We have been researching canine nutrition and food allergies in order to help our clients dogs live healthier, happier lives. There are so many pet foods available today, that it’s difficult to know where to begin the selection process. Many consumers are aware of the recent pet food recalls and are wary of any products that use imported ingredients. A great reference tool is the book “Food Pets Die For” by Ann Martin (you can find a link to buy this book on our website http://apetsbestfriend.biz/InfoProducts.html). There are many other books related to this subject, and a great deal of information is also available on the internet. The best way to know exactly what your pet is eating, and possibly more important, what he is not eating, is to prepare his meals yourself. Again, before embarking on this journey, we recommend doing some homework so you can be sure your pet is getting everything he needs from his meals. For most of us, there is just not enough time in each day to cook for ourselves, let alone our pets, but luckily there are some trustworthy pet food manufacturers who believe that our pets deserve the same high quality foods as us humans. Look for our list of recommendations at the end of this post. In our opinion, it is a wise idea to find not just one brand of food that works well for your dog, but two or three and rotate them. We have been taught that we should stick with a single food for our pets to avoid digestive upset, but that could potentially lead to dietary deficiencies or excesses, or your pet could develop allergies to one or more of the ingredients. When switching between foods, make sure to introduce the new food slowly over a period of one to two weeks, gradually increasing the amount of the new food and decreasing the amount of the previous food.
If your dog is suffering from allergies, the cause could be his food. Food allergies can easily be confused with inhalant allergies (atopy), flea bite dermatitis or sarcoptic mange. Once these are ruled out as a source of the symptoms, it is possible to embark on an elimination diet or feeding trial. Many commercial pet foods, even so-called “Premium” foods, contain ingredients that are common causes of allergies, including: Corn, Wheat, Soy, Dried Beet Pulp, Beef, Chicken and Dairy Products. Common signs of food allergies include: recurring or chronic ear and/or skin infections, strong skin odor, itchy skin, hair loss, hot spots and do not appear to be seasonal. Many pet owners believe that food allergies only affect their pets after a recent change in diet, when in fact, these allergies commonly develop in pets that have been fed the same type of diet for over two years. It is also commonly believed that pet foods containing Lamb and Rice are the best choice for pets with sensitive skin; however, most of these formulas also contain other allergy-causing ingredients. Lamb and Rice used to be a good choice for pets that showed allergy symptoms when being fed other proteins such as beef or chicken, but can also be a source of allergies. An elimination diet consists of exclusively feeding your pet a protein and carbohydrate source that he has never eaten before, and absolutely nothing else (including table scraps, treats, rawhide, etc.) for twelve consecutive weeks before introducing one new ingredient at a time. This can be very challenging in households with children or other members who tend to slip them snacks when no one is looking.
There is not one single food that is best for all dogs, so finding the best food for your dog involves trial and error. Please learn how to read pet food labels and you can help your dog live a long, healthy life. Pet food manufacturers commonly “Split” ingredients to make it appear that there is less of a specific ingredient (usually a form of grain) and the labels can be very misleading. Some of our top choices in pet foods are:
Wellness by Old Mother Hubbard – the grain-free line is called CORE with formulas for adult maintenance and weight loss
Innova by Natura Pet – the grain-free line is called EVO with different varieties and sizes of kibble
The Honest Kitchen – various formulas of raw, dehydrated, human-grade ingredients manufactured in San Diego
These are just a few of our favorites. When evaluating a potential food for your pet, some important factors to look for are: use of chemical preservatives (including Ethoxyquin which is commonly added to fish meal ingredients and believed to be carcinogenic), use of ANY by-products (there is no such thing as “High quality By-products” – just do your own search on Google and you’ll be shocked at what comes up), artificial colors (many are believed to be carcinogenic), synthetic Vitamin K (Menadione Sodium Bisulfite source of Vitamin K activity) which has been linked to liver damage and not found in high quality pet foods, Beet Pulp which is used as a filler and believed to be a leading cause of ear infections, Corn, Wheat or Soy are also highly allergenic to a great number of pets.
Tags: dog allergies, food allergies
September 28, 2009 at 1:09 pm |
THANK YOU ! for this wonderfully in formative article. I have read Dr. Michael Fox’s articles for decades and he has often expounded on this subject. However it was painfully clear that the space set aside for his articles were limited and did not allow for the valuable information your piece has included.
I am hoping you will allow me to copy this article, with “apetsbestfriend” accredited of course, and paste it on a social network Known as “dogster”.
Please advise
augdra