Toxic Effects of Wheat Gluten and Other Proteins in Pets

According to veterinarian John B. Symes (”Dogtor J”), gluten and other proteins that are added to dog and cat foods are causing many of the same diseases that they cause in their human counterparts. Dogs and cats that have suffered and died from consuming tainted pet food belie the fact that even untainted gluten can cause many of these same problems and more. In human celiacs and gluten-sensitive individuals, untainted gluten can induce both chronic and acute kidney failure. This form of kidney failure is typically called an IgA nephropathy, in which antibodies and immune complexes formed against gluten are deposited in the kidneys, which leads to damage and ultimately failure. Again, this can be chronic leading to persistent blood (microscopic) and protein in the urine or it can be acute.

Dr. Symes claims that it is a startling but well-established fact that the lectins of gluten (wheat, barley, rye) dairy products (e.g. casein, lactalbumin) soy, and corn are all capable of inducing serious health issues in those humans who are sensitive to them. He takes this belief even further and states that such foods are actually not healthy for anyone — neither pets nor humans and they just happen to be more harmful to some individuals than others. According to him anyone who consumes or feeds these foods to their pets on a daily basis will encounter resulting health problems — it is only of matter of time.

All one needs to do, according to Dr. Symes, is to study celiac disease to see how all of this works and appreciate the health implications that accompany this extremely common condition. That a similar condition does occur in dogs and cats has become painfully obvious during the past seven years that he has been studying the issue. Dr. Symes states: “The Irish Setter is a breed known to suffer from gluten intolerance , but it is clear that gluten is affecting many other breeds of dogs and cats. And why wouldn’t it? It is affecting humans and we have had millennia to adapt to eating wheat. Our pets have only been eating wheat-based pet foods for about 20 years now.”

The average American dog lives 12 years — 13 for cats, when their wild counterparts, eating a natural diet, can live to be nearly 30 and 40 years respectively. For the cause, we need look no further than what we put in their bowls. A European study shows that pets fed with table scraps lived an average of three years longer than those fed commercial diets alone. Why? The answer, at least in part, is that highly processed foods cannot possibly contain all of the essential nutrients found in fresh meats, fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Symes’ Top 10 gluten-free foods for pets:

1. IVD/Royal Canin L.I.D.s
2. Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice
3. NaturalLife Lambaderm
4. Canidae and Felidae Dog and cat foods
5. Dick Van Patten Natural Balance Duck and Potato, Venison and Brown Rice, and Sweet Potato and Fish formulas
6. Solid Gold Barking at the Moon
7. Natura California Naturals
8. Canine Caviar Lamb & Pearl Millet and Chicken & Pearl Millet formulas
9. Eagle Pack Holistic Select Duck Meal & Oatmeal and Lamb Meal & Rice Formulas
10. Eukanuba Response KO and FP