What is Gluten?

Gluten. It's one of those mysterious food ingredients some manufacturers use but very few folks can completely explain. In short, if you see gluten on an ingredients list it is an immediate red flag of a formula containing a low absorption protein. Worse yet, gluten(in any form) could negatively effect the long term health of your four legged hunting companion.  

The blue collar definition of gluten is basically the elastic part of  wheat, corn, or other types of grain that feels thick and starchy. Through a series of processing, grain is "spun out" to seperate the gluten from other grain matter. Many dogs(as well as humans) are sensitive to the resulting gluten. Because of it's gummy texture, gluten can be difficult to digest for most dogs. Gluten is commonly used as a binder or thickener for of human consumables. Just like humans, some canines can also suffer from celiac disease as direct relation from ingesting gluten containing food. For those effected by gluten in any form it can be toxic thus creating a negative and harmful reaction within the digestive tract.

According to the website http://www.celiacs.com/ in an article by Jefferson Adams noting veterinarian John B. Symes who suggests, "Gluten and other proteins that are added to dog  foods are causing many of the same diseases that they cause in their human counterparts. In human celiacs and gluten-sensitive individuals, 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.Dr. Symes believes that the onset of a lectin-related disorder—whether it be rheumatoid arthritis, type-one diabetes, lupus, etc.—is usually preceded by another event such as viral or bacterial infection. Vaccines can act as triggers as well. The result of such secondary events is a sudden influx and attachment of these inflammatory proteins to various cells in the body, ushering in what we often refer to as autoimmune disorders. That term implies an immune system that has gone haywire, attacking the body for no reason. According to him, our immune systems, along with those of our pets, never make that kind of mistake. These conditions happen for certain reasons, and these food proteins are often the cause.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 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 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 fact is that wheat gluten can and does cause and/or contribute to these conditions. Thus, according to Dr. Symes, gluten should never end up in pet foods. To illustrate his theory Dr. Symes points out that the average American dog lives 12 years, when their wild counterparts, eating a natural diet, can live to be nearly thirty and to forty years respectively. For the cause, we need look no further than what we put in their bowls. 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."

A Pointer holds point. A Lab flushes. Perfect! These two canine athletes run on a gluten free, super premium diet daily!

Furthermore, Corn gluten is a concentrated source of low grade protein that can be substituted for costlier animal protein. In many bargain dry dog foods, corn gluten meal provides a large proportion or the total protein in the food rather than a highly digestible(and more expensive) forms of protein such as meat. If corn gluten is high up on the list of ingredients, chances are it negatively effects the actual advertised protein percentage. This is caused by corn glutens inherent "low biological value" i.e. -digestion and metabolizing this ingredient for dogs results in a lower "intake" or absorption of the actual protein content. Keep in mind, all dog food manufacturers are NOT required to post what the biological value or digestion rate percent of any ingredient really is!

I urge each of you to take a close look at your dog's bag of food and pay closer attention to those ingredients you read but might not understand. That's what I am here for -to help gun dog owners just like you understand the importance of a healthy canine diet. My cost is totally free so please take advantage. If you have a question please drop me a line at northupland@yahoo.com or post a comment below. I will personally respond to every inquiry.

Best of luck out there. -Mark

What is Probiotics?

To most gun dog owners "probiotics" might sound like a word straight out of a science fiction movie. It could even be a term used at a congressional hearing regarding performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. I can easily understand how probiotics could be a word to describe a mixture of robotics and steroids. Fortunately, that is not the case. In this post I hope to shed some light on exactly what is 100% natural, probiotics and how it can directly benefit our trusty hunting companions.

In actuality, probiotics are "good bacteria" that aid in digesting food and absorbing nutrients more completely. If you have ever seen an Activia Yogurt commercial staring Jamie Lee Curtis? This is exactly the same but for dogs. When your four legged friends large intestine is colonized by a healthy amount of probiotic bacteria, there isn't any room left to be occupied by harmful bacteria. Probiotics act as a natural protective barrier which keeps such harmful pathogens such as Salmonella and E-coli from proliferating. Probiotics for dogs also helps to bolster the canine immune system by increasing antibody levels. Another "buzz word" and not to confused with probiotics is prebotics. Think of prebiotics as health food for existing intestinal probiotic bacteria. Probitotic bacteria will feed on prebiotics and become even stronger. For more complete information on prebiotics visit my post written last year, What is Prebiotics?

Dogs both young and old benefit from daily supplements of probiotics. It keeps them healthy, happy, and hunting hard!

OK, so lets get down to the blue collar explanation of probiotics. Working gun dogs are exposed to all sorts of harmful bacteria in the field. Whether it be retrieving a bloody pheasant or muck covered mallard our best friends are exposed to a myriad of nasty microcritters. Without doubt, a gun dog needs to be supplied every available weapon to fight off possible illness after being exposed to these circumstances day in a day out. An increase of probiotics adds a first line defense by increasing the strength of the dog immune system. This occurs because the good bacteria helps the intestine stay health and absorb more of the nutrients in your dogs daily diet. Conversely, it helps your dogs internal engine burn cleaner and more efficient -i.e they are supplied the ability to digest their food more completely. Secondly, probiotic cultures wage a nonstop war against harmful gastrointestinal bacteria that can proliferate quickly if not held in check. Has your dog ever suffered through an awful bout of diarrhea or has been diagnosed with a chronic sensitive stomach? That is where probiotic cultures can come storming into play like a superhero in time of need. They are your dogs intestinal and immunity police!

Supplemental probiotics can be given to your dog in various forms. The two strains of direct fed micro organisms that can currently be used in dog food are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Enterococcus faecium. These days there are a number of reputable food producers that add probiotics into their dry kibble formula's. Dog foods such as Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux(both of their NutriMix and Organix brands), and Wellness have all been at the forefront of the probiotic food ingredient movement. In addition, there is a wide variety of over the counter powder supplements that can be sprinkled in powder form on top of your dogs existing food. Check out Fastrack by Conklin for super premium probiotic supplements.

If you have any further questions regarding probiotics or nutritional issues please do not hesitiate to contact me. I can be reached directly at northupland@yahoo.com or post a comment below. I will personally respond to each and every question. Thank you for reading.

Best of luck out there. -Mark