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 »
Dog Allergy Basics: Dermatology CSI
June 9th, 2010
Since dog allergies often manifest as itching and skin issues, pet parents turn to veterinary dermatologists for help uncovering the mysteries that may or may not be allergy related.
An Itch By Any Other Name
Rod Rosychuk, a board certified veterinary dermatologist and associate professor at the veterinary teaching hospital at Colorado State University, tells Dog Food Dish that unraveling the symptoms is “truly Dematology: CSI.”
“When presented with an itchy dog, we first have to recognize that there are things that can make dogs itchy that are not allergies (for example, bacterial infections, mite infestations),” he says.
Other Dog Allergy Hints or Indicators
Veterinarians, be they dermatologists or otherwise, look at a number of factors to help them figure out what’s what. This includes:
Breed – since some have a genetic propensity to develop atopy
Age of itchy onset – since food allergies show up in dogs a year old or less, while atopy usually emerges between 1-3 years of age and gets worse over time
Seasonality – since fleas and pollens tend to be worse in certain areas at certain times of year
Nature and location of skin problems and coat changes – since different kinds of allergies show up in different locations:
- Flea allergies = rump, back of thighs, groin areas
- Atopy or food sensitivity = face, ears, feet, armpits, flanks, private regions
Ruling Things In or Out
Often veterinarians must try various treatments as a test for symptom relief to figure out what’s going on. For example, if the doctor suspects flea allergies, and the dog responds well and improves after flea therapy begins, then the diagnosis is confirmed.
If symptoms continue, however, even after flea control, then the search for a cause continues and may include:
- Food trials lasting at least 8 weeks to test (We’ll talk MUCH more about food sensitivities and allergies in the coming weeks.)
- Bathing remedies aimed at getting pollens and other irritants off the dog’s coat
- More detailed “skin prick” tests or even blood tests looking for allergen-specific antibodies (IgE), especially if atopy is indicated
No Easy, Fast Answers
Slogging through the various tests and suspicions takes patience, and lots of it. It’s easy to get antsy when your dog is suffering, but if you seem to be facing a possible atopy or allergy diagnosis, try to hang in there with as much grace and ease as you can muster.
Chime In!
Do you have a dog allergy victory or scary tale to share? Let us know!
Tags: allergies, dog, dog allergies, dog food, dog food allergy, food allergies, itching, veterinary dermatology
Posted in Dog Allergies, K9 Health, K9 Nutrition | 9 Comments »
10 Dietary Supplements Your Veterinarian Needs to Know You’re Giving to Your Pet
March 10th, 2010
As a follow up to last week’s post about the vitamin and mineral needs of dogs, I want to talk about 10 dietary supplements your veterinarian needs to know you give to your pet.
The reasons it’s important range from possible drug interactions to downright poisoning risk. The bottom line, I think my veterinary friends and colleagues would agree, is that your pet’s doctors really need and want to know everything you’re doing in the name of your dog or cat’s health. Everything.
In some cases, they merely need to know. In others, they just might try to talk you out of it.
So, I tapped into a resource from the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. And, according to Narda G. Robinson, DO, DVM, MS, FAAMA, Director, CSU Center for Comparative and Integrative Pain Medicine, here are the top 10 supplements your veterinarian needs to know that you give:
1. Chinese herbs
“The problems with Chinese herbs are many, and can include toxic contaminants, undisclosed pharmaceuticals and adulterants such as strychnine and aconite, and plants that interfere with bleeding,” Robinson explains. “There may be interactions with chemotherapy drugs, anesthetics, or anti-seizure drugs. If someone has prescribed the Chinese herbs, encourage people to find out from that person the facts about these products, and not to settle for vague descriptions such as ‘moving Qi’ or ‘extinguishing Liver Wind.’”
2. Willow, feverfew, meadowsweet, or other herbs that may contain salicylates
“These supplements/herbs can have potential additive effects with anti-inflammatory medications and interference with clotting,” Robinson says.
