Allergies are one of the most commonly diagnosed health issues in dogs. Conventional medicine only looks at the dog’s symptoms. Researchers are studying something called the microbiome and finding out why most conventional allergy treatments fail.     

Good Health Starts in The Gut     

The microbiome is a colony of bacteria that live throughout your dog’s body and plays a key role in your dog’s immune system function. Most allergy drugs, diets, and treatments will not work in the long run – they all harm the delicate balance in his microbiome, which makes him more likely to suffer from allergies and other autoimmune diseases.     

The Key Functions of Microbiome     

The bacteria in your dog’s microbiome help manufacture important nutrients, help with the absorption of nutrients, regulate the immune system, and strengthen the gut lining.     

6 Causes of Microbiome Damage:     

  1. Antibiotics - The problem with antibiotics is that they indiscriminately kill both harmful and friendly bacteria.
  2. NSAIDS, Drugs, and Chemicals inhibit the growth of friendly bacteria.
  3. Steroids suppress the immune system and can lead to a proliferation of harmful bacteria.
  4. Vaccines disrupt the immune system and inhibit the growth of friendly bacteria.
  5. Stress will make him more susceptible to an imbalanced microbiome.
  6. Diet - Dogs eating processed diets or diets high in carbohydrates (and any kibble on the market will be high in carbohydrates) will have unbalanced gut flora. Carbohydrates, feed harmful bacteria. Grains and carbohydrates will also cause an overgrowth of fungus and yeast. 

Leaky Gut: A New Epidemic     

When the bacteria in the microbe become unbalanced, the result is called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis can create or worsen allergies through something called leaky gut. Leaky gut is just what it sounds like – holes can develop in your dog’s gut lining, allowing the intestinal contents to “leak” into the bloodstream.     

The lining of the gut becomes irritated and inflamed when dysbiosis occurs. This inflammation causes the cells lining the intestines to separate. When this happens, bacteria, fungus, and undigested food start to leak into the bloodstream. Undigested proteins are not supposed to be in the bloodstream. When they do enter it, the immune system ramps up and attacks and neutralizes them and can cause the body to create antibodies against itself, which is the cause of autoimmunity and allergies.  


Leaky gut does not just cause allergies, it is the root cause of a myriad of common health issues including joint pain, thyroid disease, heart disease, nervous system and eye disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, collapsing trachea and laryngeal paralysis, liver, gallbladder, and pancreatic disorders, behavioral issues (your dog’s gut and brain communicate via the endocrine system), and cancer. Leaky gut is one of the most significant and preventable diseases in dogs.      

Getting to the Root Cause     

It never a good idea to feed your dog prescription allergy diets because they’re loaded with carbohydrates and preservatives, which will only harm the microbiome and worsen the leaky gut. If you really want to rid your dog of his allergies for good, stop treating his skin and immune system – and start treating his gut!     

10 Steps to Help Prevent and Repair Leaky Gut:     

  1. Stop the drugs and medications: Find a good holistic or homeopathic vet who can get your dog off the toxic flea meds and drugs.
  2. Never give an unnecessary vaccine: 
  3. Reduce your dog’s stress: If he is home alone, get him a companion or take him to daycare.
  4. Stop feeding kibble: Kibbles require at least 30% carbohydrate which fuel harmful bacteria.
  5. Stop feeding processed foods: Processed foods contain preservatives, genetically modified ingredients (such as alfalfa, soy, corn, and canola oil) and colors that harm the microbiome.
  6. Feed your dog organic foods: Organic vegetables will be free of harmful pesticides and organic meats will be free of antibiotics.
  7. Give your dog’s probiotics to help recolonize the friendly bacteria. These can come from foods such as kefir and fermented foods, and from store-bought probiotics.
  8. Give your dog prebiotics to feed probiotics.
  9. Give you dog digestive enzymes to help break food down so its nutrients are absorbed. Leaky gut causes these enzymes to stop working so they need to be added back into the diet. Grains and legumes also inhibit digestive enzymes so remove those from your dog’s diet (and stop feeding kibble because the enzymes in the food have all been killed during the processing, making your dog enzyme deficient).

 So, if you are frustrated with your dog’s allergy treatments, start treating his gut instead. As long as those undigested proteins and harmful bacteria leak through your dog’s gut, his immune system will be kicked into overdrive and his allergy symptoms will remain.     

Those allergy drugs, anti-itch creams and fancy allergy kibble do nothing but kick the beehive – so treat your dog’s leaky gut today and fix his allergies at the source.