Allergy in Dogs and the Role of Nutrition - a Big Study

A large study published a few days ago in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine shows how huge a role it plays feeding your puppy in the development of allergies in adulthood. In times when it seems that almost every other dog suffers from some form of allergy, it is important to understand why this is so. What is even more important, learn how allergies can be avoided.
Researchers from the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Helsinki studied the connection between allergies and atopic dermatitis in as many as 4,022 adult dogs and different diets in these same dogs in puppyhood. 

They concluded the following: Puppies that grew up eating at least 20% fresh food, or less than 80% industrial dry food, had a significantly lower risk of developing allergies and atopic dermatitis in adulthood. Likewise, puppies fed 80% or more dry industrial food had a significantly higher incidence of allergies in adulthood. Of course, the lowest incidence of allergies and atopic dermatitis was in dogs that were fed exclusively BARF diet in puppyhood.
We quote Dr. Anna Hielm-Bjorkman, assistant professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Helsinki and head of this scientific research. 

Puppies fed raw meat, raw uncleaned green tripe, raw organs and remains of human food in adulthood were significantly less likely to suffer from allergies and atopic dermatitis. While the occurrence of the same in dogs fed dry industrial food was significantly increased. These results show that raw food has a positive effect on the health of dogs. And that adding only 20% raw food to the puppy's daily diet plays a big role in the dog's health.

Allergy is a disorder in the immune system. All this is very logical when we know that an allergy is nothing but a disorder in the immune system. A disorder that occurs as a result of problems located in the intestines. In fact, the intestines are the largest immune center of the body. Intestines irritated by inappropriate food that is difficult to digest, contains harmful chemicals. So, with food that has a bad effect on healthy microflora, they become the place where hypersensitivity reactions begin. 

When to start BARF diet? The only answer we can give to that question is - the sooner the better. We often hear something like... Let the puppy grow a little more and we'll start feeding him BARF. It is like saying let the child grow up to the age of 18 and we will start giving him fresh fruits and vegetables. Why not do everything to avoid scenarios where your pet spends most of its life:

• scratching,
• biting,
• shedding,< /li>
• he licks his paws
• and all other symptoms that greatly reduce your dog's quality of life.

And they force you to countless trips to the vet and expensive treatments that in the end, they only "quiet" the symptoms, but do not solve the cause.