Leaky Gut in Dogs. Is It More Common Than We Think? Can We Prevent and Heal It?

One of the most common disorders in dogs is a leaky gut syndrome. I believe it is the major cause of many diseases we see in dogs today. It has become an epidemic. Signs your dog has a leaky gut include vomiting, diarrhea, ear infections, itchy skin, chronic inflammation, and weight loss. These symptoms are not only painful for your dog but can also be costly to you as a pet owner.

The outcome for leaky gut is not good with the current approach. Most vets will say there is no cure for a leaky gut. In this blog post, we will discuss what leaky gut syndrome is, the symptoms to look for, what causes it, how it affects dogs, and steps you can take to heal it! Yes, your read that right! I believe we can heal a leaky gut in dogs.

What is a leaky gut syndrome?

When a dog consumes a meal, it goes through three phases, the stomach, the small intestine, and the large intestines. The last two are referred to as the dog’s gut.

The small intestine is protected by a lining with an interesting structure. It is called villi and looks like fingers which again is covered by smaller fingers called microvilli. The purpose of this clever structure is to increase the surface area creating more real estate for food to be absorbed.

The microvilli are covered with a thin layer of a single row of polarized epithelial cells making this the only barrier between the internal body and the contents of the intestine passing through. The thickness is a fraction of a pinhead.

There are two more layers that support and articulate the epithelium layer, the lamina propria and muscularis mucosae. Together these three layers are what we call the intestinal mucosa layer.

Through a process of cell division, maturation, and migration, the epithelial cells are renewed every 3-4 days. These renewals are made possible by stem cells that reside in the crypt (see illustration).

Figure 1 Villi and microvilli (courtesy of pediaa.com)

During their lifecycle after being formed in the crypt stem cells migrate upwards maturing during the way and eventually go into apoptosis (suicide) and shed off into the intestinal lumen. This is an ongoing process.

The stem cell can produce seven different cells

1. Enterocytes: Is the majority of the cells produced. They are the cells responsible for nutritional absorption by expressing catabolic enzymes that break down molecules to a size that can be absorbed by the cells. Enterocytes absorb amino acids, peptides, lipids, vitamins, sugars, ions, and water.
2. Goblet cells: Protects the luminal contents from going back into the epithelium by secreting mucus.
3. Enteroendocrine cells: Pake different gastrointestinal hormones and neuropod cells.
4. Paneth cells: Make antimicrobial peptides.
5. Mocrofold cells: (M cells), takes up intestinal microbial antigens and deliver them to GALT for processing and initiation of immune responses.
6. Cup Cells: Function not known
7. Tuft cells: Involved in the immune response

As you see there is a lot going on and a lot that can go wrong if we do not understand what it takes to keep the gut healthy.

“Leaky gut” is a term used to describe when the intestinal lining becomes damaged, leading to inflammation and other various symptoms in animals.

As I mentioned your dog’s intestines are lined with a membrane called the “intestinal mucosa.” It is like water filters that allow nutrients to pass into the bloodstream while keeping pathogens and other unhealthy elements from entering the bloodstream.

As long as this membrane stays healthy everything works great.

When the membrane becomes damaged with small openings in the lining we have a leaky gut.

The microbiome

Most of you have heard about the microbiome, but what is it exactly?

The inside of the small intestine and the colon is a crowded place. Bacteria in the trillions coming from more than 1000 different spices have made this their home. You also find parasites, yeast, and viruses occupying these areas. This world is called the microbiome.

The majority of the bacteria living here are commensal bacteria (they all eat from the same dish) In other words they eat the same as our dogs.

As long as these bacteria stay in the gut they a considered friendly to the body. The dogs need them to protect the body from pathogens that also like the same food. In a healthy gut, the commensal bacteria do not cross the mucosa layer.

The immune cells and the commensal bacteria work together to control inflammation in the gut.

When this process gets interrupted and inflammation occurs, an opening in the lining appears and chemicals, toxins, allergens, bacteria yeast, and undigested food particles can leak through the barrier and end up in the bloodstream. That’s when we are dealing with a leaky gut.

Figure 2: Leaky Gut syndrome and the effects

The response to these invaders causes an immune response from the body which in turn can cause a body-wide inflammation.

This is called chronic inflammation and the cause of many different chronic diseases in dogs. Some of them are mentioned below.

Allergies and food intolerance

Many dogs are diagnosed with food intolerance. When suffering from leaky gut syndrome undigested protein can leak out and into the bloodstream which will cause problems.

