Dog Food/treats?

[Stacie H.]

Hi,

I have been wondering about something.

My DH and I have been gluten free now for about 2 months. He is the one that we think is intolerant. Since we’ve been gluten-free, he has improved. Now 2 weeks ago, he had a bad week, but there was also the stress/anxiety of medical appointments and tests he was undergoing as a follow up to thyroid cancer surgery in March.

Since that all ended, he has improved a bit. He is still having cramps, though. He says that they are random. He’s also recently had to make a few mad dashes to the bathroom, and while it was not diarrhea, it was not controllable. Good news: he says the headaches have gone away.

I don’t know if his system is still trying to recover from the bad week he had, or if he’s being glutened. If he’s being glutened, I can only think of one source: dog food.

We keep the dry dog food in a sealed container in the pantry. Our pup eats Science Diet, but while it’s a good dog food, I can only assume its ingredients include flour or some other form of gluten. I am the one who normally feeds her, but wonder if having the container in the pantry is causing problems.

We can easily move it to the garage. I’m not sure about changing her food because she likes it and it is such a high quality food.

Also, I’m sure her dog treats are an issue....and DH DOES give her treats. They are just the standard Milkbone brand. We keep them in a cookie jar kind of container, kept on the kitchen counter. I don’t mind changing her treats, if anyone knows of any gluten-free treats out there.

Now I’m wondering about our options. Like I said, I normally feed the dog. I can move the dog food container to the garage and wipe down the pantry. But I am out of town a few times every year for work. Would it help to fix ziplock baggies with food before I leave, so that he just has to dump it into her bowl without touching it? Or should I just let him know that he needs to be sure to thoroughly wash his hands after feeding her or giving her a treat?

I don’t think there could be anything else causing him to feel this way, including shampoo or toothpaste, and I guess it could just be that he needs more time. I guess I just thought he would have improved more by now.

Any thoughts?

[AmandaD]

I have Celiac...I use Canidae dry dog food for all ages and I give the dogs "Bear" treats (they have salmon meal in them)....neither of these contain gluten grains. You can look these up on the web. AmandaD

Hi,

I have been wondering about something.

My DH and I have been gluten free now for about 2 months. He is the one that we think is intolerant. Since we’ve been gluten-free, he has improved. Now 2 weeks ago, he had a bad week, but there was also the stress/anxiety of medical appointments and tests he was undergoing as a follow up to thyroid cancer surgery in March.

Since that all ended, he has improved a bit. He is still having cramps, though. He says that they are random. He’s also recently had to make a few mad dashes to the bathroom, and while it was not diarrhea, it was not controllable. Good news: he says the headaches have gone away.

I don’t know if his system is still trying to recover from the bad week he had, or if he’s being glutened. If he’s being glutened, I can only think of one source: dog food.

We keep the dry dog food in a sealed container in the pantry. Our pup eats Science Diet, but while it’s a good dog food, I can only assume its ingredients include flour or some other form of gluten. I am the one who normally feeds her, but wonder if having the container in the pantry is causing problems.

We can easily move it to the garage. I’m not sure about changing her food because she likes it and it is such a high quality food.

Also, I’m sure her dog treats are an issue....and DH DOES give her treats. They are just the standard Milkbone brand. We keep them in a cookie jar kind of container, kept on the kitchen counter. I don’t mind changing her treats, if anyone knows of any gluten-free treats out there.

Now I’m wondering about our options. Like I said, I normally feed the dog. I can move the dog food container to the garage and wipe down the pantry. But I am out of town a few times every year for work. Would it help to fix ziplock baggies with food before I leave, so that he just has to dump it into her bowl without touching it? Or should I just let him know that he needs to be sure to thoroughly wash his hands after feeding her or giving her a treat?

I don’t think there could be anything else causing him to feel this way, including shampoo or toothpaste, and I guess it could just be that he needs more time. I guess I just thought he would have improved more by now.

Any thoughts?

[VydorScope]

Kraft, under the brandname "Milk Bone" makes a soft/chewy dog treat that is found just about everywhere that sells dog food that is gluten-free. My dog loves them at least

As for the food, Open Original Shared Link is gluten-free and my dog likes it and is easily findable in most pet stores.

