Raw Diet And Its Effect On Dogs With Allergies

Raw diets are controversial among owners, veterinarians, and researchers. It is hard to know the truth about raw diets and their effect on allergies due to the wealth of conflicting information.

Some critical information should be considered when an owner is weighing the advantages and disadvantages of feeding a raw diet to a canine with allergies. 

Raw diets may have some benefits for some dogs with allergies, but not for all dogs. In some dogs, the allergies may be worsened. Exclusive raw diets are seldom balanced, leading to dangerous vitamin and mineral imbalances. Raw diets place the dog and owners at risk from pathogens

Wading through the quagmire of opinions on feeding raw diets to allergic canines is challenging. Each owner must make the decision on what is best for their dog. 

Does A Raw Diet Help With Allergies?

A study done in Helsinki has shown that feeding a pregnant dog a minimum of 20% raw food resulted in fewer puppies with dietary and atopic dermatitis. The same study showed that young dogs fed a similar diet continued to produce fewer allergies in the sample group. 

Other researchers have criticized the study, claiming that it is flawed and there was an obvious bias. This controversy is typical of the information on raw diets. 

This study did not consider if dogs that already present with allergies can be ‘cured’ by eating a raw diet. There is minimal objective information and scientific studies on this subject.

Anecdotal evidence from owners and veterinarians shows that some dogs with dietary and atopic allergies have been helped by eating raw diets. There are also owners and veterinarians that report that allergic dogs were not helped by eating raw diets. 

Important Aspects To Consider In Raw Diets For Allergic Dogs

If the owner decides to feed a raw diet to an allergic dog, it is essential to make the conversion slowly. A sudden change can result in a gastric upset, derailing the experiment. 

Not all dogs are willing to eat raw food. As strange as this sounds to many people, some dogs will refuse to eat raw meat. 

Raw food is susceptible to pathogens such as salmonella, e-coli, and a host of other bacteria. Dogs and their owners can become extremely sick from exposure to these pathogens. Handling and hygiene of raw meat are critical for food safety. 

The cold chain for meat management in raw diets must be strictly maintained. Dog bowls used for feeding need thorough washing after every meal to destroy pathogens. These can sometimes be difficult to eradicate.

Dogs with a compromised immune system due to disease or an immune-suppressing treatment should not be given raw food as their system is vulnerable to infection. This factor makes it challenging to move allergic dogs onto raw diets. Many allergic dogs are on corticosteroids, cyclosporine, or other immunosuppressant therapies. 

If the owner or family members have a compromised immune system, feeding a dog a raw diet can pose a health risk as they may be exposed to life-threatening bacteria. It is strongly recommended that families with young children do not feed their animals’ raw diets.

Raw diets are seldom balanced diets. Owners that decide to feed raw diets to their dogs with allergies must inform themselves and spend considerable time ensuring the diet is as balanced as possible. 

Are There Benefits To Feeding A Raw Diet?

Raw diets usually have limited ingredients, making them easy to control and observe the effect on a dog with allergies. 

The simplicity of the diet may be beneficial to allergic dogs as there are limited ingredients to digest. 

Protein served in raw diets has not been altered or denatured by cooking or other processing. Proponents of raw diets claim that this allows protein-digesting enzymes in the dog’s stomach to digest the protein easily.

Can A Raw Diet Cause Allergies In Dogs?

There is no clarity on whether raw diets cause allergies as there are no scientifically sound studies on raw diets’ effect on the dog population. 

Dogs are often predisposed to developing allergies by genetic inheritance. A dog fed raw food may develop an allergy just as much as one eating commercially produced food. 

Raw diets vary according to the owner’s selection of ingredients. This element makes it difficult to predict if a dog will develop an allergy due to a raw diet.   

The general thought on raw diets is that they need to include diverse protein sources and different parts of the prey animal for them to be healthy. Muscle meat, organs, sinews, fat, tripe, and bones should all be a part of a raw diet. 

Diversity is what makes them beneficial. This diversity can be hard to access in our modern world. Many owners find themselves too busy or the meat too expensive. The result is that a dog fed a raw diet receives one constant meat cut from one protein source, which can predispose the dog to allergies. 

What Raw Protein Is Best For Dogs With Allergies?

Dogs with dietary allergies are usually allergic to proteins found commonly in pet foods. These are generally beef or chicken, and thus it is best to avoid these meats when feeding raw. 

Novel proteins such as lamb, rabbit, duck, or venison are better choices for allergic dogs. Trial tests of different proteins should be approached cautiously to establish which protein the dog can tolerate. 

How To Know If My Dog Is Allergic To Raw Chicken? 

If your dog has gastrointestinal upsets such as diarrhoea, vomiting, reflux, flatulence, and stomach cramps after eating chicken, you can conclude that they are allergic to raw chicken. 

There may also be evidence of the allergy in skin symptoms, such as increasing dermatitis and itchiness. Ear infections and irritations may increase. The dog may experience muzzle dermatitis from contact with the chicken. 

Conclusion

Some dogs may benefit from a raw diet, but it cannot be conclusively stated that all allergic dogs will do better on a raw diet. If an owner wishes to experiment with a raw diet, it should be done in collaboration with the veterinarian or animal nutritionist. 

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6515799/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3003575/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211118203742.htm
https://www.nutriment.co.uk/raw-dog-food/hypoallergenic-dog
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