There’s a lot of hype around gluten free diets in people and more recently for our pets, but what is the scientific reasoning behind this, and is gluten free a healthier alternative diet?


Firstly – What is gluten exactly?: 


Gluten is a type of protein that is found in cereal grains, mainly in wheat, barley and rye. For humans, day to day, we encounter gluten in the form of bread, pasta, cakes and beer to name a few common foods. It’s not an essential nutrient, however in some cases there’s evidence to show that gluten can actually be good for the body- for example, it can act as a prebiotic for normal colonic flora (gut bacteria), reducing the risk of obesity and metabolic imbalances. (1)


In some cases, Gluten can be problematic for people (we’re covering dogs right below this) who specifically suffer from celiac’s disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivities and wheat allergies. These individuals cannot eat gluten, as their bodies will attack the gluten, causing inflammation and damage to the gut. This can result in a variety of symptoms from bloat, diarrhoea, constipation through to malabsorption, weight loss and damage to the intestines.

Gluten-free doesn't equal Healthier 

Many people unknowingly assume that gluten free equals healthy, which isn’t necessarily the case. Most people tolerate gluten very well and it may even be helping their gut health. We seem to be experiencing a similar hype within the dog food market, with more commercial gluten free options becoming available for dogs. 


Of course, like people, dogs too can suffer from gluten intolerance or related diseases. However an extensive journal review found that this is extremely rare and the likelihood of gluten causing a problem is lower than many other more common protein sources. In reality, beef was the most likely offender with 34% of cases, followed by dairy (17%), chicken (15%), wheat (13%) and lamb (5%) (2). In theory any food or protein source can be the cause of a food intolerance, however the results show gluten intolerances in dogs are probably not as significant as people might think they are.

Canine symptoms of Gluten intolerance

In dogs, symptoms of food intolerances  may include: itchy paws, ears, backsides (perineum), undercarriage, with dogs showing symptoms from 6 months to 13 years old (3). Food intolerances may also cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as flatulence (farting), increased frequency of defecation, diarrhoea, vomiting, inappetence, lethargy and weight loss too (4).


It’s worth pointing out that although true gluten intolerances are uncommon in dogs - there is a genetically inherited neurological condition, often seen in Border Terriers called ‘Paroxysmal Gluten- Sensitive Dyskinesia’. These dogs suffer from bouts of uncontrolled movements without losing consciousness. This is a genetic condition and does typically respond to a gluten free diet so is the main scenario such a diet should be considered with certainty. 


So, from the data that exists it’s clear that gluten-free diets often seem to be misrepresented on the market as a novel, healthier alternative when actually there is little evidence to support this. Gluten is no more harmful than beef, dairy, and chicken which is commonplace in pet foods. Of course, if your dog is suffering from any allergy symptoms mentioned above- it would be wise to try an 8-10 week diet trial guided by your Vet. Ideally use a prescription allergy diet or a vegan diet like Omni to see if your dog’s symptoms resolve when common triggers are eliminated from their diet. All the ingredients in our vet formulated Omni recipesare naturally free of gluten but we can’t guarantee that there are no gluten traces from the mills in which the ingredients are ground up prior to steam baking. 


If you’re concerned your pup is suffering from allergy symptoms and you’re a subscriber, why not have a chat to one of our Omni Vet team, to see if they can give you some advice, and put your mind at ease. 



(1) Neyrinck, A.M., et al. Wheat-derived arabinoxylan oligosaccharides with prebiotic effect increase satietogenic gut peptides and reduce metabolic endotoxemia in diet-induced obese mice. Nutr Diabetes. 2012 Jan; 2(1): e28.

(2) Mueller.R.S and Olivry.T and Prelaud.P (2016) ‘ Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats’ National Library of Medicine 12 (9). 

(3) Olivry.T and Mueller R.S. (2019) ‘Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion amimals (7): signalment and cutaneous manifestations of dogs and cats with adverse food reactions’ BMC Veterinary Research 15 (140).

(4) Ballauf.B (1993) ‘[Feed allergy in dogs and cats—not only a gastrointestinal problem]’ PubMed 21(1):53-6

 

 

FAQs

But aren’t dog’s carnivores?

Dogs are in fact nutritional omnivores as demonstrated by a robust scientific study published in the reputable journal Nature (1,2) in which it was shown that they have 30 copies of the AMY2B gene responsible for digesting plant-based foods.

They have also evolved relatively long intestines (21) (almost as long as humans) and relatively flat surfaces on their molars (31, 22) which they use for digesting and chewing a whole range of foods.

The common misconception that dogs are carnivores probably arises from the fact that they are classified in the order Carnivora but so are plenty of other species like bears, skunks, racoons who are omnivores and even the giant panda who thrives on a plant-based diet (20).

Is plant protein digestible to dogs?

Absolutely yes, studies which have looked at how much protein dogs can absorb from plant-based and fungi-based foods like soya and yeast demonstrated over 75% digestibility which is on par with meat-based foods (23, 24, 34, 35 & 25).

Both these protein sources also contain all 10 essential amino acids (36, 37) that dogs need to thrive.

Isn't there too much fibre in plant-based food?

The average amount of fibre in a commercial dog food diet is between 2-4%. omni’s plant-powered recipe has a fibre content of 3% which is on par with meat- based diets.

In our survey with over 200 dog owners, 100% reported that their dog’s stool consistency was either ‘normal’ or ‘perfect’ and there were no reports of any digestive upsets (data on file).

Can I mix omni with other meat-based diets?

We are proud that our recipes are nutritionally complete and so include everything your dog needs to thrive. This means omni can be fed as a sole ration. We also fully support a 'flexitarian approach' like meat free lunches or using omni as a mixer.

Every little helps to bring some of the health and environmental benefits of plant-power to meal times. Mixing omni with meat/fish will help to add variety into your dog’s diet whilst adding in healthy ingredients with a relatively low carbon footprint.

Can plant-based food provide the essential fatty acids dogs need?

All the essential fats and oils that dogs need, including omegas 3 and 6 are found in a variety of both meat and plant-based foods (31, 28).

omni’s recipe is rich in plant-based sources of these nutrients so your dog will get all the essentials they need.

I hear a lot about feeding raw meat, isn’t that better?

Feeding raw meat to dogs has become a very popular trend in recent years, but most vets will warn against this practise. This is because the cooking process is vital to help kill off dangerous bacteria like E coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter (9) that have necessitated several food recalls from the market and caused serious illness and even death in both dogs and their owners (40, 41, & 42).

There are also several worms and parasites that are only killed off when raw meat is cooked. Dogs are dogs, not wolves and thanks to their domestication over thousands of years, thankfully don’t need to hunt to get their grub nor do they need to eat raw meat, it's just not worth the risk.

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