[Girl Ninja]

Thanks, guys! I just got a puppy myself and I've been feeling kind of sick ever since, so i was wondering the same things. Does anyone have recipes for making your own dog treats? I'm gonna look for the Milk Bone ones tonight.

[Cornhusker]

Personally, I'd keep the dog food in the garage. But I'd also think that a thorough hand washing with soap would be sufficient.

Odds are he's not healed yet and he's going to have good weeks as well as bad.

Good luck.

[skbird]

I have cats and dogs - they are all gluten free now, because they get the dust from their food on their fur and then I pet or kiss them and... I'm sick. All was well until we accidentally got some non gluten-free cat treats - we feed the cat treats when we're lying in bed and my husband sometimes wipes his hands on the bedspread/sheets/etc. I started getting randomly sick after that. When I figured it out, we got rid of those treats and found another kind and it's been fine since.

Our dogs and cats love the chicken jerky-like strips you can get at Costco or Trader Joes (for a fortune!). The cats have Science Diet Light/Hairball formula, and the dogs get Nutro Natural Chicken and Rice.

Stephanie

[utdan]

I have cats and dogs - they are all gluten free now, because they get the dust from their food on their fur and then I pet or kiss them and... I'm sick. All was well until we accidentally got some non gluten-free cat treats - we feed the cat treats when we're lying in bed and my husband sometimes wipes his hands on the bedspread/sheets/etc. I started getting randomly sick after that. When I figured it out, we got rid of those treats and found another kind and it's been fine since.

Our dogs and cats love the chicken jerky-like strips you can get at Costco or Trader Joes (for a fortune!). The cats have Science Diet Light/Hairball formula, and the dogs get Nutro Natural Chicken and Rice.

Stephanie

Good point. It's not just cats that lick themselves (especially just after eating) but I've seen my dog cleaning himself too, and then of course whatever the dog touches is possible contamination. Sometimes it's possible to forget that your dog licked you while you were on the computer or doing something and you had gluten on your hand.

(edited - forgot you said you were eating gluten-free too)

[Guest Jessers]

I use Nutro Lamb and Rice with my dog because it is gluten-free and my dog loves it. It makes my life just one step easier!

[DingoGirl]

Hey Stacie,

I have actually read many times that Science Diet is actually NOT a very good food, FYI. I don't know, check the ingredients. the Natural Choice Lamb/rice is a good idea. My dog had seven years of D after chemotherapy for lymphoma, and months ago I switched them to Bil Jac Senior, at the recommendation of my vet (and we'd been on Canine ID, everything). It is not cheap, but she has not had D in months....and guess what, I finally realized this and checked ingredients - NO what or gluten! So....guess my dog's Celiac.....

Good luck.

[Angeleyes]

Science Diet is actually a pretty bad food (sorry! eek! ). You may want to check out this article on Open Original Shared Link or copy and paste: Open Original Shared Link

Surprisingly I'm here because we believe that my fiancee has Celiac disease... AND my dog!!! Like father like son... ::wipes forehead:: I'm going to be lots of home cooking in the near future!

[SchnauzerMom]

My dog is allergic to wheat. I discovered that a lot of dog biscuits have wheat in them. She is on a food that doesn't have wheat and I found some biscuits that don't have it either. If someone is really sensitive I guess just handling the dog food or biscuits could cause a reaction. I never thought of that.

[jesscarmel]

My dog is allergic to wheat. I discovered that a lot of dog biscuits have wheat in them. She is on a food that doesn't have wheat and I found some biscuits that don't have it either. If someone is really sensitive I guess just handling the dog food or biscuits could cause a reaction. I never thought of that.

hi

i was wondering which biscuits you found that dont have gluten in them?

thanks

Jess

[ArtGirl]

i was wondering which biscuits you found that dont have gluten in them?

Nutro also makes a Lamb and Rice biscuit.

My two dogs are on the Lamb and Rice dry and canned foods (mixed together with boiled hamburger). The Chihuahua had been on Prescription I/D for years because of stomach aches from "regular" dog food. I was a little concerned that the Nutro food would also be a problem for him, which is why I added the boiled hamburger. But he has done well with it and doesn't gag with it like he did with the I/D food (that stuff's nasty!)

