a food didn’t agree with your pet?
Tags: allergy symptoms, animal protein, dog, dog allergies, dog food, dog food allergies, Dog Food Dish, food sensitivity, hydrolysate, K9Cuisine.com, novel protein
Posted in Dog Allergies, K9 Nutrition | 14 Comments »
Dog Allergy Basics: Dog Food Allergies
June 23rd, 2010
Once upon a time, I felt terrible about my eldest dog needing surgery on both his knees at age 3. He just had another knee surgery earlier this month, after nearly 7 years relatively pain-free. That’s my orthopedic sob story.
Yet, I once spent a weekend in Palm Springs, California, with the top veterinary dermatologists and veterinary allergists from the around world. The things they shared about their work snapped me right out of it because I learned:
- How hard dog allergies are to diagnose
- How hard certain dog allergies can be to treat
- What role LIFE-LONG management plays in canine comfort
Suddenly, those surgeries, even with recovery periods stretching many months, didn’t seem so bad.
So, let me say this … If your pet suffers from any kind of allergy, you have my unequivocal sympathy. Really.
The Proteins Do It
It’s the proteins, kids. The proteins that usually lead to dog food sensitivity or dog food allergies in our canine pals. This includes proteins that come from plant sources and even things we think of as carbohydrates.
In very simple terms, it takes a BIG molecule to trigger a dog’s immune system to overreact. That’s all an allergy is really. It’s a normally helpful body system that goes overboard.
And, proteins are big enough to get the Let’s-Make-the-Immune-System-Freakout job done.
Most Common Allergy-Causing Proteins
- Beef
- Dairy products, like milk
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Corn
- Wheat
- Soybean
Dog Food Allergy Symptoms
Remember, since these allergens get absorbed in digestion, symptoms include:
- Gas
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Itchy paws, skin, ears
Some in the dog training world also believe that dog food allergies or sensitivities can lead to fear and aggression issues in certain dogs.
Food Elimination Trials
If veterinarians suspect a food allergy, they’ll likely recommend food elimination trials or a bigger food switch — lasting at least 8 weeks — that cuts out all of the most common dog food allergens.
Everyone in the family or in your dog circle needs to be on board with this. No sneaking Fido forbidden snacks. No cheating.
Often this means using a food with a “novel” protein. In other words, a protein your dog has never been exposed to before. Things like rabbit, duck, and kangaroo are used as novel proteins.
Lamb actually was once used as a novel protein until it made it’s way into mainstream dog foods.
You can make novel protein food at home, or you can buy it from places like K9Cuisine.com (this blog’s sponsor) or through veterinary channels.
There is another option, though. Veterinarians can prescribe diets that use “hydrolysate” proteins, which are essentially common sources of protein (like chicken), but the protein has been broken up into such tiny pieces that the dog’s body no longer sees it as an allergen.
Proving Feeding Trial Results
If a dog does NOT improve on the new strict diet, then doctors rule out food allergies.
If a dog does improve, then veterinarians will usually recommend “challenging” the patient with the previously fed diet to see if symptoms return.
Adding Foods Back In
Because it’s usually more than one protein causing the issue, it can be hard to figure out which ones might be OK.
BUT, once a dog is doing well on a new diet, you can carefully reintroduce certain kinds of food or treats in two- or three-week intervals to see how well the dog tolerates them.
You may find that your dog isn’t as stuck in food and treat choices as I’m sure it first feels when the dog food allergy diagnosis is first made.
What Worked For You?
Have you been through this dog food allergy process? What foods or treats ended up working well for your dog? We’d love to know.
Shout Out Any Cautions Too!
For example, Karen from the OPDogBlog posted a comment to Dog Allergy Basics: 3 Common Triggers that explained how a dog food formula change threw her dog for a loop that’s taken months to unravel. Her advice? Check every label, every time.
Tags: allergy symptoms, animal protein, dog, dog allergies, dog food, dog food allergies, Dog Food Dish, food sensitivity, hydrolysate, K9Cuisine.com, novel protein, plant protein
Posted in Dog Allergies, Dog Health, K9 Health, K9 Nutrition | 2 Comments »
A professional writer based in Colorado, Roxanne Hawn doesn't just love dogs. She deep-down requires them in life. Something inside her genes, perhaps? That's why it's such a joy to write about all things canine. Roxanne began writing about pets in 1995, when she worked for the American Animal Hospital Association and later for the American Humane Association. During this period in her career, Roxanne served on the board of directors for the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (a coalition of animal welfare groups). Roxanne also volunteered for many years at an animal shelter, where she witnessed firsthand what happens when the human-animal bond breaks or never forms.
