[Jenny C]

I’ve been Googling this and can’t find any research, but wondering if anyone here has any information on histamine intolerance in dogs? Not food allergies, but histamine intolerance. I, myself, have histamine intolerance and have to be very, very careful about the meat I eat. It has to be as fresh as possible, and quickly thawed (either in microwave or water), cooked and eaten immediately. No leftovers- the reason for which is that bacteria release histamine (and other amines) as the flesh decomposes. So the longer it’s been since meat was butchered, the higher the histamine content.

My 2 yr old shih tzu has been having very bad itching this entire summer. I’ve tried adding ACV to his food, fish oil, quercitin/bromelain, and switching to “cool” foods via TCM/Yin-Yang theories. So far, no success. I read somewhere that histamines in dogs are released mainly into their skin (whereas in humans, it can affect SO many different parts of the body). I’m wondering if he has seasonal allergies due to pollens, trees, grasses, etc and it’s been exacerbated by the raw food I feed him. I get my food from a local raw food processor, it’s mostly ground meat/bone/organ- and just the act of being ground at the butcher and sitting out in their deli case or freezer means that it’s not as fresh as a cut of meat would be, therefore the histamine content is already higher. Then I take it home, thaw it, portion it out, refreeze, then thaw again the day of feeding, adding more to the histamine content. So even though it’s fresh, local meat- it’s not actually “fresh” in the sense that it’s probably been at least a few weeks since it’s been butchered, and probably has higher histamine content by the time I feed it.

If you’re not familiar with histamine intolerance, they often talk about a “histamine bucket” whereby every little bit of histamine put into the body (food, stress, pollen, etc) builds, until it spills over into a reaction. So that is why I’m wondering if summer pollen plus the “not the most fresh” raw food I’m feeding could possibly be causing his severe itching. Start googling “histamine intolerance”- it’s really interesting and it was the answer to a lot of my own chronic illness issues.

Has anyone here experimented with feeding their dogs the absolutely freshest meat possible with the lowest histamine content and had any success with cutting down on allergy symptoms?

I’m wondering if there’s really a good way to feed raw and extremely fresh at the same time- I’m not really into the idea of buying huge parts of animals from local farmers and butchering them myself! I might try feeding my dog the fresh/cooked meat that I eat for a few days and see if I notice any difference in his itching.

In this sense, there’s probably no kibble or prepared raw food out there that would be considered “low histamine” then, right?

[anonymously]

If it were my dog, I would make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist as soon as possible. Your dog’s symptoms may have nothing to do with his diet.

Have you used the search engine here?

For example: /forums/search/allergies/
and /forums/search/raw+diet/

PS: Be careful, regarding listening to homeopathic vets, a lot of them are quacks and do more harm than good.
For science-based veterinary medicine, go here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/

[Susan]

Hi Jenny was ur dog eating the same food/diet in winter & was OK? then Summer came along & the itchy skin started. Your dog could have Environment Allergies, my boy has both Seasonal Environment allergies & food sensitivities in Spring & Summer he has the hive like lumps all over the white fur, poos are sloppy some days… With food sensitivities they will have more stomach/bowel problems, ear, anal glad & red paws etc…Baths are the best weekly or twice a week when the itch is bad give a bath, I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, wipes after being outside, I buy the Huggies Cucumber & Aloe baby wipes & wipe Patch down after being outside when he has his hive like lumps all over white fur & skin.. Creams I use Hydrocortisone 1% cream on red paws & on red skin & Sudocrem to act as a barrier on Patches paws when it rains he gets red paws & when he eats certain foods he’s sensitive too he gets red paws… Start keeping a diary & you will start to see a pattern over the years, if you have the money book & see a Animal Dermatologist to work out is it Environment Allergies or Food Sensitivities or both.. In Australia we use Vitamin C, here’s a link about skin allergies clink on “Skin System” on the left. http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/education.php

[DogFoodie]

Hi Jenny,

My sensitive boy has both food and environmental sensitivities. His environmental challenges have been worse this year than ever, as have mine. I’m located in the Chicago suburbs.