As the body can build antibodies towards viruses, the body can over time do the same with proteins. So when these proteins keep leaking out the body will attack them looking at them as invaders. We now have food intolerance towards that protein. This is often chicken since it is used a lot in dog food. But there can be others.

In a healthy gut, this does not happen. Therefore when I see food intolerances I know there is a leaky gut problem since undigested food has made it into the bloodstream.

Let’s take a look at the symptoms.

What are the signs your dog may have leaky gut syndrome?

The most common signs of leaky gut in dogs are

• Immune system disorders: (IBS, chronic fatigue)
• Allergies: itchy skin (hotspots, dandruff, dermatitis, yeast)
• Digestive issues like: bloating, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, undigested food in the poop,
• Respiratory problems: asthma, panting, coughing
• Joint issues: inflammation, chronic inflammation of the joints
• Thyroid issues: Itchy skin could be one symptom related to a thyroid disease
• Behavioral problems: aggression, stress, excessive whining, separation anxiety

One problem with leaky gut is that there is not a good test for it. You can have a hypersensitivity test done to check for protein sensitivity. If it comes back with sensitivity for most of the proteins you feed, it is a pretty sure sign that you are dealing with a leaky gut. In those cases, when it comes back with one or two it may be something else.

Another way to determine if your dog has a leaky gut is to look at specific stressors that are known to cause a leaky gut.

Those are:

• Vaccines
• Antibiotics
• Steroids
• Antihistamines
• Flea and tick medication
• Heartworm medication
• Candida
• Yeast
• Stress

Food related triggers:

• Gluten: If your dog is gluten sensitive this can become quite scary. Gluten produces zonulin a chemical signal agent that tells the connections between the cells in the intestinal walls to open making the wall permeable.
• Myotoxins: Are molds that grow on starchy plants like grains. Maytoxins are found in most dog foods. It is extremely hard to avoid. This is one of the reasons I believe that most kibble fed dogs suffer from leaky gut syndrome,
• Dairy: For a dog to digest lactose in dairy products it needs the enzyme lactase which dogs completely lack. Some give goatmilk which has a different type of casein (a protein) that is easier to tolerate, but the lactose can still not be digested from goatmilk. I do not see any benefit from feeding dairy it and lactose can cause gut inflammation similar to gluten. Most people will feed dairy because of the probiotics. But there are much better ways to provide probiotics to a carnivore. I will address that below. In the wild carnivores have no access to dairy products.
• Lectins: There are some that believe lectins, a protein can attack the mucosal lining causing inflammation and a leaky gut.
• Glyphosate: Is a herbicide (a weed-killer) that can cause cancer, infertility, brain disorders, and heart disease! I believe the massive use of glyphosates in agriculture is one of the main causes of mineral deficiencies we now have in the food we consume and give to our dogs since it binds with zinc, magnesium, cobalt, copper, and calcium, all found in the soil. All are very important minerals that support many functions in the body that now lack in the food supply chain.

Allergies: This is the first sign that your dog may have leaky gut syndrome.

Here are some examples of dogs with allergies where food allowed the body to heal itself. I have hundreds of these stories.

Bodhi (2) is a German Shepherd from Canada that started on a raw food diet one year old. ⁣

Bodhi is a participant in the Long Living Pets raw feeding study. ⁣
(Click the link in my profile if you want to add your raw fed dog or cat to the study). Or go to https://longlivingpets.com⁣
⁣
Owner’s comment:
“I adopted my dog Bodhi close to his 1 year birthday. Prior to me adopting him he was fed the cheapest good available. Giant bags of Old Roy dog food. His skin was extremely dry and he would scratch so much he had open sores when i adopted him. He could not relax at all. ⁣
⁣
Once i took him home i immediately switched him over to primarily prey model raw. Very quickly the changes started. He was scratching a lot less and his coat become much better. He was able to relax. Also his body started filling out. He started to put on a little more muscle. ⁣
⁣
Now it has been close to 9 months raw and the change has been incredible. Beautiful coat. Almost no scratching. All the damage skin has healed up and he is a much more relaxed and balanced dog.”⁣
⁣
My comment:
Another classic example how the body of an animal heals itself when fed species appropriate food. ⁣
I have never seen this fail in the 20 years I have studied raw fed dogs and cats. The improvements are immediate and become exponentially better as the immune system grow stronger and more effective. Raw food is truly the best medicine for a carnivore in my opinion.⁣
⁣
If you have any health issues with your dog or cat and are not feeding raw, I highly suggest you switch as the first step. In most cases this will be enough to restore the health of your dog. If not contact me for help.