Do I spoil my dogs..... No, of course not

[ijklm]

We have 3 dogs and 3 girls. My middle daughter has Celiac and our Springer Spaniel is allergic to wheat too. We've been really pleased with Life's Abundance pet food. We feed it to the cats too and don't have to worry about our daughter feeding any of our critters. We get it from Open Original Shared Link.com

Good support and Dr. Bicks who formulated the food is actually accessible and really cares about pets as opposed to most pet food companies who are only in it for the bottom line.

[Guest thatchickali]

I just wanted to say that I put my dog on gluten-free dog food/treats. (Nutro Lamb and Rice)

BUT I am not yet better so if you get the gluten free food don't be discouraged if it doesn't work... he might just still need time to heal.

Another source might not come from handling the food, but if the dog licks faces, hands anything that could allow the gluten to pass from dog to him.

Best wishes!

[Acersma]

Science Diet is horrible. Nutro is a great dog food for a great cost. The Lamb and Rice is what we use now as well. We were always feeding the Nutro line but were switching it up...now it is Lamb and Rice. I have a How does your Dog food Grade sheet...here it is. Hopefully it is helpful for all the dog owners:

Start with a grade of 100:

For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points!

For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points!

If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points!

If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract 2 points

If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points

If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

If the food contains barley, add 2 points

If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "beef" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

Grading:

94-100+ = A

86-93 = B

78-85 = C

70-77 = D

69 and below = F

___________________________________________________________________

Here are some foods that have already been scored.

Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F

Canidae / Score 112 A+

Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+

Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B

Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 A

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland/(that would be from Costco/Price Club) Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice, and Oatmeal/ Score 94 A

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Ol Roy Premium Dog Food / Score 53 F

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Benful / Score 17 F

Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F

Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

[VioletBlue]

Here is an excellent site that rates dog foods by quality: Open Original Shared Link

It's no oincidence that the highest rated foods are all grain free. I feed EVO red meat dried and Evangers pure canned meat to the dog. The cats get Evangers Holistic Pheasant. Yes, the animals eat better than I do most days. I also found a great dog treat from Solid Gold that is essentially just dried lamb lung. Yeah, sounds yuckie but the dog loves it and it's pure protein.

Violet

[Shayscu]

I became very concerned about getting "glutened" by my dogs (& now our foster kitten). I discovered The Honest Kitchen dog food & cat food & am very, very pleased w/them. They are gluten free, minimally processed, human grade, natural foods like chicken, spinach, sweet potatoes, rosemary, etc. that you rehydrate w/warm or hot water. Our dogs & kitten LOVE the food, & I feel great about it on many levels . . . I'm definitely not risking gluten contamination, & the food is so healthy & natural, & I feel that it's produced responsibly as well. For my dogs I'm making a homemade food to mix w/the dog food (although you don't have to). I'm combining brown rice, ground turkey, sweet potatoes, & green beans. I mix the homemade food w/the Honest Kitchen food 1/2 & 1/2. For the kitten I'm mixing the Honest Kitchen cat food w/a quarter can of Trader Joe's Tuna for Cats. I'd like to have chew treats for the dogs, though, so I'll check out both the chicken jerky & the Kraft/Milk Bone soft chews that others have mentioned here.

[laurelfla]

I'm glad this topic came back up because i just got a puppy and it has been a handwashing marathon for me around here! My cat used to be gluten-free, but then he had to go on a diet and the diet food was not gluten-free. He lost weight, though, and I didn't feel any effects.

Now we have Petunia and she is eating Solid Gold puppy food. I couldn't find any gluten-free treats on our initial shopping trip (I would handle them much more than the food so they're more important to me) so I will have to check out the suggestions here. I just wash, wash, wash. I don't kiss my dog directly and I don't let her lick my face so I feel pretty good about our current situation, although I may make a change down the road just for the sake of the skin on my hands!

My question is -- why do so many dog foods say "gluten free" but then contain barley???! The last one I saw said "gluten free" on the bag and it contained wheat starch. Why can they label the foods that way? I thought about calling one of the companies to ask. My cat's new food, Blue Buffalo is also guilty of this. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this labeling matter.

