The Truth about Pet food reactions.
Your dog just finished it’s delicious meal, and is now rubbing its face all over your new area rug. Is this some sort of primal happy-dance? Is she cleaning her face? It might surprise you, that it could be a reaction to that delicious meal. With the ever-changing food trends for both the humans and dog world, it’s no surprise you stare at your computer screen after reading the 5th article still not knowing where to start. Whether your diet consists of vegan, keto, or gluten-free foods, it’s important to remember dog’s are not small humans; and therefore need to be fed differently.
First, let’s discuss the differences between food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances. True food allergies tend to be the most severe in nature. These allergies are often seen or felt in a greater way such as swelling, hives, dizziness, vomiting or diarrhea. Lucky these types of food reactions in pets are extremely rare when compared to humans.
Food sensitivities are similar, but have some key differences. These types of reactions tend to cause a slower and less severe type of reaction than a true allergy. Commonly we see these manifest as itchiness, ear infections, and intestinal issues. These tricky sensitivities may develop over time and can be harder to pin-point.. An example is ear infections. There can be many causes of ear infections, but when they become recurring, food is a possible contributor to look into .
Food intolerances are not immune-mediated reactions (meaning the reactions do NOT come from the immune system) like the two above. Intolerances are caused because of a lack inability to digest or break down various foods, or a reaction to ingredients that trigger a physiological reaction in the body. These types of reactions tend to be localized to the stomach and intestinal tract.
JFFD Treats in house
Animals with underlying food intolerances or sensitivities can present with various clinical signs. These can show up as skin issues, diarrhea, constipation, paw licking, ear infections, hot spots, mouth sores, face rubbing, etc. . A common misconception is that the main trigger in pet food comes from grains. In fact, if a dog is experiencing some type of food sensitivity, intolerance, or allergy, current research shows that it is more commonly caused by the protein in the diet. However, it’s important to also consider less common triggers such as rice, oats, eggs, corn, soy, and wheat when working with pets who suffer from food intolerance and/or sensitivities.
To add more confusion to this subject, there may some pets who suffer from similar clinical signs as above who are actually reacting to chronic exposure to low levels of mold and/or contaminants found in dry dog food.. Chronic exposure to mold ( which can produce mycotoxins - a type of toxin produced by mold) can trigger numerous inflammatory responses in the body. Mold can be found in “spoiled” foods that are sometimes ingredients in dry pet food. Often a positive response can be seen when switching these “reactive” pets to a grain free, raw, freeze dried, or home cooked diet. The million-dollar question: when they do better on the new food, was it the removal of the allergic ingredient , or was it the reduction of the possible mold contamination exposure?
We have partnered with Just Food For Dogs based out of California to offer a range of fresh frozen whole food diets for your pet. We have a store front in our building that has treats, DIY kits for home cooking, fresh frozen, supplements and much more. Check out our JFFD tab. In addition to JFFD, coming soon we will have Paws on Chicon as our neighbors. They too offer a wide range of brands of pet food. We will keep you updated on their opening soon. As always, please speak with your Veterinarian to determine what is best for your pet.
As you can see this is a very complex topic. We believe diet and nutrition are at the root of staying healthy. We must take all ingredients into consideration and how they will affect each individual patient, and we’ve seen no two patients are the same. Prescription food and steroids are not the sole answer for us. Pet food options are growing fast, and we are here to help guide you through making these decisions. We truly believe food is the only type of “medicine” a pet eats each and every day so why not make it the healthiest possible. ROOT Cause, ROOT nutrition, ROOT wellness.