Allergies & Allergy Testing

Allergy testing your dog before starting a new diet is important because it

helps identify any potential food allergies or sensitivities your dog may

have. This can prevent discomfort, digestive issues, skin problems, & other

health issues that can arise from feeding your dog foods they are intolerant to. Identifying these allergies beforehand allows you to choose a diet that is suitable & safe for your dog's specific needs.

This is the at-home test I recommend:

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The correct term for these tests & for what they reveal to you about your dog is INTOLERANCES! Think of this way, if you're allergic to peanuts & come in contact with them, you go into anaphylactic shock, you don't just get watery eyes or itch a bit. Intolerances cause itchy skin, upset stomachs, skin/coat problems, & the best part!? They are most often reversible! We do these tests to give us a baseline, so we can start an elimination diet with our dogs. Take out all the things that kibble or vaccines have caused them to be intolerant to for a period of 8-12 weeks, to allow the gut to become balanced again, & then we can add back in, one at a time, those intolerant foods, & often dogs do just fine with them.

These at-home tests are accurate, they are reliable, they are helpful & provide us direction in helping to heal our dogs, & they are inexpensive compared to testing your dog through your vet, with tests that are not as through, or as accurate, as 5 Strands.

The confusion lies in that lay people are reading the results, making assertions like "these can't be right, it makes no sense to be allergic to beef broth but not beef liver!", with no knowledge or understanding of what the results mean, therefore determining them to be bad test results, when they are not. 

Easiest way to explain; 

Just like humans, dogs can have specific allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients. It's possible that the dog is reacting to an additive or ingredient in the beef broth that is not present in beef liver. 

Dogs can have allergies to specific proteins or ingredients within a food. While both beef & beef meal come from beef, the processing methods can differ. It's possible that the dog's allergy is triggered by certain proteins present in fresh beef but not in beef meal, which is typically a rendered product made from beef by-products. Additionally, the cooking process during the production of beef meal may alter the proteins in a way that reduces their allergenic potential for some dogs.

The allergic response in dogs can be triggered by specific proteins present in certain parts of an animal's body. While both beef heart & beef liver are organ meats, they contain different proteins & nutrients. It's possible that the proteins found in beef heart trigger an allergic reaction in the dog, while the proteins in beef liver do not. Each dog's allergies can be unique, and they may react differently to various parts of an animal or different types of proteins.

Allergies can be complex & vary from individual to individual. 

These 5 strands tests are a baseline, a starting point, to help guide you, beginning a natural diet. Without this info you're in the dark, winging it, likely still feeding foods they are intolerant to, which prolongs their healing, so their health issues will continue. 

I'll add in a few more I know others question & need further understanding about with these examples; 

Intolerance to chicken meat but not chicken broth...

Chicken allergies in dogs are often caused by proteins in chicken meat itself, such as in the muscle tissue. Chicken broth, on the other hand, is typically made by simmering chicken bones, which may not contain the same proteins that trigger allergic reactions in dogs. Additionally, the processing involved in making broth may denature or break down the allergenic proteins, reducing the likelihood of an allergic reaction in sensitive dogs.

Dog is intolerant to fish but not fish oil...

Fish allergies in dogs are typically triggered by specific proteins found in the flesh of certain types of fish. Fish oil, on the other hand, is derived from the fatty tissues of fish and is processed to extract the oil, which may remove or denature the proteins responsible for allergic reactions in some dogs. Additionally, fish oil supplements are often highly purified, which further reduces the likelihood of containing allergenic proteins. Therefore, a dog may be allergic to fish but tolerate fish oil without experiencing an allergic reaction.

Your dog is allergic to yogurt but tolerates probiotic supplements fine...

Yogurt contains live bacteria cultures, including various strains of probiotics. However, it also contains other ingredients such as milk proteins, lactose, & sometimes additives. A dog may be allergic to one of these additional components in yogurt rather than the probiotics themselves. Probiotic supplements, on the other hand, often contain a purified form of probiotics without additional ingredients that may trigger allergies in sensitive dogs. Therefore, a dog could be allergic to yogurt due to ingredients other than probiotics but tolerate probiotic supplements well.

Hope this helps you understand the confusion others have about their results better, & legitimizes the tests themselves, boiling down to user error not faulty tests. 

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Another fun fact!

Dogs can develop allergies to proteins they have never been exposed to before due to a phenomenon called cross-reactivity. This occurs when the immune system mistakenly identifies similar proteins in different foods as allergens. For example, if a dog is allergic to chicken, it's possible for their immune system to also react to proteins found in other poultry meats, such as turkey or duck, even if the dog has never consumed those specific meats before. The same is true for things like alligator as well. Additionally, environmental factors & genetic predisposition can play a role in the development of food allergies in dogs.

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Common allergy questions, & answers, regarding allergy testing: 

Allergy testing for puppies can typically be done after they are at least six months old. This age allows their immune system to develop sufficiently for accurate testing results. 

The frequency of allergy testing for dogs depends on several factors such as the severity of their symptoms and response to the elimination diet. Generally, it's recommended to repeat allergy testing annually to monitor changes in allergen sensitivities & adjust treatment/food plans accordingly.