17/11/2021
Megan Hopley
Can vaccinations cause food allergies in your dog?
Food allergies appear to be on the increase and more dogs seem to be displaying allergy type symptoms after being vaccinated; itching, scratching (especially after eating certain foods), recurrent ear infections, hot spots and hair loss.
Food allergies are an over response of the immune system to a food protein. Nearly all food your dog eats contains protein and these proteins can all trigger food allergies. The most common
proteins that cause allergy symptoms in dogs are beef, dairy and chicken and some plant based proteins like corn or wheat can also be culprits.
Most vets treat food allergies with elimination diets or immune suppressing drugs. If you’ve ever had a dog with allergies, you know that they are notoriously difficult to treat!
How food allergies happen
Protein is digested in your dogs stomach where the acids and enzymes break complex proteins into smaller pieces. The partially digested food then moves into the intestines where the proteins are broken down again into amino acids. The amino acids are then absorbed by the body, where they pass through special cells called enterocytes and it is these enterocytes that can reject any amino acids they see as a threat or foreign invader. Rejection comes in the form of a histamine response from your dogs immune system accompanied with inflammation.
Can vaccinations cause food allergies?
Vaccines are often cultured using a type of food protein. Most viruses need to be first grown and harvested to make a vaccine and this process begins with a small amount of the virus, which needs to be grown in cells. Various types of cells can be used, including chicken embryos, calf serum, or other cell lines that reproduce quickly and repeatedly. Vaccines can also contain
gelatine which is derived from collagen, normally from cows or pigs. Once the antigen is grown, vaccine manufacturers try to isolate it from the cells but proteins and other food particles can still be present in the vaccine.
When these proteins are directly injected into your dogs bloodstream through vaccination they can cause a hypersensitivity reaction against whatever protein was used to make the vaccine. So then after vaccination when your dog eats the same protein as food, an allergy type reaction occurs as your dogs immune system will release histamine and inflammation occurs.
The reason that the proteins chicken, beef and pork should not be fed to dogs with food allergies can now be easily understood; chicken embryos, calf serum & gelatine from cows or pigs are used in the process of making vaccines.
If your dog develops a food allergy after vaccination then their immune system needs to be strengthened to support its effective functioning. As dogs house 70% of their immune system in the gut, a pre & probiotic blend would be beneficial. We would suggest Proflax Tummy Tastic plus Immunity & Vitality for optimal support.
