More and more dogs suffer from a meat allergy

More and more dogs with meat allergy - what you can do
It sounds a bit odd at first, but actually there are more and more dogs that are allergic to meat. The affected quadrupeds tolerate neither beef, nor pig, turkey or lamb. This means that more pet shops offer special allergy food. Even a vegetarian or vegan diet of dogs is an alternative.

More dogs with meat allergy
If dogs' ears are inflamed, the skin is bloody scratched, or their digestion goes crazy, they may be symptoms of intolerance or allergy, such as beef. More and more pet owners report dogs with meat allergy. The market for specialty foods such as ostrich or kangaroo meat is growing. In a message from the news agency dpa experts explain more about the background and what alternatives dog owners are available.

More and more dogs can no longer eat meat. Image: Africa Studio - fotolia

Finding the right "protein source"
On the Internet, a dog owner complains of her suffering: "Occasionally (...) I'm close to madness, but it does not help." Your four-legged dog can therefore tolerate neither horse meat nor beef, turkey, pork or lamb. By exclusion diet, she was looking for the right diet. Only one single type of meat ("protein source") is fed specifically for eight to twelve weeks; others are strictly avoided. Professor Jürgen Zentek from the Institute of Animal Nutrition at the Free University of Berlin explained that this was tedious, but the only possibility for a reliable diagnosis. "If you give the food back after that and the problem sets in again, you can be pretty sure you found the cause." Laboratory tests with the blood or the skin could only give a clue about possible allergies, but do not provide reliable results.

All breeds are affected
According to Zentek, there are no controlled studies yet on how many dogs have a (meat) allergy. But it is noticeable that more and more pet owners presented with such problems. Affected by it are all races. "Owners and veterinarians are today simply more sensitized to this topic. And even the availability of appropriate blood tests was not given earlier. "The manager of the pet accessories provider Hundemaxx in Bavaria, Frank Weber, said:" This takes on almost frightening proportions. It's amazing how many dogs have problems here. "

Food for "sensitive" dogs
Detlev Nolte of the pet supplies industry association said that this is "increasingly an issue for pet owners and thus a market". On the one hand, the number of providers has risen in recent years, and on the other hand, some companies now only have food for "sensitive" dogs in the program or have specialized in allergy sufferers. According to the news agency, the special cans of buffalo, ostrich or kangaroo meat cost about ten times that of dog food at the discount store.

Feed something new
According to veterinarians, if you suspect an allergy, you should feed something the dog has never eaten before. The probability of an allergic reaction is then low. "On beef and cereals there are relatively often allergic reactions," said Heike field, feed consultant at Herrmann's factory in Aßling, Bavaria. Among other things, the company offers feed in which only a specific type of meat is processed. At the company Vet-Concept in Föhren in Rhineland-Palatinate, allergic food is another focus. "We see great growth here for us," says senior veterinarian Anne Dörries. According to the information, the company sold his canned food with horse, ostrich or buffalo meat only on presentation of a dietary recommendation. "Diet foods such as allergy foods are designed for a very special nutritional purpose. It is defined in terms of feed law so that dietetic foods should always be consulted by a specialist before being fed. "For other German companies, there is dried food with kangaroo meat and pumpkin or duck and tapioca food.

Experts advise against exotic meats
The exotic meats are sometimes used for marketing purposes for dog food. However, this can increase the risk of allergies; the alternatives become less. We therefore do not recommend horses, ostrich or kangaroo to keepers of animals with healthy animals. That's a resource question, "said veterinarian Dörries. And Professor Zentek pointed out: "If you have such a problem dog, you should be reasonable advice. However, many treat their pet for years on their own. "In many cases, this makes it rather worse, the symptoms could become chronic.

Vegetarian diet as an alternative
An alternative not mentioned in the dpa message is the vegetarian or vegan diet for dogs. Although some people criticize this is not an appropriate dog nutrition, but in principle, the four-legged friends can be fed meatless, according to experts. The prerequisite is that all essential nutrients are given in addition, explained the deputy head of the Department of Animal Nutrition and Dietetics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Britta Dobenecker in an earlier report. Mistakes often occur when the vegan dog food is prepared at home. In many shops, such as organic food stores, there have been appropriate animal products for years now. Meanwhile, even vegan "bones" and vegan "pig ears" can be found on the market. (Ad)