Last week someone called into my Sirius/XM Wednesday night show CAT CHAT® complaining that their dog was “allergic to grain” and wanted my advice on whether a “grain free” dog food would solve their problems. In my blog last week about how grain-free is a distorted concept in pet food, I got some responses on the HALO blog from dog owners who believed that “grain free” food was of special value to their dogs and were giving it credit for solving problems that it actually cannot really address. In addition, dog owners and some veterinarians have a mistaken perception that dogs have food “allergies” which cause skin problems — when the fact is that food is the least possible cause of those problems. I am eager to clear up some fundamental misunderstandings about the word “grain” and the word “allergic” by pet owners.
Let us start by clearing up what is meant by “grain” — something I know a lot about since I happen to have celiac sprue disease (which means an intolerance to the gluten in grains). I am supremely aware of what constitutes a grain since I have to carefully avoid grains in any form, but wheat (as bread or flour) is the one most often seen in foods. This is also true of lower quality pet foods — the presence of wheat is a red flag about a product. Wheat is the grain primarily seen in dog food. Even though dogs do not get celiac disease, wheat is generally considered a possible intestinal irritant and it is also not a quality source of nutrition. Pet foods based on corn are also seen on the list of lower quality foods, which is because it is high on the glycemic index and can cause obesity and blood sugar issues; the presence of corn indicates that a pet food is heavily carbohydrate-based rather than relying on a good protein source as the primary ingredient. When I was the PETCO spokesperson in 2011 for their natural foods, the signs on the wall in the natural section of their stores said everything you needed to know in choosing a high quality pet food: No Corn, no wheat, no soy.” However, I also want to make sure to clarify that corn is not really considered a grain and is fully allowed on a human celiac diet, as is rice — wheat is the big no-no, as other people who are gluten (grain) intolerant will confirm.
I want to answer Vicki, who wrote into the HALO blog about my previous blog in which I explained that “grain free” is not really what it seems to be because it does not mean “carb free.” She said that her Pomeranian Spunky “began having seizures at 5 years old and sniffling and scratching a lot, losing much of his hair. I bought him expensive dog food which I thought was GOOD dog food. I sat up for hours one night researching allergies in dogs and found that grains in dog food, corn and wheat in particular, caused allergies in dogs like intense scratching and biting of paws, groins, and near top of back end but also seizures. I have wheat allergies, my daughter has gluten allergies.” She said she put Spunky on a grain free dog food and all his symptoms cleared up in less than two weeks. I can pretty much assure you that if any of Spunky’s symptoms were food related they went away because she stopped feeding the previous food (which she believed to be a “good” food but which she didn’t know because she didn’t read the label). Probably something in the previous food (preservatives, chemicals, poor basic ingredients) had something to do with his scratching if it resolved that quickly — it was fixed by eliminating the previous food, not substituting it for a new better food. However, the “sniffling” that she mentioned is an upper respiratory reaction probably from the environment (like people who take antihistamines) and not food related. Lastly, seizures in a 5-year-old Pomeranian are most likely an inherited genetic trait but in any case cannot possibly be caused by grains, no matter what someone said on the Internet!
Bill wrote into HALO in response to my blog and said: “My vet says absolutely no grain for my allergic 5 year old mini-Sheltie, Bonnie. She came from a shelter with a bad yeast infection of her skin and ears. The vet said no grains, beef or poultry, because they are the most likely cause. I certainly don’t want to keep aggravating a food allergy. So, what can you suggest?”
To Bill I would respectfully suggest changing to a veterinarian who understands food allergies in dogs! A shelter dog can arrive with all sorts of conditions, including neglect, poor hygiene and almost always poor nutrition. Addressing those 3 issues in a positive constructive way will usually solve all of it — and you can think of using a high quality premium pet food like HALO as a powerful tool for ongoing health. You won’t find wheat or wheat gluten (or corn for that matter) in any premium dog food. Trying to avoid chicken, beef and wheat “just in case” would be a lifetime of management without any proven reason. I’ll bet Bonnie has left those problems in the rear view mirror now that she has a new conscientious forever home. Thanks for adopting, Bill!
Let me be really clear about the issues these good folks are dealing with:
1) Issues with human nutrition and digestion are not parallel to the dog digestive system or immune system.
2) Reading anecdotes on the Internet is not a good way to diagnose or treat any medical or health issue, for our pets or us.
3) Dogs are rarely allergic to food ingredients — poultry (including eggs) is the number one allergen for dogs (not grains), but the only way a responsible veterinarian instructs owners to discover if their dogs are genuinely food allergic is to go on a two month elimination diet in which ALL commercial food is removed from the diet and the owner cooks a simple diet.
4) Never substitute assumptions about pet food for a visit to a smart veterinarian who will help you figure out your pet’s problems using common sense and medical skill and technology, not a cook pot!
-Tracie Hotchner