3. Calming herbs such as valerian, hops, skullcap, kava kava, and passionflower
These too may be additive with anesthetics during surgery.
4. St. John’s Wort
It may cause other medications to be less effective through herb-drug interactions.
5. Pennyroyal oil
This oil is often used in “natural” flea products, but it can be toxic/deadly.
6. Organ or glandular extracts
“These may contain active hormones or transmissible diseases such as mad cow from bovine products,” Robinson says.
7. Vitamins and especially minerals
As covered last week, certain vitamins and some minerals are much more likely to reach toxic levels than others. Plus, says Robinson, such supplements “may upset the body balance of these levels.”
8. Colloidal silver
“It can be absorbed by the brain, kidney, and almost every organ and cause serious problems,” Robinson explains.
9. Chaparral and comfrey
These can cause serious liver damage.
10. Any herbal products with secret ingredients that may contain harmful, undisclosed agents.
Enough said.
Even obsessive dog food label readers can fall into the trap of thinking natural products, herbal supplements and other holistic solutions to pet health issues are benign. That’s not necessarily the case.
Personally, I have tried some of these supplements (and others) to help my fearful border collie cope with a world she finds oh-so scary, but I did it under the guidance and supervision of a holistic/alternative veterinarian, who provided me detailed information that I gave to my regular veterinarian.
How about you? Do you have any stories (good or bad) to share about dietary supplements you give your pets?
(I filed this post under “Dog Food Debates” since I suspect there may be some strong feelings. We’ll see. Won’t we?)
Tags: dog, Dog Food Dish Blog, dog nutrition, dog supplements
Posted in Dog Food Basics, Dog Food Debates, K9 Nutrition | 15 Comments »
February 24th, 2010
Let’s not mince words. Fats make food taste better. It’s true for us. It’s true for our dogs. Aside from palatability, though, dietary fats (known as lipids) do many good things inside the body, including:
- Preventing heat and moisture loss
- Protecting major organs
- Supplying essential fatty acids (EFAs)
- Carrying fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K)
- Insulating nerve fibers
- Helping to transmit nerve impulses
- Contributing structural components to cell membranes
- Transporting other nutrients across these membranes
Fats (solid form at room temperature) and oils (liquid form at room temperature) get a lot of bad press, but they provide the most concentrated source of food energy. In fact, they’re nearly three times as dense energy-wise as carbohydrates or proteins. Most fats are also more digestible.
Fat Digestion
What’s a little freaky about fats is that they don’t get broken down for digestion the way other nutrients do. Instead, they’re elongated and desaturated (loss of hydrogen atoms) inside the body.
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) might be the most “famous” of all the kinds of dietary fats. These are the OMEGAs you hear about. They’re called “essential” because in most cases the body cannot synthesize them.
- Omega 3 fatty acids (from alpha-linolenic acid)
- Omega 6 fatty acids (from linoleic acid and arachidonic acid)
- Omega 9 fatty acids (from oleic acid)
Vegetable oils can provide Omega 6s, but certain Omega 3s can only be found in animal fats.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Omega 3s, in particular, produce a lower immunological response than Omega 6s and Omega 9s, so when veterinarians are concerned with controlling internal inflammation, they may recommend re-balancing EFA ratios and supplementing a pet’s diet with additional Omega 3s.
Be sure to alert your pet’s doctor if you supplement Omega 3s because they act as a blood thinner, which is important if surgery (emergency or otherwise) is needed.
Tags: corneal dystrophy, dog, dog food, dog nutrition, fats, low-fat dog food, nutrition, pancreatitis
Posted in Dog Food Basics, K9 Nutrition | 2 Comments »
February 17th, 2010
Protein in dog food typically comes from an animal source. In other words, “meat.” At some point, we’ll explore the Dog Food Debate over how much protein is enough or too much. For now, however, let’s just look at protein as a primary dog food ingredient.
Dog Food History
The use of animal byproducts as a protein source in pet food began during early industrialization. Someone, somewhere decided that anything deemed unusable for human consumption might be OK for our furry friends.