I have hundreds of similar cases taking part in my raw feeding study. You can see over 400 of them on my Instagram account: @longlivingpets

They all improved just by switching their diet showing that the right food is the best medicine.

What about food in general, can it cause leaky gut syndrome in dogs?

FYI, what I address in this article also related to cats. Leaky gut is unfortunately also very common in the feline population.

To make it even more tricky, leaky gut can cause other diseases and we tend to treat those ( the symptoms of them) not the leaky gut which is the true main cause in most cases.

But let’s talk a little more about food.

The main issue with food is what most pet owners wrongly call ‘Pet Food’

The root cause of the many health issues we see in dogs and cats today, in my opinion, is the diet. Living on kibble (for years) which is cooked, processed, and often containing wheat, soy, and corn is not what the digestive system of a dog was ever designed for. Another issue is that most of the nutrients added are synthetic.

We have been misled

We are programmed (brainwashed) to think that dog food = dry food. Why would we not? Everyone calls it that. Even our trusted veterinarians are recommending kibble and selling it in their clinics. We are brought up to trust our veterinarians with our animals. Most will do anything their veterinarian suggests when it comes to treating diseases, what medication to administer, and the choice of what to feed to keep your dog healthy. They even have kibble for different health conditions and ages, Do not fall for this. In the end, they are all essentially the same, or more correctly; they all lack the same quality nutrients required to sustain a healthy body. 

What they all ignore and will not address is what species dogs truly (scientifically) belong to. That’s kind of important in my opinion.

So let’s address that.

What species does the dog belong to?

I believe dogs are closely related to wolves. Some like to say (without any evidence) dogs are omnivores. Science says differently.

The quotes below are from Britanntica.com

Dog, (Canis lupus familiaris), domestic mammal of the family Canidae (order Carnivora). It is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and is related to foxes and jackals. The dog is one of the two most ubiquitous and most popular domestic animals in the world (the cat is the other).

Side note: Feline, (family Felidae), any of 37 cat species that among others include the cheetah, puma, jaguar, leopard, lion, lynx, tiger, and domestic cat. Cats are native to almost every region on Earth, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. They are carnivorous mammals that live in a wide variety of habitats, but they are typically woodland animals.

As you see they both belong to the Carnivora family of species.

Carnivore, any member of the mammalian order Carnivora (literally, “flesh devourers” in Latin), comprising more than 270 species. In a more general sense, a carnivore is any animal (or plant; see carnivorous plant) that eats other animals, as opposed to a herbivore, which eats plants. Although the species classified in this order are basically meat eaters, a substantial number of them, especially among bears and members of the raccoon family, also feed extensively on vegetation and are thus actually omnivorous.

Dogs have been reclassified as Canis lupus familiaris by the Smithsonian Institute (Wayne, R.K. “What is a Wolfdog?” (www.fiu.edu/~milesk/Genetics.html), placing it in the same species like the gray wolf, Canis lupus. The dog is, by all scientific standards and by evolutionary history, a domesticated wolf.

Dogs & cats were always designed as carnivores since 14,000 – 29,000 years ago when they were domesticated and their internal organs have not “evolved” into one of omnivore and that will never change (neither have humans, they are still omnivores as they have always been) so dogs are true carnivores.(Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 472.).

Those who don’t believe that dogs come from wolves must disprove the many scientific studies which say that wolves are the ancestors of dogs.

Over time humans have changed the design of dogs and cats, but have not changed their body’s anatomy and physiology. The organs and the digestive system have stayed the same.

Dogs and cats have the internal anatomy and physiology of a carnivore”. (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 260 for dogs/wolves

Some say (without evidence) that dogs have evolved into omnivores due to domestication, they have adapted to the same food that we eat. Why has this not happened to cats as well? Everyone agrees that cats are still as much of a carnivore as they have always been, even though they have been domesticated as long as dogs have.

Bottom line is that there is no evidence that dogs have changed species from carnivores to omnivores like most kibble food manufactures and veterinarians claim they have.

I think they bank on the law of propaganda “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”, a law often attributed to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels.

The responsibility is ours

We are responsible for what goes into and on a dog’s body. Feeding the right food is always the first issue to address. No healing can take place without the right diet from my experience. Good nutrition is vital for a dog’s immune system.

