Most Dogs Can Become Allergy Free
One of the most common medical conditions in dogs is allergies. Allergies can come from many sources and can be difficult to pinpoint. The first step to combating this problem is to address the dog’s diet. Naturally, many pet owners wonder: What is the best dog food for dogs with allergies? The answer is: Healthy food that promotes a strong immune system. I have seen over and over again that, when feeding dogs a healthy, immune-strengthening diet, allergies becomes an issue of the past. So, what is healthy food for a dog?
Feed Species-Appropriate Food
Dogs are carnivores and their digestive system is designed for a carnivore diet. What is a carnivore? Carnivore means meat eater ( see carnivore definition). A misconception, usually perpetuated by dry-dog food companies, is that dogs are omnivores (eating a diet of plants and animals). When dogs are fed a different diet than the one that their digestive system was designed for, they are not getting the nutrients they need to sustain an optimal immune system. This is important to understand since a weakened immune system exposes them to a host of threats to their health, including free radicals.
What Causes Allergies?
Most dogs with allergies are fed a diet of commercial dog food. This food compromises the pancreas, since it has to work with food it was never designed for. That puts a lot of stress on this organ, and causes a reduction in enzyme production. This reduction includes a loss of enzymes that maintain immune system strength by properly digesting the food and absorbing all the different nutrients a dog needs. If the food is not right, this process it not optimally performed, causing a nutritional deficit. Over time, this can lead to serious health complications, including cancer. One of the early symptoms of a weakened immune system is allergies. So, take allergies as a warning sign that something is not right, and act on it by changing the food–not just the brand of kibble– to match the digestive system of your dog. In most cases this will resolve the issue, and will prevent further, more serious health complications..
A Warning About Medication
Medication for allergies will in most cases not help if the food is wrong. If you continue feeding the same type of commercial food and add medication on top of that, you are only masking the issue, and over time making things much worse. You need to address the core issue to find a permanent solution.
The Solution Is to Fed the Right Food.
So many participants in my raw feeding study project begin with the same story : “I switched my dog to raw after he/she developed allergies from kibble.” Many report that, within weeks or a few months, the allergies were gone and they never looked back. If your dog has allergies, I highly recommend switching to an all-raw food diet. If you do not know how to do that, I have written a book about it for beginners, to get you started. I will support you, as long as you need, through the entire process of getting your pet on a good raw food diet that you can feed your pet for the rest of his/her life. You can find the book here.
