Gluten intolerance in dogs frequently manifests itself with loose stools, mucus in the stool, diarrhoea, constipation or flatulence. But what is gluten and why is it such a problem for some dogs?

What is gluten?

Gluten is the generic term for a structural protein found in certain cereal grains. Specifically, if refers to wheat proteins, although gluten is also found in barley, rye, spelt and farro.

Gluten is the substance that gives bread its elasticity — its chewy texture that also helps it to keep its shape. And it’s largely for that reason that it is used in dog treats and dry dog food. Because, apart from the fact that it’s cheap, it helps kibble keep its shape.

What is gluten intolerance?

In human terms, gluten intolerance manifests itself as coeliac disease. This chronic, debilitating, inflammatory autoimmune disorder mainly affects the small intestine. But it is in fact a multiple-organ disorder, and because of this, frequently goes undiagnosed or labelled as a different health problem altogether.

Dogs however don’t suffer from coeliac disease per se. But that doesn’t mean that gluten intolerance in dogs doesn’t exist or that it isn’t a problem. It does exist, and it can be a chronic problem for some dogs.

What are the symptoms of canine gluten intolerance?

We’ve already established that gluten intolerance in dogs can manifest itself in a number of ways.

These primarily are:

Digestive problems – loose stools, mucus in the stool, diarrhoea, constipation or flatulence and even vomiting in severe cases
Skin infections – including all the classic signs of atopic dermatitis and food intolerance. Dry flaky skin, constant scratching, hair loss, hot spots and weight loss caused by malabsorption of nutrients.
Chronic ear infections and or foot chewing as a result of yeast overgrowth.

How do you identify gluten intolerance in dogs?

The problem with identifying a gluten intolerance in your dog is that the symptoms can be reflective of so many other canine health problems. These can include seasonal allergies and intolerance to other proteins in its food.

For most people, the symptoms will result in a veterinary consultation and various tests such as blood work, saliva, urine and stool sampling.

The DIY approach

Since most of these symptoms are indicative of a dietary problem, I would suggest changing your dog’s diet. Commercial dog food is over-reliant on grains because they’re cheap. They’re also a major cause of dog health problems.

So I recommend either change your dog’s food to a grain-free food, or, better still, change your dog’s diet for the better by making homemade dog food.

When you make homemade food for your dog, you control exactly what ingredients go into it. Not only is it so much healthier than commercial dog food, you can chose by default to exclude that one potential source of so many canine health problems. Grains.

Feed your dog a grain-free homemade diet and in the blink of an eye you’ll know whether or not your dog really has a gluten intolerance or if it is suffering from a different problem.

With home cooked food you can replace potentially problematic cereal grains with pseudo-cereals such as amaranth, buckwheat, millet or quinoa. All of those are both dog-safe and beneficial to the health of your best friend.

Summary

If you think your dog might be gluten intolerant, begin with simple elimination test to see if you can eliminate the problem purely through dietary means. If that fails, then naturally you would need to consider making an appointment with your vet