Do You Have An Itchy Dog? Could Be Sensitive To Glutens!

I have a Miniature Schnauzer, named Baby. Baby is now seven years old. She has spent the past three years in and out of the Veterinarian's office trying to diagnose her constant itching and dry skin.

She would scratch herself to the point of getting "hot spots". This is where the poor dog scratches so badly they actually go right through the skin and into the muscle.

The Veterinarian would immediately give her a shot to stop the itching, and he would prescribe pills to be given every day for about three weeks; twice a day. The itching would subside for a day or two, only to return.

He also prescribed a special diet formulated for dogs who have allergies. This food was very expensive.

I fed Baby the special diet, but I continued to feed her from the table. We would always share our Pizza crust with her, along with bread crusts. She seemed to have a fondness for any bread product.

Even though Baby was eating the prescribed dog kibbles, and taking her pills, she continued her scratching. All through the day and night, she would scratch. I would hear her pacing the floor at night; banging her elbows on the floor as she stopped pacing long enough to scratch!

I would finally get up and give her a half tablet of Benedryl, and place the cone on her head to prevent her from scratching. Then I would nod back off to sleep.

I was at my wit's end. I felt so bad for her because I knew she was miserable.

I am on a limited budget. I laughingly called Baby my Money Pit. I could not afford to go on this way. I love Baby very much. It was time to take some action on my part.

I started out simply searching for answers by asking the question: What makes dogs itch? Well, this wealth of information came right up. Most of the answers pertained to dogs who have common allergies such as grass. None of those answers would right for Baby and me.

Finally, I found an answer written by a Veterinarian. He had a theory that dogs, like humans, can be sensitive to glutens. He further stated that if humans can have "celiac disease" which is an allergy to glutens, why couldn't dogs suffer from the same condition?

Just by accident, I discovered when I fed Baby from the table, her itching became much worse. She loved Pizza crust, so whenever we ate pizza, we shared the crust with her. Whenever I ate a sandwich, I shared my bread with her!

I kept on researching what would be responsible for Baby's constant itching. I made some startling discoveries. SOME DOGS ARE SENSITIVE TO GUTENS!

I looked at the ingredients on the bag of the prescribed dog food. It contained Wheat, Barley and other grains.

I found another brand of dog food on the internet which said it was for dogs with allergies. I ordered a bag and began feeding Baby that food. Her itching continued. I read the ingredients: One of them was Barley!!

Most dogs can tolerate wheat and other grains, while others cannot. Those that are sensitive to gluten like Baby, have symptoms such as: intermittent ( or persistent diarrhea), they lose weight, they have a poor hair coat, and they CONSTANTLY ITCH!

My research further revealed that some dogs who are sensitive to gluten can develop Intervertebral Disc Disease. Baby was diagnosed with this condition at least three years ago.

I found out gluten is a protein that is found mostly in wheat, but it can also be found in cereal grains, including rye, barley, oats and buckwheat.

Grains that do not contain guten are rice, amaranth, millet, corn and quinoa.

I have been amazed with all the products I see in the grocery stores now labeled "gluten free". My first thought was this is just a new fad people are falling for.

I never dreamed of how gutens would apply to me and my dog. I have heard of people who have celiac disease, but I had never understood what that meant, or the cause.

I am able to eat anything and never even have indigestion, so I never bothered to find out what gluten was.

I am now convinced Baby is sensitive to all gluten! I took her off all the commercial dog food. I began cooking chicken for her. She gets her dinner of chicken, rice and green beans every night.

She no longer is fed anything from the table. She is happy because she loves chicken. She now plays like she did when she was a puppy.

Baby no longer scratches herself. Her beautiful white hair is soft again, and her skin is no longer dry and flaky.

Best of all, she sleeps like a rock all night long!

If you don't want to cook chicken as I do for my dog, there are commercial dog foods that do not contain any gluten. These are usually found at pet stores.

Even after I made the decision to buy a bag of kibbles for Baby that was supposed to be gluten-free, I discovered it contained barley! I was defeating my whole purpose.

Don't overlook the label on the doggie treats you buy for your dog. They probably contain wheat or barley.

Well, my conclusion is a happy one. MY DOG IS SENSITIVE TO GLUTENS. Now that I am aware of her problem, it is very simple to correct by eliminating all grains in her diet.

If your dog itches and scratches, don't waste your time and money on Veterinarians getting shots and pills.

You will know if your dog is sensitive to glutens because he will stop scratching in about one week after ALL grains are removed from his diet.

If the dog's condition remains the same or gets worse, then take him to the Veterinarian. He may have another problem.

I am certainly not a Veterinarian and I do not want to give out false information on the subject of gluten and how it affects dogs.

This is just my personal experience with my Miniature Schnzauzer.