A couple years ago, my now 12 year old dog started to drop weight. She got scary skinny and was itching beyond alot. The holostic vet we were seeing was completely stumped. Her blood panels were normal. Finally, and on a whim, I called a pet communicator and she immediately pegged my dog, Lucy, as having Celiac Disease. In previous "chats" she's warned me that Lucy was wheat sensitive but now as she's aged, her body couldn't handle any kind of gluten at all.
Back up a step....my dog had been on a homemade diet of hamburger or chicken, rice, and fresh veggies....how could she be having a digestive meltdown? Well, her multivitamin was in a wheat germ base and the cookies she gets for training and agility had oat flour, wheat flour, etc., in them. That was enough to completely shut down her digestive system so that no matter how much she ate, she was literally starving to death! The cookies were actually killing her!
You can count her ribs in this photo which was taken after she'd put some weight back on! It ain't fun or easy to be Celiac. But it is manageable! I've met a few people who are such and we discuss what can or can't be eaten. We have learned how to read labels on food to know where gluten is hidden under other names. The more time you spend gluten free, the more sensitive your body is to any tiny crumb of gluten and the greater your body reacts. So...no more sweeping the toast crumbs onto the floor and letting the dog "vacuum" them up. It'll kill her.
This is when I discovered the foods made by The Honest Kitchen. Lucy thrives on the "Thrive" formula! And I no longer buy regular dog cookies...she eats gluten free ginger snaps or crackers that I get from Nature's, a local health food store. They also carry gluten free glucosomine and GF probiotics. Adding gluten free probiotics to your Celiac dog's diet is essential to helping their digestive tract recouperate and become healthy again.