When you see the term “gluten” on a dog food label, it is referring to the protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye.
Gluten Intolerance in Dogs
Gluten intolerance in people is a very specific immune reaction to a particular protein in gluten called gliadin. In dogs, the only breed that has been shown to have a similar condition is the Irish Setter. it is a hereditary disease and careful breeding has virtually eliminated gluten intolerance in this breed.
For you, this means; unless your dog is an Irish Setter, he’s unlikely to have gluten intolerance. He may well have other food allergies which are causing him problems, but the cause is probably another protein source such as beef or dairy products.
Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance
Symptoms of gluten intolerance are chronic diarrhea and weight loss, usually affecting young to middle aged dogs. Diagnosis can be difficult, involving blood tests and even biopsies of the intestine. Sometimes the only way to check for gluten intolerance is to feed your dog a gluten free food and see if their diarrhea resolves and their body condition shows improvement.
Most gluten free dog foods contain rice as a source of carbohydrates. When changing your dog’s food to a gluten free kibble, you can expect it to take a few weeks before you see any improvement in his condition. Some severely affected dogs won’t respond to a change in diet and will need other medications to manage their symptoms.
Gluten free diets tend to be higher in protein and fat to make up for the lack of carbohydrates from grain. These diets can lead to other problems if your dog has had pancreatic problems, or tends towards obesity.
Finding Gluten Free Products
If your dog has genuine gluten intolerance, you still need to watch carefully what you feed him. Even if a dog food contains ingredients that don’t contain gluten, it’s possible that the final product in the packet still has traces of gluten. The gluten can find its way into the product during harvesting or manufacturing of the kibble. You should choose a food with the highest level of quality control in its manufacture. You’ll need to enquire directly to each pet food company to ask about their processes, and you can expect to pay a little more for these foods.
Unless your dog has been diagnosed with an allergy to an individual grain, there is no reason to feed him a gluten or grain free diet. Many veterinarians feel the “grain free” label is a marketing tool for pet food manufacturers to set themselves apart and suggest their food is of a particularly high quality.
A nutritionally balanced kibble that’s undergone an American Association of Food Control Officials feeding trial and meets their standards will be sufficient in most cases. There’s no need to spend extra money feeding your dog a grain free or gluten free food, because he is not likely to benefit from it.
Dr. Susan Wright, DMV is an expert on dog containment systems with DogFenceDIY.com. Susan has been providing care for pets as a practicing veterinarian for over 10 years. As an authority on domestic pet care, Susan enjoys writing articles that help people provide the best care for their pets.
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My dog was never diagnosed but he would starve himself for several days than binge eat for several days and then throw up and start over. We rescued him and so were feeding him the food he came with. I started doing research and put him on a limited ingredient diet, no gluten, corn, dairy. He is actually a normal dog now. He hasn’t thrown up since June. Best thing I ever did for my dog. My dog is a German Shepard mix with Black Lab and husky (we think)