ALLERGIES AND FOOD-WHAT'S THE CONNECTION?

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Is it the food?..Environmental contaminates?...Seasonal?...

Food allergies account for about 10% of all the allergies seen in dogs and cats. It is the third most common cause after flea bite allergies and atopy (inhalant allergies). With the advent of lamb and rice diets many people feel that they are preventing or treating food allergies. The fact is that nothing could be farther from the truth. There is nothing special about lamb and rice diets except those two ingredients were normally not present in pet foods. Animals had not eaten lamb or rice before, and therefore, had not developed an allergy to it yet. If the main ingredients in pet food become lamb and rice, then it would stand to reason that the most common problem foods could become lamb and rice. The determinant of whether a food is likely to cause a food allergy or not is based on the structure and size of the glycoprotein in the food. In addition, many lamb and rice-based foods contain many other ingredients, and if the animal has a food allergy to any of them, this lamb and rice food will do nothing to treat the food allergy.

There is a distinction that needs to be made between food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies are true allergies and show the characteristic symptoms of itching and skin problems associated with canine allergies. Food intolerances can result in diarrhea or vomiting and do not create a typical allergic response. Food intolerances in pets would be similar to people that get diarrhea or an upset stomach from eating spicy or fried foods.

The entire process of a pet being sensitized to a particular agent in food and the complicated antibody response that occurs in the intestinal tract in pets with food allergies are not very well understood. Food allergies affect both males and females and neutered and intact animals equally. They can show up as early as five months and as late as 12 years of age, though the vast majority of cases occur between 2 and 6 years. Many animals with food allergies also have concurrent inhalant or contact allergies.

Despite our lack of understanding of the actual disease process, there are many things that we do know including the symptoms, how to diagnose food allergies, and also how to treat them.
But a correct diagnosis is essential to determine the correct treatment.

[diane silver]

Thank you for such an informative post. This is especially interesting to me since Emma, who is almost six months old, was diagnosed with yeast in her ears and is now on her second course of antibiotics (the vet is trying a different one). She and my breeder (Patty Barnes of Log Cabin Labradoodles) agree that it could be caused from the grain in her puppy food. So, I'm now in the process of switching her over to Evo which is grain free. I'm really hoping that we get this situation under control and that it won't become a chronic problem.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jacquie, you beat me to the punch! I was intending to set up an allergy discussion here when I had the time! And this is the exact article (among many) that I intended to post here! Way to go!
As we get into this topic, I hope everyone will pay particular attention to the section of the above article that states:
"There is a distinction that needs to be made between food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies are true allergies and show the characteristic symptoms of itching and skin problems associated with canine allergies. Food intolerances can result in diarrhea or vomiting and do not create a typical allergic response. Food intolerances in pets would be similar to people that get diarrhea or an upset stomach from eating spicy or fried foods."
Remember that there is also a very big difference between bacterial ear infections & yeast infections. I am looking forward to discussing this topic from a FACT-based (not anecdotal) persepctive, in the context of how food does and does NOT relate to illness.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Sorry!...did I over step my bounds yet again?...LOL.....I did say "For Karen"...: )

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No not at all...didn't you see "WTG" up there?

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

I see it!...thanks honey!

[Lynne - North Carolina]

Just a few comments to share: We have 2 Labradoodles, ages 2 and 6 months, and a 4 year old Shih Tzu. Our Shih Tzu had severe skin allergies for years, was allergy tested, and was taking both medication and allergy shots, which helped somewhat, but not totally. Bentley's allergies caused him to have lesions on his skin, scratching and hot spots - the allergy tests indicated grains, etc. We tried different foods, including EVO - but then his liver protein count became high and he developed a sensitive stomach - throwing up, etc. and seemed to have no energy nor interest in playing as he once did. This went on for over a year. In the meantime, we had our first labradoodle join our family, and per breeder's recommendation and a local holistic pet shop - began Foster on a raw diet. Then we decided to give Bentley (Shih Tzu) some of the raw, but he is a finicky eater and sometimes would eat - sometimes not. The raw we were feeding is quite expensive and we tired of throwing it out when he didn't eat. The shop owner suggested we try Bentley on Timberwolfe Ocean Blue - (grain free) After only 2 days, Bentley's energy came back, his skin became COMPLETELY cleared up - and he started playing and chasing toys -it was miraculous! Within a week, he was back to his old self - he has now been off all medication and shots for almost a year. We now give all 3 of our dogs Ocean Blue, as well as raw food and raw bones. They have no yukky eye discharge, clean teeth and no digestive or weight problems. We just felt that if the Timberwolf OceanBlue made that much difference in such a short time, it would be good for all of them. I too, have been unsure and squeamish about feeding raw, and if it were not so inconvenient, we would just feed totally raw, but as I said, it's too expensive to throw it away if not eaten, and I wouldn't want to just leave it out so they can eat at their leisure. What we have found works best is just to mix some raw with the dry and also give raw as treats. This way they get the benefits and also have something crunchy to munch on.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would be interested in knowing what "tests" were done for your dog's allergies, as there are no reliable tests for food allergies to date. Skin testing is done for inhalant (environmental) allergies and does not include food, and the blood tests are unreliable. Seasonal allergies are never caused by food.
With all due respect, I am very glad that this worked for you, but it is anecdotal, and frankly, the phrases "it was miraculous" and "after only 2 days...his skin completely cleared up" are the kinds of things that turn me off about the raw feeding websites, etc...as Lynne NJ has mentioned, there is an almost religious tone to it. As a degreed physiologist with an extensive background in biology, some of these statements are not scientifically logical or possible.
My purpose in starting this group, and particularly this discussion was to save others the frustration and pain I experienced in other forums after my beloved Jackdoodle was diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis and the treatment options were dismaying. Every time I asked a question on a forum, people began to talk about food. No matter how much I explained that my dog has a reliably-diagnosed systemic disease related to immune system defiencies, I was told the same story..."I eliminated grain, and my dog was miraculously cured." When I explained that we had already eliminated wheat, corn, soy, chicken, and beef, I was told that this or that brand is better, or you should add 19 different homeopathic ingredients, or you should feed raw, etc. RAW is dangerous for dogs (and people) with compromised immune systems, as well as epilectic dogs and dogs with liver disease. Food is only food. It cannot cure diseases that are not the result of a nutritional defiency. Allergies are specific immune system responses to substances against which the body has built up antibodies, and no food is going to fix that. These are facts, like 2+2 =4.
I am sorry to be harsh, Lynne, I know you are offering this information in an effort to help. But every single day I see another poor soul asking about her dog's ear infection, only to be told to switch his food. (We had one here the other day...it turned out to be excess hair in the dog's ears.) I do not know why people are so convinced that food is the answer to all canine ailments, but when you have a very sick dog and are looking for some information about a particular treatment option, it is very very upsetting to keep hearing about food. Many people have allowed their dogs to continue suffering with a medical condition because of this. My hope is to separate the facts from the folklore. Here is the information on food allergy testing from Mar Vista Vet:

