Five years ago when I began looking for a dog I knew I had found the right one when I found Chloe. \u00a0She was adorable, energetic, and best of all cross-eyed.\u00a0 Chloe seemed to be the perfect dog. However, I was unaware of the many vet trips we would take over the next few years.<\/p>\n

Chloe\u2019s first trip to the vet occurred only four months after her coming into my home. \u00a0To my surprise when I got home from school Chloe had several puke piles around the house, and her stomach was so bloated she looked like a doggy balloon.\u00a0 Knowing something was definitely wrong I grabbed Chloe, lifted her into the car, and drove her straight to the emergency vet.\u00a0 Although it was clear she was in pain, she laid on the vet office floor looked up at me with her beautiful eyes and wagged her tail.\u00a0 It was that moment that I knew I would do whatever it takes to save her.\u00a0 After a brief examination the vet informed me that Chloe had a gastric torsion.\u00a0 Essentially she had gotten sick, and started puking so heavily that her stomach twisted.\u00a0 Chloe had to have emergency surgery.<\/p>\n

After Chloe recovered from her surgery she seemed to have little to no problems.\u00a0 Over the next couple of years she was a really happy dog.\u00a0 She loved running, swimming, and playing with other dogs. I did however have some small concerns about Chloe\u2019s overall health.\u00a0 She had occasional diarrhea, a stomach rash, and she always had trouble putting on weight.\u00a0 Being the overprotective mom I am, I called the vet with questions at every slight chance of illness, and I brought Chloe in for all of her routine check ups. When I mentioned my concerns to the vet he had reasonable explanations for every problem. Her rash was from her surgery, her weight was her breed, and the diarrhea he felt could be worms. He gave me medication for the worms and told me to call with any other concerns.\u00a0 Over the next few years Chloe\u2019s health was about standard.\u00a0 She occasionally had some joint pain but other than that she was fine.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until last year that I realized something was seriously wrong with Chloe.\u00a0 Over the last year my husband and I had noticed her mood, and energy starting to rapidly decrease.\u00a0 We just assumed it was her age.\u00a0 We knew she was about 5, and that large breed dogs typically didn\u2019t live long.\u00a0 Then we noticed every morning Chloe\u2019s dog bed would be soaking wet with urine.\u00a0 We took her to the vet and without running any tests he let us know that she was going through a hormonal imbalance, and he gave us some medication to give her and sent us on our way.<\/p>\n

For a while after the vet visit, everything seemed to be going fine. Chloe would still occasionally wet the bed, and her mood was still decreasing, but we just figured it was something we would have to deal with.\u00a0 Then about two months ago my husband and I noticed a rapid change in Chloe\u2019s physical appearance and mood.\u00a0 She was extremely thin, she wouldn\u2019t eat, and she was so fatigued she could barely get off the couch.\u00a0 After watching her for a few days we took her back into the vet for some answers. The vet examined Chloe and expressed his extreme concerns for her health.\u00a0 He said she seemed anemic.\u00a0 She had developed small skin tumors, she was lethargic, and he was concerned about internal tumors.\u00a0 He drew her blood, gave her a cortisone shot, and sent us home with steroids.\u00a0 The next day he diagnosed Chloe with an autoimmune disease, and told us to prepare for the worst. He let us know that her mood might get better with the steroids, but we could be in for a long road ahead and that it was quite possible her time was up.<\/p>\n

Now to most Celiac patients, Chloe\u2019s symptoms probably sound familiar. She had diarrhea, a rash, she was skinny, lethargic, bladder problems, and now an autoimmune disease.\u00a0 Not knowing any better I figured she was just a dog who had health issues, and I prayed that she would get better. I expressed my concerns for Chloe with Nadine and she recommended I put her on a gluten free diet. She pointed out the similarities between Chloe\u2019s illnesses and celiac disease, and finally made a connection I couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Chloe has been off of her steroids and gluten free for over one month now and she has more energy than she knows what to do with. We no longer have bed wetting problems, her energy is back, her coat is shinier, and for the first time in a year she wants to go for runs and play with other dogs.<\/p>\n

Gluten free for your beloved pet<\/strong>
\nGluten intolerance and celiac disease have been proven to be prevalent in canines. Unfortunately due to the wide variety in symptoms, it is not something that veterinarians often recognize.\u00a0 Luckily there are great resources on the web for information involving pets and gluten intolerance.\u00a0 Below we have attached some fantastic articles that will help you decide if a gluten free diet is right for your animal.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.ehow.com\/about_5300217_gluten-allergy-dogs.html<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.the-gluten-free-chef.com\/pet-nutrition.html<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.glutenfreesociety.org\/gluten-free-society-blog\/dogs-are-gluten-intolerant-2\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.celiac.com\/articles\/1129\/1\/Gluten-and-Toxins-in-Pet-Foods-Are-they-Poisoning-Your-Pets-By-Jefferson-Adams\/Page1.html<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/distinctivedog.com\/2010\/08\/gluten-and-your-dog\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Cross contamination<\/strong>
\nWhen deciding to put your dog on a gluten free diet, please consider the cross contamination issues that come into play with keeping gluten filled dog food in your home. It only takes a single breadcrumb to trigger an autoimmune reaction in a celiac patient.\u00a0 If you decide to keep your dog on a gluten diet consider wearing gloves, or washing your hands after feeding them.<\/p>\n

Food Recommendations<\/strong>
\nHere at the office all of our dogs have gone gluten free.\u00a0 We have tested several different \u201cgrain free\u201d dog foods, and unfortunately most of them do not test 100% free of gluten.\u00a0 The only food that has past the test is Natural Balance, LID.<\/em> This is a great dog food that can be bought at most pet supply stores.\u00a0 It has a limited amount of ingredients, and comes in several different varieties.\u00a0 Remember when switching your pet to a different food to always slowly switch them over because their stomachs cannot handle a rapid change in foods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five years ago when I began looking for a dog I knew I had found the right one when I found Chloe. \u00a0She was adorable, energetic, and best of all cross-eyed.\u00a0 Chloe seemed to be the perfect dog. However, I was unaware of the many vet trips we would take over the next few years. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n