Pets and Celiac Disease

I have no idea how I came across this, and how I came to save it in my favorites, but I figured it would be of use as many pets are now showing signs of allergies to wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn or full out celiac disease!

"Dogtor J"

This has some really interesting reading on it, and gives one lots to think about..

I have been searching for a true gluten free dog free because I think I keep cross contaiminating myself from my dog. I found this food, called thrive and am currentlyl awaiting a call back from a salon that is supposed to (according to the website, ) carry it.

Made by the Honest Kitchen
Natural, Gluten-free Dehydrated Raw Dog Food


this is all that's in there


Thrive is very minimalist, nourishing diet which is also recommended for dogs with sensitivities: It contains NO fruits, potatoes or flax.


Ingredients

Hormone-free Chicken, Organic Quinoa, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Parsley, Organic Kelp, Rosemary, Vitamins and Minerals



Naturally gluten-free, Quinoa is a valuable source of complete protein.
It contains every single amino acid and is especially well-endowed with
the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth
and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other
health-building nutrients.



Now I just gotta find bisquits. ........

Have you looked into Dr Pitcairn's Nautral Dog & Cat book?

When my sister found out she had to put her cats on a GF diet, she searched for the GF petfood like they sell at Whole Foods Market -- but it seemed to have a similar effect for hers.

Once she saw what her budget would be, she realized she needed to do something else -- and investigated Dr Pitcairn (and since she runs a second hand book business that wasn't too hard).

She's been feeding her little ones for about 2 years a natural diet, and she cooks all of their food at home. They eat everything from peas to sweet potatos and all meat that dear sis eats.


With us not having GF petfood here (except the super expensive vet formulated and "fortified" stuff), I'll have to go the same route with our little fur-babies. I think between his method and DogtorJ - - I have a good idea of what to and what not to feed the little dears. I just am really praying ahead that we don't have "snooty" pets that decide they want junk instead of nourishment.



Anyway, here is more about his book:

Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
by Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble Pitcairn

I've seen it in Paperback and Hardcover, and you can get it about everywhere from Amazon to Ebay. Most folks started seriously talking about his diet when the petfood scare was going on -- but you'll find a lot of folks who have CD and Dermatitis Herpetiformis issues have been "Playing around" with his book a bit longer and were ahead of the game.


One thing you might want to know though, if you DO put your pet on a diet like this - be careful about mentioning it to your vet. They have really funny ideas about what a pet must be eating to be OK in some areas.
In my former area, they were known for calling out the Humane Society on people like homeschoolers are threatened with DCF... It took a year and a half before my sis felt comfortable letting her vet in on her pet's awesome health secret. Thankfully the vet understood.


ETA:
Article from April, 2007 on Gluten in petfoods

Only Natura Pet has a GF Petfood selection (dog and cat)

I did find a GF Dog 'cookie'... out of NY... and here and here from two other companies... they look interesting really!

I found this out from a member at CeliacForums:

Quote :

...Brewer's rice literally is the left over from
brewing, so you know there's some major CC and gluten in anything with
that ingredient.
[Animal] By-products can include the intestines and stomach of
grain fed animals, so issues there as well. Do you know why all of the
large conglomerates have pet food divisions? They realized that instead
of paying to dispose of their waste, they could sell food that wasn't
fit for human consumption to unsuspecting pet owners. I'd never trust
the label on a bag of pet food from a conglomerate, because "chicken
meal" could mean moldy breaded chicken nuggets.



Some foods I would trust are California Natural, Natural Balance
(regular has oatmeal, venison and peas doesn't), TimberWolf, Sensible
Choice (although it has brewer's rice), Felidae, and some others I am
sure I am forgetting.

Last year during the Pet-food recall there was a blog that listed what items were not recalled, and they specifically listed a few brands of dog/cat foods that didn't have gluten in them... but it merits more investigation by company and ingredients to see if it is truly gluten free.

Moved to new forum