When do you feed novel proteins to your dogs?

Have you tried feeding novel proteins for allergies? Well, symptoms and treatments vary, don't they? Your child could develop rash or hives on the body which causes him to itch, maybe he just keeps sneezing for no reason or coughing...you never know. That's when we Every child is different so every child's body will react differently to different things like food, liquids, fruits, vegetable, nuts, etc. The list is endless! In an identical manner, it's important to remember that our dogs could develop allergies to food too. If their body mistakes specific food as being harmful, it will trigger a series of reactions which can cause major discomfort to them.

Now, how do you know if your dog is allergic to something?

• The most obvious is itching and continuous, consistent, persistent licking.

• Chewing their paws: If they keep chewing and nibbling at their paws, there's a problem.

• Skin Rash.

• Chronic or recurring Ear Inflammation or infections.

• If your pet has had a shiny, healthy coat and you notice a sudden dullness in the quality of his coat, it's possible that he's developed an allergy.

You might also observe symptoms like:

• Nausea & Vomiting.
• Chronic gas or diarrhea.

In the event that your dog displays any of these symptoms, please have him checked immediately. What could be a mild reaction now, might be life-threatening if not diagnosed, treated, and prevented in the future. A point to remember that a food allergy is different from intolerance to food. For example, you must have heard of the term lactose intolerance which, in simple terms, is the inability to digest lactose, a component of milk and other dairy products because they lack the enzyme called lactase. If your dog is 'intolerant' to a particular type of food, he will have diarrhea or keep vomiting persistently just like we do when our stomachs are unable to digest maybe spicy food, for example. In the case of a food allergy though, your dog's immune system is reacting harshly to maybe a protein. This protein is present in your dog's food. Actually proteins are everywhere in the food your dog eats; not only meat but fruits and veggies too. And any one of these proteins could trigger a food allergy in your dog.

How does it happen; how does allergy progress?

Let’s look at a brief on the functioning of the gastrointestinal system which starts at the mouth and comprises of the stomach and the intestines. This system is what keeps your dog safe from multiple allergens every day. 70-75% of the dog’s immune system is centered in the GI tract. Digestion of food starts in the stomach, is broken up into multiple pieces, large and then small by stomach acid and enzymes, and then both. Some part of the digested food moves to the small intestine but the proteins in the food are broken down into amino acids which are then absorbed into the body. But when a protein is absorbed by the intestines instead of it being broken down first, the immune system doesn't like it and the body reacts negatively thus coming out as symptoms of food allergies.

Hertamine:

Initially, your pet might experience mild discomfort which then increases over time but might eventually build up so much that a chemical called histamine is released. Now histamine is released when your dog’s immune system tags a particular protein as an enemy. This manifests itself into various avatars as itchy skin, ear infections, and other nasty issues.

Narrowing it down to novel proteins:

It is imperative that you work with a professional to determine if what your dog has, is indeed an allergy and not food intolerance. Once the root cause is established, it becomes easier to treat your pet. So once it's confirmed that what your dog has is indeed a food allergy, you and your professional buddy can work together to identify which protein is causing your pet discomfort. There are different ways and methods to check for Novel Protein Allergies:

• The allergy test (which costs roughly 15000 INR).
• The Exclusion Diet: Is a tool used to find out if symptoms are food related. It is also known as an Elimination Diet.

How do novel proteins work?

Well, simply put, it involves removing suspected food or foods from your dog’s diet by feeding different proteins (meat) as compared to what your dog ate before. Typically, what happens is that once a suspected food item is removed from your pet’s diet, he/she is kept under observation to see if the symptoms reduce or completely go away. This can range from anywhere between six weeks to two months, or if you see that the rash for example goes away, then sooner. So your dog could be fed lamb instead of chicken and no dairy or maybe fish instead of beef. Or rabbit and Emu combined with some fruits and vegetables respectively.

BARF India, for example, creates customized diets for your pet and we'll look at that soon.

It's important to remember that we do not feed our dogs any special 'treats' during this testing time. You don't want something else cropping up beside what they already have to add to their misery. So don't get blackmailed by their sorry faces and give them stuff on the side. It has to be just food and clean water.

Novel Protein Foods or NPF's:

This a favored alternative too. The basic premise that led to the birth of Novel Protein Foods was to deviate from traditional methods of protein production for animals. It was developed as a measure to counter non-sustainable current ways of the production of animal protein. In the case of animals though, an NPF is a source of protein that your pet has never eaten before such as Emu, Duck, Turkey, or Rabbit. The less common, the better in the case of NPF's. With NPF's you can customize your pet's diet and restrict the ingredients as per your choice. Since we're talking a lot about customization, let’s look at the benefits of using BARF India's diets to treat pets with allergies. BARF India believes in making 'Tailor-Made Diets for your Dog' which is perfect especially if you have a pet that is allergic to certain types of foods or meat or even dairy. We take the trouble to ask, inspect, and then create tailor-made solutions for your dog’s allergies, food intolerances, GI Tract problems, kidney diseases, and other issues that irritate your pet. Like we've said before every pet is different and so every diet too must complement the pet.

BARF India:

Hypoallergenic Diet: BARF India's Hypoallergenic diet focuses on novel proteins because like we've seen earlier on in the post, it is possible that your dog might be allergic to certain meats and /or plant ingredients. You never know how long your dog has been eating stuff that hasn't suited him/her which is where we come in. What we do is get involved with your dog to the extent that we are able to provide high class personalized, ready to eat, and most importantly fresh, wholesome food for your dog. This food will be prepared with one aim in mind and that is to drive his health issues away. We know that you might not have the time to create this diet for your dog and so we will take care of it for you. So call us now for an appointment or email us and we will be there for you and your pet.