[sallyterpsichore]

My question is -- why do so many dog foods say "gluten free" but then contain barley???! The last one I saw said "gluten free" on the bag and it contained wheat starch. Why can they label the foods that way? I thought about calling one of the companies to ask. My cat's new food, Blue Buffalo is also guilty of this. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this labeling matter.

Are you sure they're not just labeled "Grain Free"? They can then have malt flavorings. Most pet foods do. I've found a couple of gluten-free cat foods around me, but they cost a fortune. I live in a very expensive city as is, and on top of having an entry level job and paying for my own gluten-free foods, I really will be pushing my delicate budget by spending $30 on a 5lb bag of cat food. I'm going to bring it up with my doctors this month and see what they think. I'm definitely still sick...

Glad you brought the issue up here!

[Adelle]

Ok well firstly, Canidae is NO LONGER GLUTEN FREE, even though they are still advertising on their website that they are. ARG.

I feed our adult dog Innova Evo, and our cats eat the cat version of Evo. Our puppy eats California Natural dog food for now.

IMHO anything you can find at a big chain pet store is NOT worth feeding! You could try ordering online or finding a feed store that sells something better.

Feeding grain free is NOT that expensive!! A $50 bag of evo lasts over 2 months feeding our 45lb American Pit Bull Terrier! If you feed grain free, you feed less (Ninja gets about 1 and 2/3 cups per day of food) and thus the bags last longer! AND I don't have to worry about CC AT ALL!!

As for treats, I dehydrate liver in the oven, they love that. Ninja also goes for popcorn. you can also find human grade jerky and cut it into little bits. They like that.

[laurelfla]

No, they say "gluten free", although I have seen some that say grain free. I thought to post about it because my sister called and mentioned her father-in-law insisted that she and her husband try the dog food they were using because the bag said gluten free, yet it contained barley.

One good thing about having a chihuahua is the cost of the food! I think I could feed her steak every day and still not feel it in our budget! She just doesn't eat much. The bag of Solid Gold we bought is going to last forever.

[Shayscu]

I'm glad this topic came back up because i just got a puppy and it has been a handwashing marathon for me around here! My cat used to be gluten-free, but then he had to go on a diet and the diet food was not gluten-free. He lost weight, though, and I didn't feel any effects.

Now we have Petunia and she is eating Solid Gold puppy food. I couldn't find any gluten-free treats on our initial shopping trip (I would handle them much more than the food so they're more important to me) so I will have to check out the suggestions here. I just wash, wash, wash. I don't kiss my dog directly and I don't let her lick my face so I feel pretty good about our current situation, although I may make a change down the road just for the sake of the skin on my hands!

My question is -- why do so many dog foods say "gluten free" but then contain barley???! The last one I saw said "gluten free" on the bag and it contained wheat starch. Why can they label the foods that way? I thought about calling one of the companies to ask. My cat's new food, Blue Buffalo is also guilty of this. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this labeling matter.

In response to your question about incorrect labeling, yes, I have experienced it, too. We bought "Blue" brand dog food specifically to get gluten free food for our dogs. I read the ingredients (after we had opened the expensive bag, sadly :-() & there are plainly stated gluten ingredients in it. This company is doing a big ad campaign right now, & in big, bold print in their magazine ad it says "GLUTEN FREE." I called the company to see if there was a particular one of their foods that was gluten free, & was told no, that they label it like that b/c they just don't specifically add gluten to the food. What?!? So, yes, be careful out there.

As to using pet food w/gluten, I agonized when I read the lengths you have to go through, & I still would worry about transfer contamination. I was worrying all the time about it, & wanted to be able to pet, hug, kiss, be "kissed," etc w/my dogs. I LOVE this food I'm using, Thrive by The Honest Kitchen. I don't have to worry about it at all. As far as treats, I went out last night & did indeed find the Kraft/Milk Bone brand of soft chew treats that someone wrote about here recently. I also give my dogs the plain rawhide treats, & looked for the chicken jerky someone wrote about, but didn't find it yet. There's a homemade treat recipe on the box of Thrive that looks easy, so I'm going to try that.