RECENT POSTS

Ask the Expert on Arthritis in Dogs

July 23rd, 2009

Name: Joan Ingle
Pets species and breed: Lab
Pets age and weight: 71/2 61 lbs.
Pets health status: Good, but has arthritis
Are they spayed or neutered? Yes
Brand of food: Solid Gold – holistique blendz
Animal owned for: 6 years

Question:

“My lab has been on Solid Gold – Holistique Blendz for about 6 months. She does some scratching which may be related to the food – I”m not sure. However, she has developed arthritis in both elbows. I was told from a pet store owner that grains irritate arthritis and that I should change to Barking at the Moon. Please advise. I can”t find in my internet searches anything about grains and arthritis.”

Answer:

“Thanks for your inquiry. Sounds like you have two different questions. One is whether or not your dog’s scratching is related to the Solid Gold dog food. Please read my article http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/food_allergies_in_pets.html that discusses food allergies in detail. In general, food allergies are not terribly common and there are many more common things that can cause scratching especially at this time of year (fleas, inhaled allergies, etc).

Arthritis is a common joint problem in dogs and is estimated to affect 20% of dogs older than one year of age. Many times their symptoms don’t show up until later in life, although the arthritis changes have been present for many years. Read my article http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/dog-arthritis.html for a thorough discussion of arthritis in dogs. What the pet store owner may have been referring to (that grains irritate arthritis) has been documented in people who are gluten-intolerant. Whole grains contain gluten and other compounds (including lectins, phytates, high omega-6 : omega-3 ratios) that can aggravate or cause inflammation. There have been many reports of arthritis signs resolving completely in gluten-intolerant people that go on a gluten-free diet. This really doesn’t apply to dogs and cats as gluten-sensitivity and gluten-intolerance is exceedingly RARE. Although the pet store owner is “up” on his grain knowledge…it really applies only to people.”

Hope this helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Tags: allergies, arthritis, arthritis in dogs, dog care, dog health, dogs, gluten, health, scratching
Posted in K9 Care, K9 Expert Question, K9 Health | No Comments »