I hope this article will encourage more pet owners to take back control of their pets and do research into how they can keep their beloved pets live long healthy lives by controlling what ends up in the gut. With the proper approach, things like leaky gut can be prevented in my opinion.

That in turn can lower the risk of common issues like chronic inflammation which is often seen in dogs with leaky gut. As I repeat over and over again it’s all about restoring the dog’s immune system. For that to happen we need to educate ourselves and take action. I hope this article will put you on the track to do so.

Mother nature knows best

As an animal naturopath, I always think in terms of what is natural, what would happen in nature when it comes to food and nutrients. In nature, all the nutrients come from the food an animal consumes. That is natural and what we need to mimic. Mother nature knows best.

When we feed our dogs a highly processed and cooked diet we are not mimicking nature and therefore compromise the ability for these animals to reach homeostasis (balance) which is the goal of the body. A body out of balance opens the door to a range of health issues including leaky gut syndrome. What ends up in the gut reflects the health of the body. You know the saying: “We are and become what we eat”.

What about medication?

Another cause of leaky gut syndrome in pets is the overuse of steroids and antibiotics which destroy their intestinal flora, the gut lining and upsets the gut health which compromises a dog’s immune system.

A typical scenario is this:

Your dog show symptoms of allergies, itchy skin yeasty ears, excessive licking of the paws, or being stressed. The dog just does not seem healthy so you take him to the veterinarian.

Almost in every case, the veterinarian will suggest, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, a change of diet (brand) to feed your dog. In a best-case scenario, the veterinarian may suggest digestive enzymes.

They rarely address the cause by examining the dog’s gut, the gut lining, talk about the bad and good bacteria, foreign invaders, and ways to restore the immune system naturally.

Is all inflammation bad?

Inflammation is a sign of the body is trying to heal from something. It is part of the healing process. Using anti inflammatory drugs to suppress this natural process is not always the best idea in my opinion.

I caution the use of anti inflammatory drugs and steroids. Are there better solutions? I will share some later in this article.

Can stress cause leaky gut syndrome?

I believe stress is a very important factor to consider when it comes to leaky gut in dogs. Long periods of time alone combined with not enough exercise can be damaging to your dog’s health. A dog suffering from boredom and anxiety is a stressed dog.

A recent study (1) found that stress seems to play a role in the development of leaky gut and that brain health can affect your dog’s gastrointestinal system. Yes, the brain is linked to the gut. A healthy brain promotes a healthy gut. Therefore keeping your doge calm and balanced is important for overall health.

How can we prevent leaky gut in Dogs?

Your dog or puppy may not have a leaky gut at the moment, but if you are feeding kibble, I suggest you take action before you get there because preventing leaky gut is much easier than healing a dog’s gut that is already suffering from leaky gut syndrome.

As I mentioned above feeding your dog a species-appropriate diet is the first step you need to take to start the process of prevention.

Why is that so important? I have touched on this earlier but is so important that it’s worth mentioning again.

Replace the bad with the good

When we replace the bad food (the food not designed for a carnivore) with the good food that a carnivore’s digestive system is designed for we often see an immediate effect because…

The nutrients a carnivore can extract from raw meat are superior to one they can get from the commercial dog. They also get their amino acids intact, not destroyed by cooking the food. The enzymes that are so vital for digestion and break down of the food to nutrients the body can absorb is present. These enzymes are killed during the manufacturing (heating process) of kibble. The vitamins are natural and from whole food, not synthetic as in kibble-type food. These natural vitamins and minerals will enter the bloodstream and transported to the cells that need them. If you take a blood test before you switch and one a month or two later I bet you see better numbers all around.

The net effect of removing the bad and replacing it with the good is quite helpful for the digestive system. The body no longer has to deal with food it was not designed for, that in itself releases resources to digest the good food and extract nutrients in a more efficient way.

The lack of processed food and chemicals in a raw food diet is the main reason we rarely see leaky guts in raw fed dogs. If we do they are mild and fairly easy to correct with supplements lacking in the raw food diet.

Concerned about balance?

Don’t be, the key is to feed a variety of raw meats and organ meat. The body is a wonderful and clever organism. The body knows what it needs much better than we do. The balance happens from within. All we need to do is to provide the resources to cover what the body (cells) are asking for. That is balanced by nature. We can’t beat that since every body has different nutritional requirements and the nutritional content in the food we feed is different depending on where it comes from.

