| BARF ||
Gluten & testing ||
Rotation diet ||
Commercial dog food ||
Vaccination ||
Mailing with dr John Symes |
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the Dutch way || Spike's update, 2007 ||
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Gluten
Before my friend Karin and I noticed
the impact of grains on our cramping dog's health, we fed them sometimes
bread (sometimes on purpose, sometimes by accident).
I didn't suspect grain as a trigger so I didn't link cramping with gluten,
neither did Karin. Our dogs were a very long time (Karin's Britt almost
13 years, Spike about 7 years) on the 'wrong' food because
we didn't know otherwise. In those years Spike never was a healthy dog.
Always bloodshot eyes, grumpy, growly, ADH, sometimes cramping three
times per week.
Since Karin and I stopped feeding our
cramping dogs grain (products) we noticed they are doing much better.
Karin once said to me : "We are not satisfied with our dogs doing
better, we are always trying to get the 100% improvement". By this
trial and error we discovered Britt and Spike also don't tolerate *rice,
corn and Spike also no soy gluten. We think because Britt and Spike
were on a 'wrong' diet for such a long time there is a lot
more damage done than in cases a cramping dog is put on a gluten free
diet right away.
*Most cramping dogs do tolerate rice.
Since I have discovered
Spike's trigger in gluten I have become very strict.
I stopped feeding the birds in our garden, so Spike can't vacuum clean
the garden floor for bird food spilling, luckily our neighbour stopped
feeding the birds in her garden bread too, the birds tended to drop
pieces of bread in our garden.
When accidents (like spilling breadcrumbs, raw pasta or like some weeks
ago I dropped the cereal on the floor) in the house happen, my first
concern is to get Spike out of the room.
For cramping dogs like Spike even the droppings of grain fed house pets
like rabbits and guinea pigs are forbidden (same goes for the food for
those animals).
Because Spike
can eat the same raw food as my other two dogs do, less "accidents"
happen (eg me mixing up the feeding bowls, Spike eating vomit or poop
of one of the others).
Even the cats food isn't harmful for Spike anymore, they are eating
raw grain free too.
When we are
having guests, I remove Spike from the living room when there is food
on the table. There is always a chance people are spilling crumbs on
the floor or offering food to the dogs.
Same with people in the street or in the woods offering pieces of kibble
to the dogs, without asking me first, saying one piece doesn't harm
Spike.
Poop eating is
a very common "harmless" dog habit. But it is not harmless for dogs that
are on a strict diet.
Eating stools of other dogs can screw up the diet you are feeding your
dog completely, because the dog is getting ingredients inside him/her,
that makes him sick or causes episodes.
The past weeks Spike has started to eat dog poop again this didn't make
him cramp but he has been terrible moody, growly and depressed.
Spike is a dog with a very lengthy manual, he never wants to be cuddled
stroked, lifted etc. I am used to that, but the past week he was 'His
Royal Badness Himself' at his worst :-((((
He even didn't want our company.
I recognised this behaviour from before the strict gluten free period.
So after some thinking, he hasn't been able to eat dog poop anymore,
he is walked on fexilead only and his behaviour has improved 100%.
Testing
When Karin and
I discovered grain (gluten) is the trigger for our cramping dogs, some
people asked for scientific proof of our theory.
Well we had to disappoint them, there isn't any scientific proof, only
our observations and the reports of many other owners of cramping dogs,
who noticed improvement in their cramping dogs condition when they left
grain (gluten) out of their dog's diet.
Food advise for cramping dogs has always been based on owners observations.
In the past we could only advise certain brands of dog food, because
dogs seemed to do wel on that certain brand. Why we didn't know....
Since Karin and I discovered the ingredient grain (gluten) in the dog food
is responsible for our dogs episodes, we advise owners not to feed grain
(gluten) to their cramping dog.
If you want to
test a cramping dog with an allergy to gluten, you have to take a dog
who has been on a gluten free diet for some time.
You have to feed this dog gluten and wait for a reaction.
For a severe cramper such a test can be life threatening because there
is no way (medicine) to stop continuous cramping. Such a test might cause
the dogs death.
I witnessed this continuous cramping a few times with Spike and the
only thing you can do is sit out the ride hoping it will stop......... When
a severe cramping dog, who has been on a strict gluten free diet for
some time, gets gluten in him/her the reaction often is very fast, most
of the times within 1-48 hours.
Joke Miedema, Januari 17, 2005
| BARF ||
Gluten & testing ||
Rotation diet ||
Commercial dog food ||
Vaccination ||
Mailing with dr John Symes |
|
the Dutch way || Spike's update, 2007 ||
back |