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My beloved dog Daisy has been suffering for several years with itchy belly, runny eyes, ear infections and on and off again hair loss. We have taken her to the vet repeatedly for these issues. They ruled out thyroid and assumed it was an allergy to something in our yard. We tried her on allergy meds and still she wasn't getting better. I'm sure we have literally spent $1000s of dollars trying to diagnose/treat the problems.
So, a few weeks ago I had a lightbulb moment, and thought about gluten intolerance as a possibility. I purchased a gluten free/grain free dog food ($$$$) online and gave her a try on it. It was only for about ten days that she was on it, but I definitely saw improvement in her scratching. I put her back on her old food and sure enough back to constant scratching of her tummy area.
I've ordered a 25 pound bag of the grain free food so we can give it a longer trial but I think I might just be on to something. I found this article that supports the notion of canine gluten intolerance.
I think you definitely ARE on to something. Interstingly, my friend has a dog who has had a bald spot on his back for quite a while. My friend's daughter just graduated from vet school and brought some food for the dog. Lo and behold, he now has hair where it had fallen off. I'll try to get the name of the food. It would be interesting to compare.
I think dogs are even less adapted to grains than we are (and I'm pretty hard-core paleo). Our shelter pup was crazy with ADHD (not a technical term, when applied to dogs, but you know exactly what I mean), and had horrible skin - was being treated with some special anti-fungal shampoo.
After a few weeks grain free with us, we gave him a bunch of treats that were full of wheat. Within a few of them he was hyper and barking his head off. He eats a mostly raw, grain-free diet now, and is a "whole different animal" in many ways. We feed Honest Kitchen, a freeze-dried food that you reconstitute with water, which is less expensive than some options. We also use frozen patties, which are much more expensive. And we give raw chicken backs (whenever we cook a chicken, or when we can buy them). Sometimes we get meaty bones from the farmer's market. He's a beautiful boy, so much calmer while still lively.
That would be a much more expensive proposition with your gorgeous Daisy! (Lovelovelove the mastiffs - she looks much like a neighbor-dog-friend.) Our guy's only 55 pounds or so. He's 4yo now.
BTW, I also changed one of our cat's diets - he had terrible skin issues. Not sure what it was, quite honestly (though I suspect grains - always - maybe wheat-germ oil masquerading as 'tocopherol'?). All that makes it all the sillier that it took me getting so sick to figure out that *my* diet needed fixing desperately, and what the obvious culprit(s) could be. I really bought into the vegetarian-ish, China-study influenced, Dr. Esselstyn-style thinking, and perhaps it works for someone else.
Glad to hear you have found a food that works for her - hope you can find a budget-friendly source or version!
My son has a dog that developed diabetes. I "suggested" going grain-free but the vet put him on insulin. The poor dog is now blind, getting insulin shots twice a day!
I have used only grain-free dog food for 8 years now, after my previous dog developed a rare autoimmune disease (hypoparathyroidism). Eight years ago I had trouble finding even one brand - now my Pet Depot has many grain-free brands and claims they are the biggest sellers.
I know a poodle with MC who was treated with Entocort and a grain-free diet.
Best of luck with Daisy.
Hugs,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Absolutely dogs are gluten intolerant. When I went GF I put my dogs on GF food because I have a kisser and didn't want gluten on my face. her itchy, stinky skin cleared up and her arthritis went away. She's now 15 and in great health. Before she went GF she had enormous stools for a 30 pound dog, now they are normal size. She had a bath the other day and they gave her a cookie and she got D. I am 1000% sure she's intorant to gluten, and probably other grains.
Dogtor J is a vet who is celiac and writes about gluten/grain sensitivity. He has some interesting info on his site. http://dogtorj.com/
BTW, Daisy is a real cutie.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Sara is correct - dogs never evolved to eat grains. Grains were never a part of their evolutionary diet, (until people started feeding their pets the same types of misfit foods that they were eating themselves. ).
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
