Message from the Founder of
EnteroLab.com,
Dr. Kenneth Fine,
on Why Immunologic Food
Sensitivity
is Affecting Dogs Too
and What Can Be Done About It
There are only 3 things that I’ve done continuously in my life since I was a boy:
- I play sports and engage in physical fitness activities
- I listen to and play music
- I own, care for and love my dog!
If you are like me, the unconditional love I receive from my current dog Mordy (short for Mordechai) is like nothing else in the world. Therefore, the love we give back to our dogs completes the Divine circle of love between us and “man’s best friend.” And wanting the best for our dog, including things/food that keep him happy and healthy are part of this.
I have noticed during Mordy’s entire 11 years of life that, like myself, he cannot just eat any store-bought food, or eat anything other than specialized grain-free, limited ingredient food without getting what are clearly food-sensitivity symptoms. In his case, mainly “stinky” ear infections, skin irritations that often result in the sometimes grotesque “lick granulomas”, swollen paws and what seems to be intermittent joint aches in his lower leg joints. Sometimes, he will just start limping for a time, although luckily only short-lived in his case. Other possible food sensitivity symptoms in a dog would be, like in humans, bowel irregularities, usually diarrhea, emotional irritability, outright mental disturbances, and patchy hair loss with or without rash.
I have watched the current food sensitivity epidemic grow like a wildfire since beginning EnteroLab.com in 2000.
And since I have concluded that this is in large part due to an environmental factor to which we and our dogs are exposed; combined with frequent and/or poly-vaccination, that they like us must be experiencing hyperimmunity to the foods we and they eat. Just look what has happened to the specialty (grain-free and holistic) dog food industry over the last 20 years; it parallels the gluten-free human food industry exactly. Yet I have noted in both my dog's reactions and my knowledge of anti-inflammatory diets, that these specialty foods are not designed to be anti-inflammatory. To tell you the truth, I am not sure they are designed to be healthy; just to be “grain-free” and sell. How could they be when the grains are replaced by other inflammatory foods like legumes/peas, squashes (mostly pumpkin) and in lesser quality foods, fillers such as soy, corn and even wheat.
In about 2018, we began researching whether multiple food sensitivity testing like we do in humans at EnteroLab.com would be possible on a stool specimen from a dog testing for IgA antibody against the main food antigens in dog food: the fillers mentioned above (wheat, corn, rice, soy, peas) in addition to the main meat proteins like beef, chicken, pork, lamb, salmon, and turkey. We offered the first 100 tests free to our clients. The results worked out exactly as our human results do; many reactions to the main antigenic fillers, and reactivity to some but at that time, not usually all meat proteins. Therefore, the test seemed like it could be used to first decide if the more expensive grain-free, antigenic filler-free food options would be right for your dog’s health; and second, to help you make the decision on what meat source to provide. How else are we supposed to make such a choice I’ve always wondered?
In about 2018, we began researching whether multiple food sensitivity testing like we do in humans at EnteroLab.com would be possible on a stool specimen from a dog testing for IgA antibody against the main food antigens in dog food: the fillers mentioned above (wheat, corn, rice, soy, peas) in addition to the main meat proteins like beef, chicken, pork, lamb, salmon, and turkey. We offered the first 100 tests free to our clients. The results worked out exactly as our human results do; many reactions to the main antigenic fillers, and reactivity to some but at that time, not usually all meat proteins. Therefore, the test seemed like it could be used to first decide if the more expensive grain-free, antigenic filler-free food options would be right for your dog’s health; and second, to help you make the decision on what meat source to provide. How else are we supposed to make such a choice I’ve always wondered?
What I found in Mordy was that he was indeed reactive to grains, and a few of the meats such as lamb and chicken; but most importantly, he reacted strongly to green peas, which is the main filler being used in grain-free dog food of all brands. Good luck finding a grain-free, pea-free food. I’ve tried and there are literally like 2 brand choices and only 2 meat choices in any total
line of that dog food. Therefore, I plan in the near future to create the world’s best “Anti-Inflammatory Canine”TM dog food to complement our food sensitivity testing panels here at EnteroLab Pet & Vet in a process we will call “Proof Paws-o-tive” - Dog Lab and Dog Food. Purchase of the former leads to the correct purchase of the latter!
In the meantime, so as to make the testing side of Proof Paws-o-tive available now, we are launching the Dog Lab side of this plan now so at least we can help guide your commercially-bought dog food choices, as well as to investigate whether food sensitivity is at the root of your dog’s symptomotology should such exist.
In the meantime, so as to make the testing side of Proof Paws-o-tive available now, we are launching the Dog Lab side of this plan now so at least we can help guide your commercially-bought dog food choices, as well as to investigate whether food sensitivity is at the root of your dog’s symptomotology should such exist.
Thank you for visiting this website and reading this message, and allowing us to serve your and your dog’s intestinal and overall health!
Gratefully Yours,
Kenneth Fine, M.D. Founder and Director,
EnteroLab and EnteroLab Pet & Vet
Kenneth Fine, M.D. Founder and Director,
EnteroLab and EnteroLab Pet & Vet