Pet Allergies – Just where did they come from?

We see A LOT of dogs each year. And we are starting to see A LOT of dogs with food allergies. But where did they come from? It seems that 30 years ago pet allergies were unheard of by owners and vets. So what has happened?

It’s all in the food. Yes, that expensive grain-free kibble we buy is likely causing our pets to have itchy skin, hot spots, yeast infections, hair loss, etc. Why?

Have you ever read the ingredient label on a bag of dog food? Did you know that the “limited ingredient” diets often contain things dogs would never really eat if we didn’t give it to them? Plus, the fillers, the antibiotics and hormones in the meat used to make the kibble…

I know I’m asking a lot of questions. I’ve been on this journey with you. I’ve learned that commercial pet food manufacturers are not required to sanitize their processing equipment between batches. This means that the Lamb and Rice food (for your chicken intolerant dog) likely still has chicken in it from the batch of chicken and rice that was made just before the Lamb recipe you buy.

My Bloodhound, Copper, has chronic yeast infections in his ears. We clean them daily. We’ve used every solution available, we’ve changed his kibble every few months for three years, and now we’re switching to raw food. I’ve ordered an allergy test and will swab his gums and send in some hair and determine what is causing his immune system to be in a constant state of stress. Then, I’m going to remove whatever it is from his diet that is causing his body this stress.

I’m switching to a raw diet because it’s more inline with my dog’s nutritional needs. Their systems can handle just about anything… I mean… Copper did just eat trash out of the garbage can last week…(and that’s how wolves became dogs, by the way… foraging from our trash and gradually starting to interact with humans until they started to work with us, live with us, and eventually until they got into our beds :-).

But their systems are not designed to eat kibble, no more than our systems are designed to eat McDonald’s or other processed foods exclusively.

So here is my stance on kibble vs raw diets:

My personal diet would be the equivalent of a balance between real food (raw food) and a good kibble. I eat mostly real food (eggs, salads, meats, nuts, fruits and veggies), but I do eat processed foods like bread, Oreos, cheese, protein bars, pretzels, etc. And I’m healthy, for the most part. Should I eat Oreos all the time? No. Do I occasionally get fast food (yes, like 5-10 times per year).

So, my dogs will eat mostly raw food (meat, bones, organs, appropriate veggies, etc) and sometimes they will get processed foods. Their systems, like ours, can handle just about anything. BUT, just about anything is not always the most nutritious.