Blood Testing: Many owners and veterinarians attempt to look to other tests to diagnose food allergies. Blood tests such as the RAST test or the ELISA test can be performed to screen for food allergies. In addition, intradermal skin testing could also be performed. Despite the fact that these tests are routinely performed and used as a diagnostic aid, there is no evidence that blood tests are accurate for the diagnosis of food allergies. Veterinary dermatologists insist that there is no merit in these tests whatsoever in the diagnosis of food allergies. The only way to accurately diagnose food allergies is with a food trial as detailed above. While the intradermal skin testing is excellent for diagnosing atopy (inhalant allergies) it is ineffective for food allergies. While the ELISA and to a lesser extent the RAST test can be used to help in the diagnosis of atopy, they have no benefit in diagnosing food allergies. In our review of all the current books and articles on veterinary dermatology and allergies, we could not find a single dermatologist that endorsed anything other than the food trial as an effective diagnostic aid. If you want to diagnose and treat food allergies you must do a food trial.

[Adina P]

I second karen's comment "Food is only food. It cannot cure diseases that are not the result of a nutritional defiency" because it is very true. Granted, food influences a lot, and in some conditions DOES play a big role... BUT it is not everything... It is NOT a panacea for all ills.

As far as food allergies, not only is a true food allergy an immune response situation... But it can be several kinds of immune responses (at least this is true in humans) which makes it difficult to weed out exactly what is going on. And some immune responses may actually lead to malabsorption of nutrients. Take for instance celiac disease in humans. Celiac disease is an autoimmune " food allergy." A person with celiac disease is allergic to wheat (gluten to be specific). Any ingestion of wheat gluten results in the body attacking its gastrointestinal lining. As a result of the damaged lining some nutrients are poorly absorbed and that person develops some food intolerance (diarrhea, cramping, pain, lactose intolerance, etc.). Usually, once the celiac disease is diagnosed & managed (and a gluten free diet is the only treatment and it works completely) the intolerance symptoms go away... And the previous lactose intolerance also goes away (since often it was merely a side effect of the disease). There is also a link between type one diabetes and celiac disease (meaning many [more than can be explained by chance alone] who have one have the other. To me, the point of this explanation is simply to point out that it's not very simple to iron out the cause of an allergy or the treatment. Perhaps the allergy is a result of an underlying OTHER condition. Perhaps it is merely a food intolerance (GI issue) resulting from a bigger issue. Or it could be something else entirely (genetic susceptibility [which isn't saying anything useful], environmental, and on and on).

There is a lot (A LOT) that is unknown about humans and food allergies... More so when it comes to dogs. To assume some allergies are food-related makes sense. To link everything to food does not make sense.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge with us! (And not charging for your professional services, LOL!)

[Adina P]

You're welcome--I added another few sentences just now.

[Doe Asombrado]

Hi Lynne

I don't know if you're aware of the yahoo groups website called "Carnivore feeding Suppliers"? They are wholesale meat slaughterhouses that provider human and dog grade raw meats/bones at a discounted price. They are scattered all over the USA and do runs up and down the interstate in your state. I can get bones at $0.20 a lb and the basic grocery store and exotic meats at a discount ranging from $0.50-$2.00 a lb. My supplier is in California and does runs up and down I-5 from Sacramento to San diego. He only carries grain free, free-range, non hormone meat and poultry that range from: chicken, beef, pork, Elk, Venison, Llama, Emu, goat, green tripe, organ meats. The last run, I spent $54.00 for 53 lbs of meat, ground bone/meat, and bones. Thats almost a $1.00 a lb. It'll last me 1 month for a 70 lb dog! My supplier is Creston Valley Meats and my contact is Simon Caleb! Great guy with quality meat! Let me know if you have any questions.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Doe, this information will be helpful for the Raw Feeding Discussion as well! Do you want to copy it over to that discussion? ( I can do it for you, but you'll get the DK 'points' if you do it yourself, LOL!)