I can’t speak as to the histamine in raw foods. The only raw my dog will eat and does well on is Answers, which is fermented.

[anonymously]

“I’ve been Googling this and can’t find any research, but wondering if anyone here has any information on histamine intolerance in dogs? Not food allergies, but histamine intolerance. I, myself, have histamine intolerance and have to be very, very careful about the meat I eat. It has to be as fresh as possible, and quickly thawed (either in microwave or water), cooked and eaten immediately. No leftovers- the reason for which is that bacteria release histamine (and other amines) as the flesh decomposes. So the longer it’s been since meat was butchered, the higher the histamine content”.

Unless you are getting your advice from a veterinarian that has examined your dog, it may all be gobbledygook and mean nothing. Dr Google is not always accurate.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=Dr+Google

[Linda R]

Hi Jenni, I am wondering if you have been using heartworm/flea/tick/mosquito treatment on your dog this summer. I used Triflexis on my very healthy 2 year old boxer and she started scratching incessantly. I did not realize that was the cause until the 3rd applicatin (so three stinking months) later. Vet said did not think was the treatment causing it but give her 2 benadryl twice a day to calm her. Upended use there would probably affecthe kidney/liver. She developed a mushroom looking lump in her ear in a canal right against her head and I thought we were done. Boxers have such a history with growths and cancers. I did my research and used essential oil tea tree oil diffused with coconut oil. Two weeks later there is no sign of the bump, Vet cannot believe it. Her histomine count is down so no more itching. Don’t go crazy or anything, but I am a believer now in essential oils. I use foot massages to infuse frankinse diluted with coconut oil because of the breeds cancer history. Study up and good luck!

[Kelley W]

Hello, I think my dogs are allergic to fermented foods. I started feeding them Answers Dog Food and both did poorly on it. Severe and intense itching. Vomiting and diarrhea. The one dog with vomiting and diarrhea was taken off of it immediately. The other dog was on it for 3 months and had loose stool the entire time. Everyone said “it’s die off” “give it time” “I can’t imagine a dog would be allergic to raw goats milk”, etc. etc. His stool used to be perfect when he was on Darwins and other non-fermented foods. I’m going to switch back.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Kelley W.

[Susan]

Hi kelly,
are you on facebook? join this f/b group
“Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD – Raw Feeding & Holistic Support”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/292537937935806/

There’s a few dogs who have IBD & are doing really well on Answers raw & Answer goats milk, Anu & Fonia are very knowledgeable & probably can help you with your dogs diet, also there’s a few members who can tell you why Answers didn’t agree with their dogs…..
My boy would probably be the same as he doesn’t do well on any fermentable foods or high fiber foods..
Sounds like something in the Answers isn’t agreeing with both of your dogs or they’re not use to eating certain ingredients, I read Answers is high-vitamin butter oil…

[Tra R]

I recommend you feed your dog two antihistamines per day. This will help your dog deal with histomine release in its body. This release can happen when your dog has an injury, the body releases histomine to repair the wound, however with histomine intolent dogs, too much histomine can be released and lead to a mass cell tumour being created. In histomine intolent dogs every lump should be biosped and removed, if it is cancer.
There are foods that an owner should try to keep her dog clear of, processed human food (bacon, sausages, tomatoes, salami), spices, salt, citrus fruit, wheat, glutton, dairy products, cherry’s, apricots, fish products, fermented products etc. You can also get natural antihistamines like garlic (limit to one tablet a day), vets do not recommend garlic as it is a bulb but there is no evidence that garlic hurts dogs. Also
Fresh food is the ideal food for your dog, human fresh raw mince meat (not pork) with its dry dog food is good, meat is good for the blood. I personally recommend Pets at Home AVA dry dog food (not fish as fish makes histomine). The antihistamines will help ur pets body deal with any problem histomine ur dog eats. I have a golden retriever (age five) she has had two mass cell tumours, feeding her two antihistamines each day has halted the creation of tumours for a year, so far.

[Author]

Posts