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.
I had my dog on raw for 2 years about 1 1/2 and a half ago she didn’t get better. She had food allergies and developed mucous in her stool with blood I took her off and put her on cooked home made all organic grass fed. She doesn’t get flea meds vaccines and still suffers from food allergies I’m running out of idea because once she runs out of proteins what will I feed her . She has had reactions to almost everything . If I give her something she can’t tolerate will lick her paws bloody . It’s frustrating because I’ve done everything right not quite she how to heal food allergies so she can enjoys a balanced diet . Sometime I cry it’s so frustrating
Hi Melissa, I’m so sorry to hear about all the issues you have with your dog. It’s the worst seeing our dogs suffering and trying everything we can to help. This sounds like a leaky gut issue. I’m confident I can help you. I suggest you book a consultation with me so we can dig into this deeper. I have several strategies we can try, and I will help you until we get this fixed. You can book a consultation here and it comes with a full money-back guarantee if you are not happy with what I will share. It also includes my book on raw feeding. https://go.oncehub.com/BookingwithThomasSandberg
My pup.py is on Hills ID stress canned dog food. It is quite expensive. What is the best dog food for her to be eating? At what stage does a puppy go to adult food?
Hi Wanda,
I apologize for this late reply. The best diet for any dog, any breed, any size and any age is a raw food diet. That provides the immune system with the proper resources (nutrients) to help the body maintain a strong immune system. Works every time! The good think about raw is that age does not change it. You just feed more as the dog gain weigh. As puppies you feed 10% of their current weight per day, when that matches 2-3% of their ideal adult weight you will switch to that. You need a scale.