Over the years, I’ve heard some funny (and crass) phrases to describe these leftover body parts or fragments thereof. Since we aim to be a family-friendly spot for dog food information, suffice it to say we simply refer to such things at my house as “pieces parts.”
Protein Quality Matters
The K9Cuisine.com team believes that the protein level is not as important as the kind of protein used in dog food. That’s why the use of byproducts automatically disqualifies a food from the site.
Honestly, a lot of a poor quality protein cannot be as good for your pet as less of a good quality (and biologically usable) protein. The better the protein source, actually, the less a dog truly needs. And, all that unusable stuff left behind by icky proteins can be tough on a dog’s kidneys.
Since the goal of dog nutrition is to support — not challenge — a dog’s basic biological processes, starting with a good quality protein is key.
What constitutes protein quality is an interesting science. Proteins can be measured through “chemical scores” and “biological values.” Chemical scores basically compare one protein to another used as a reference point. Typically, that’s an egg. So, if an egg scores 100 on a 100-point scale, then other proteins earn scores compared to eggs. It’s much more complicated than I can get into here, but the score ends up being based on just a few “limiting” amino acids, rather than all that may be provided by the tested protein.
Ranking proteins based on “biological value” isn’t perfect either since it defines how much (%) of absorbed protein gets retained. However, it does not take into account digestibility.
Name That Protein
Check pet food labels, which we know can be confusing, for an actual “named protein.”
What do we mean by that? Well, the label should call the protein by its real name: chicken, beef, lamb, etc.
Calling it merely “meat,” or worse “meaty” in an advertising application, means very little. Remember all those cafeteria jokes about “mystery meat”? It’s a bit like that.
Protein Science
Just as carbohydrates are classified, based on their complexity, so are proteins.
Essentially, proteins get built in nature when amino acids team up from the hundreds of options. Yet, we find just 20 amino acids in most proteins. Once combined, they get classified like this:
- Peptide (two amino acids)
- Dipeptide (three amino acids)
- Polypeptide (more than three)
Your dog’s body breaks these peptides down into either:
- Usable basic amino acids from the bonded ones consumed
- Precursors that can be synthesized into what the dog needs
Dogs need essential amino acids in their diet because they simply cannot make them themselves through any biological process. Nonessential amino acids are the ones that dogs can make for themselves, if provided with building blocks through their food. Some amino acids are conditionally essential, meaning that certain diseases or other health issues make them more important.
Dog Food Protein Enhancements
To combat any deficiencies in protein sources used in dog food, manufacturers sometimes balance the amino acid profile by using several sources (called “protein complementation”). Some use “amino acid fortification,” which essentially means they add any missing amino acids.
Questions – Proteins in Dog Food
As always, I’m happy to hear any questions you have about protein in dog food so that I can research the issue and get you answers … or at least open up a discussion.
Tags: byproducts, dog, dog food, Dog Food Dish Blog, dog nutrition, K9Cuisine Dog Food Dish Blog, protein
Posted in Dog Food Basics, K9 Nutrition | 4 Comments »
Carbohydrates: Dog Food Basics
February 10th, 2010
Carbohydrates (carbs) in dog food come from the energy contained inside plants. Remember learning about photosynthesis back in school? Well, that’s were carbohydrates are born. When plants turn sunlight energy into chemical energy, they store the energy as what we could call “sugar.”
Carb Classification
Basically, carbs fall into one of four categories:
1) Monosaccarides: also called “simple sugars.” Famous ones include glucose and fructose.
2) Disaccarides: basically two monosaccarides lumped together. Regular table sugar is a combo of glucose and fructose.
(Quick trivia tangent … lactose found in mammal milk links glucose and galatose together. It’s the ONLY carb of animal origin.)
3) Oligosaccarides: a big clump of 3-10 monosaccarides. They can be harder to digest, causing gas.
Oddly enough, though, those that contain fructose (fructooligosaccarides) tend to do good things in a dog’s intestines, including better stool quality and reduced odors.