Balance is one of the reasons so many are sitting on the fence afraid to jump off and start feeding raw. Many books emphasize of the importance of balancing nutrients including micro nutrients and makes feeding raw a science project beyond understanding for most. Nature is not complicated, we humans are experts in making things complicated and go against nature. Feeding raw is much easier than you are made to believe. It is extremely difficult to screw this up.

The positive almost immediate changes you will witness feeding a raw food diet will be a confirmation of what you are doing is working. The results will take the fear away and I can almost guarantee you will never go back to kibble food.

If you are not feeding a raw food diet, and curious how to, or even scared to, I wrote a book that will take the fear out, it’s simple and easy to follow.

LINK TO BOOK

Avoid chemical products that may hurt the gut health

Our environment is full of harmful products that can hurt your dog’s digestive system, gut lining, GI tract and even cause leaky gut, and that, as you already know from reading this article, can lead to chronic inflammation.

Here are some products that you do not want your dog being exposed to:

• Insecticides
• Rodenticides
• Household cleaners (harmful with chemicals and toxins)
• Chemical flea and tick, shampoos. Those that contain things like formaldehyde, parabens, and cocamide-dethanolmine. These are damaging to hormone functions, that can cause itchy skin and may even cause cancer in some cases

There are natural alternatives you can use that contain apple cider vinegar and essential oils plus others.

The interesting trend I observe in my raw feeding study is that raw fed dogs have much fewer issues with parasites than I see with kibble-fed dogs. Personally, I have never had any flea or ticks bothering my raw-fed dogs.

What about Vaccinations do they affect leaky gut?

I see trends from my study that over-vaccination can cause serious issues with the immune system. I’m not going to address that here since it is such a controversial topic, but I address that in my second book coming out soon (July 2021)

A few words about overmedication

Antibiotics are one of the most common meds given to dogs today and can severely hurt the immune system when used long-term. Even short term I have observed issues like diarrhea, vomiting skin issues, licking of paws, and other health issues. There are alternatives that can work very well.

Natural remedies

I always recommend using natural remedies unless the issue is too severe. Always consult a vet with any health issue you cannot manage or control.

One of the best products I’ve found is Colloidal Silver. I know this is another controversial topic, but I’ve been using it for more than 15 years and have never had any issues. Colloidal silver nanoparticles made with electricity have been extensively studied due to their antimicrobial effect in different organisms (4) (5).

I’ve observed with my dogs and from many of my client’s cases how well colloidal silver helped with bacterial and viral infections. It also seems to speed up the healing process for cuts and wounds. It is my favorite remedy to use for a host of issues including detoxification. I also add some to my pet’s water (dogs and cats) as a prevention protocol. And I take it daily myself, something I have done for over 15 years. I have still not turned blue! If you google colloidal silver you know what I mean.

I make and sell my own brand. If you buy from me you also support my research.

Link to colloidal silver product

Lower the stress in your dog

This is bigger than you may think. Keep in mind where dogs originated from and where they are designed to live. In the wild, in nature far from any toxins and chemicals and with no access to food they were not designed to eat. As carnivores and meat-eaters, they are scavengers and hunters, always on the move tracking down prey for food. Mentally and physically occupied with sourcing for food most of the time. They only relax after a big meal that fills up their stomachs and guts. Then they lay down to rest so the digestive system can do its job with no wasting of energy to do anything else. Moving food through their digestive tract and absorbing nutrients are the main priorities

We need to mimic this environment and lifestyle to keep them healthy by providing the right food and walking our dog once or twice a day, let him smell and explore, which is stimulating for their mind. I recommend that you walk your dog before feeding. If you walk your dog in the same area each day, they love to smell and find out who has been there since the last time they were there. This is similar to you reading the local newspaper to find out what is going on, what is new. Do not deprive your dog of that, that just adds to the stress and anxiety. Give him time to process the news. Imagine if someone ripped the paper or your phone out from your hands in the middle of a good story. You would not like that. I’m sure you have noticed if you pull your dog away from something he is sniffing, he resits.

The healing process

When it comes to healing a leaky gut the process is similar to the one for prevention.

Keep in mind after changing the dog’s diet it may take some time to see changes in gut health. Leaky gut in dogs does not happen overnight so restoring gut health will take time. But the good news is that during this process many other good things will happen to the body and you will notice this.

I have a rule of thumb that seems to work pretty well. The time it takes to fully restore a kibble fed dog’s health is close to 1/2 the time the dog has been on the kibble diet. More often it happens much faster.

You will quickly observe things like shinier fur, white teeth (tarter will eventually be gone) less smelly fur, and breath, less gas if any and much smaller poop.

