A study published in the journal Gut demonstrated that gluten can induce enteropathy in Irish Setter dogs.
“Affected setters, reared on a normal wheat containing diet, exhibited partial villus atrophy, intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration, reduced brush border alkaline phosphatase activity, and increased intestinal permeability. Gluten sensitivity was shown by introduction of a gluten free diet, which resulted in resolution of morphological and biochemical abnormalities and decreased intestinal permeability, and subsequent gluten challenge, which resulted in relapse. In contrast, littermates reared exclusively on a cereal free diet showed minimal changes when challenged with gluten, apart from intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration. These findings document a gluten sensitive enteropathy in Irish setters and indicate that exclusion of dietary cereal from birth may modify subsequent expression of the disease.”
Source:
Gut. 1992 February; 33(2): 198–205.
Gluten Free Society’s Stance:
Dogs are primarily canines. Feeding them kibble bagged food is inhumane. Most bagged and canned dog foods contain genetically modified corn, wheat, and soy as major ingredients.
How would you like to be placed on a kibble diet only consisting of grain and processed fillers? Wait a second… doesn’t that describe the average American diet (minus the kibble shape of course)? It is no wonder that household canines continue to get sicker and fatter in record numbers much like their human counterparts.
Dogs eating grain is just another example of how eating against the genetic code contributes to disease. For more on how to properly feed “man’s best friend” properly read the BARF diet
I sent my blood tests to Hemopet, an non profit organization for the testing of blood as my dog had been diagnosed as immune deficiant, Dr Jean Dodd suggested a gluten free diet for my labrador. I took her off all the packet food and I have cooked chicken necks in my slow cooker with brown rice. She is fine and healthy now. Also I took away all her chewing hides as they have very controversial write ups about them, what they are preserved with, its frightening.