4) Polysaccarides: the big boys made up of thousands of monosaccarides. That’s why they’re often called “complex carbohydrates.” Typically, they are either what we would deem “starches” or “dietary fiber.”
Dog Food Carbohydrates
In the dog food world, cereal grains like corn, wheat, sorghum, barley and rice most often provide this carb/starch component.
Dogs of various digestive temperaments have varying success with these carbs. Some do OK. Others suffer terrible food-related allergies.
Since K9Cuisine.com serves so many canine families with such allergy issues, the use of corn, wheat and soy are automatic disqualifiers. None of the foods sold on the site include these ingredients.
In last week’s blog post, Dog Food Basics we covered the metabolic role of carbs in a dog’s diet, including a “protein sparing effect,” where protein can be used in cell repair rather than for energy needs. Some may argue against having any carbs in a dog’s diet, but they do many things inside the canine body.
In addition, these starches function as binders in dog food. They kind of hold everything together. To fill both dietary and functional needs, some dog food makers have gone to potato or even pea starch as a carbohydrate source in their foods.
Questions – Carbohydrates in Dog Food
I’m happy to field any questions you have about carbs in dog food so that I can research the issue and get you the answers you need. Let me know. Won’t you?
Tags: carbohydrates, dog, dog food, Dog Food Dish Blog, dog nutrition, K9Cuisine Dog Food Dish Blog
Posted in Dog Food Basics, K9 Nutrition | 3 Comments »
February 3rd, 2010
Dog food typically combines carbohydrates, fats and proteins, along with vitamins and minerals. Each element plays a starring role inside the canine body, where all kinds of important processes take place. We’ll open up the discussion to Dog Food Debates later, but for now, let’s simply look at how these nutritional elements work from a purely physiological standpoint.
Dog Food Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide a key source of dog food energy that in addition to other bodily functions has a “protein-sparing effect.” That means carbs free up the body to use protein in tissue repair and growth, rather than the protein getting burnt up to meet a dog’s energy needs.
Carbs also:
- Supply energy that keeps dogs warm
- Provide a steady supply of glucose needed for the central nervous system to do its thing
- Convert to glycogen, which can be used as an emergency energy source for the heart
- Hook up with proteins and fats to form body tissue structures
- Supply “carbon skeletons” for the formation of nonessential amino acids
- Are required for the synthesis of other essential compounds
Dog Food Fats
Fats make food taste better. Trust me. Your dog understands that.
Palatability aside … Fats can provide a main form of energy storage in the body. In excess, of course, that’s not ideal, but in normal amounts, fat storage insulates the body from heat loss and protects major organs.
Dietary fats in dog food also supply essential fatty acids (EFAs) as well as carry fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
In addition, fats serve metabolic and structural roles, including:
- Insulating nerve fibers
- Helping to transmit nerve impulses
- Contributing structural components to cell membranes
- Transporting other nutrients across these membranes
Dog Food Proteins
In broad terms, dogs require protein because it supplies essential amino acids that form, fix and replenish bodily proteins that truly hold everything together. That means hair, skin, nails, tendons, ligaments and cartilage.
Beyond structural support, proteins do many other things:
- Some key proteins regulate muscle action.
- Some catalyze metabolic actions.
- Some are downright essential to nutrient digestion.
- Many hormones are protein based.
- Protein in the plasma helps maintain a dog’s Ph balance.
And, if that wasn’t enough, proteins work inside a dog’s immune system to generate antibodies that combat potential disease.
Inside your canine friend (and inside you, too) body proteins undergo a constant renewal and decline process, which requires a regular supply of dietary protein.
While you might be thinking, “Hey, protein is king!” know this … water is the single most important nutrient for survival. (Someday soon, we’ll talk all about it.)
Tags: carbohydrates, dog, dog food, Dog Food Dish Blog, dog nutrition, fats, K9Cuisine Dog Food Dish Blog, proteins
Posted in Dog Food Basics, K9 Nutrition | 4 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.