These are the external changes you observe, inside there are many improvements happening that you do not see but they all make your dog much healthier.

What about Supplements?

I highly recommend adding supplements especially if the dog comes from years of being on kibble. The most important supplements are:

• Spore based probiotics
• L-Glutamine
• MSM
• Magnesium
• Trace minerals
• Iodine
• Digestive enzymes
• Omega 3, 6 and 9
• Colloidal Silver

These are also good for prevention. I have protocols for these if you are interested. Depending on the case you may not need all of these.

What are spore-based probiotics?

This is the most important one. Compared to the regular probiotics you can find anywhere, spore-based probiotics are not sensitive to heath. I’m afraid most of the probiotics you find in stores today are dead due to exposure to heath and it does not take much to destroy it. I have noticed a big difference between spore based and those made out of bacteria and yeast.

The most common bacteria used in regular probiotics are lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. From yeast the most common are saccharomyces and boulardii.

Spore based probiotics like Bacillus subtilis HU58, Bacillus licheniformis (SL-307), and Pediococcus acidilactici are all unaffected by heath and have no expiration date.

A good brand for spore based probiotics and shown clinically to support the digestive health in dogs is FidoSpore(TM) I have two anecdotal cases where leaky gut syndrome was healed and they both used this product in combination with the products I mentioned above.

You can get it here.

A Trial using Fidospore started

Last month I started a small observational trial with two dogs with the leaky gut syndrome, I’m adding more this month. I will report back with my findings. If you read this and want to participate with your dog please let me know.

Detoxing if your dog has leaky gut

I highly suggest you start a detoxing protocol if your dog has a leaky gut and coming from kibble.

A detox program will be similar to the prevention protocol. I suggest a 24 hour fast first, then switch to a raw food diet, and add the supplements I mention above. If you need help putting this together let me know.

Rebuilding the gut lining

Leaky gut syndrome means the gut lining has holes in it. This needs to be repaired. The FidoSpore(TM) is an excellent supplement for that. Also adding L-glutamine and collagen can be beneficial.

Limit vaccines and exposure to toxins and chemicals.

These are crucial for success with restoring the gut and stop a leaky gut. Since they cause the problem we need to limit them.

Lower the stress levels

As with prevention, a low-stress level is crucial for the healing process and the digestion of the nutrients from the food.

Walk your dog every day 1-2 times. After feeding the right diet, exercising your dog is the most important thing you can do to help your dog stay healthy. I already shared how important this is for the activation of the lymphatic system and its important functions.

Just to recap the 4 steps since this was a long article:

1. Feed the right food which is a raw food diet
2. Exercise your dog
3. Limit vaccines as much as possible
4. Avoid exposures to toxins and chemicals like flea tick and heartworm.

If you can do these 4 steps you will add years to your pet’s life and drastically reduce the risks of chronic diseases and from my study, I see a dramatic reduction in cancer cases. Again these are trends from my study that I have observed.

Not one of the steps in this process is damaging to your dog’s health. From my experience over the last 20 years with the thousands of dogs participating in my raw feeding study, I have not had any negative feedback following these 4 steps.

If you need help please contact me. You can also book a consultation with me and I help you get everything together.

You can book a consultation with me here: https://go.oncehub.com/BookingwithThomasSandberg

References

(1) Kelly JR, Kennedy PJ, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, Clarke G, Hyland NP. Breaking down the barriers: the gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and stress-related psychiatric disorders. Front Cell Neurosci. 2015;9:392. Published 2015 Oct 14. doi:10.3389/fncel.2015.00392

(2) Ishiwatari S, Suzuki T, Hitomi T, Yoshino T, Matsukuma S, Tsuji T. Effects of methyl paraben on skin keratinocytes. J Appl Toxicol. 2007 Jan-Feb;27(1):1-9. doi: 10.1002/jat.1176. PMID: 17186576.

(3) Coconut oil diethanolamine condensate (cocamide diethanolamine). https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/chemicals/coconut-oil-diethanolamine-condensate

(4) Liao C, Li Y, Tjong SC. Bactericidal and Cytotoxic Properties of Silver Nanoparticles. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(2):449. Published 2019 Jan 21. doi:10.3390/ijms20020449

(5) Vazquez-Muñoz R, Meza-Villezcas A, Fournier PGJ, et al. Enhancement of antibiotics antimicrobial activity due to the silver nanoparticles impact on the cell membrane. PLoS One. 2019;14(11):e0224904. Published 2019 Nov 8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224904