Do Food Intolerances Cause Inflammation in Your Pet?

Intolerances are one of the hottest topics here at My Pet Nutritionist! We see a huge number of itchy dogs, many with intolerances and general inflammation. Inflammation can cause many more health problem in both us and our pets, but what causes it? It can be very tricky to work out the underlying cause of inflammation, so reviewing the diet may be a great first step! In this blog post, we look at the difference between allergies and intolerances, and their link to inflammation in the body.

Intolerance vs Allergy

The terms ‘intolerance’ and ‘allergy’ are not interchangeable – something many pet owners don’t realise! While both conditions have similar symptoms, the clinical mechanism of disease is very different! One is curable, the other is not. Let’s take a look at each in turn.

Intolerances are a histamine response to a stimulus caused by poor gut health. Intolerances can be helped or even cured through the use of gut health supplements such as our popular supplement Gut Guardian. When the gut integrity is compromised, food particles leak from the gut and into the bloodstream where they are detected and recognised as foreign bodies. When the body recognises a foreign body it will either release a specific antibody (in the presence of a chemical compound called histamine which helps the immune system fight infection, and causes the typical reaction symptoms you see in those with an allergy or intolerance. Healing the gut goes a long way in the reduction of intolerances, and often in the cure!



Allergies are not curable. These are caused by a malfunction of the immune system; whereby the allergen causes severe reactions. True allergic reactions range from skin rashes and digestive issues to anaphylactic shock. Allergies can cause death, whereas intolerances cannot. Once an allergen is discovered, it is important not to feed this as part of the pet’s diet.

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What is Inflammation?

In order to understand the link between intolerances and inflammation, it is important to know exactly what inflammation in the body really is, and where it can happen.

Inflammation is part of the body’s immune response. It can happen following trauma, during infection, due to an autoimmune condition whereby the immune system attacks the itself, due to exposure to toxins and hazardous substances like flea treatments, and also in the presence of a foreign body, be it food particles leaking from an unstable gut wall, or a physical object inside the pet. Outwardly, it is characterised by swelling, redness, heat, pain when touched, and even loss of use of the body part it is present on. When inflammation occurs outwardly, it is easy for us to see it, and help the pet, however when it is internal inflammation, it’s not visible to the naked eye which makes it far trickier to deal with!

In the presence of a trigger for inflammation, specialised molecules are released by the immune system, which causes an increase in blood flow to the affected area, which causes the blood vessels to leak. This increased blood flow teamed with the leaky blood vessels is the transport system for immune cells to reach the area in an attempt to fix the problem. In pets with intolerances, we often deal with internal chronic inflammation which is more long term, and this constant rush of immune cells to these areas can cause deterioration in previously healthy tissues.

Inflammation in the body is not a good thing – it’s something we want to aim to reduce or keep at bay entirely. Inflammation can cause major pain, gastrointestinal, digestive  and heart issues, and can also reduce the mental health of the pet, as well as cognitive capabilities.

Many pet owners mistakenly assume inflammation is always visible, and can only happen on the outside of the body. Internally, inflammation can occur throughout the body! From brain to gut, inflammation can happen. When it comes to food intolerances, the direct link with inflammation is via the gut, however this then impacts other parts of the body, which we will discuss next!

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The Link Between Intolerances and Inflammation

So, is there a link between intolerances and inflammation? The short answer is ‘yes’! Let’s take a deeper dive into this link.

As we have previously mentioned, symptoms often associated with inflammation can vary massively both internally and externally. In terms of inflammation, the outward signs of inflammation are:

• Itching
• Skin redness
• Hair loss
• Chronic ear infections (these are caused by intense swelling in the inner ear)
• Visible swelling
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea

Food intolerances can be traumatic for the body, which means inflammation occurs throughout the body, starting from the gut. Due to the series of gut axes (including the gut-brain axis, the gut-joint axis and the gut-skin axis), inflammation in the gut, indirectly causes inflammation in these other parts of the body, so a pet with intolerances can truly have their whole body affected!

When the body detects what it thinks are ‘foreign bodies’ in the form of leaked food particles, the immune system send lots of histamines to the area, which means their transport system (blood) rushes to the affected area quickly, causing the inflammation. The knock on effect of this inflammation in the gut is seen as trauma in other body parts, and so the immune system rushes more blood to these areas too, which again creates inflammation.

The initial inflammation, or direct inflammation, caused by food intolerances is called mucosal inflammation, which is inflammation of the mucosal lining of the digestive tract.

Findings Here
Findings Here

How Can We Reduce Inflammation Caused By Food Intolerances?

There are a number of things we can do to help reduce inflammation due to food intolerances, but ultimately helping the root cause will be the most beneficial pathway. You will find a link to our consultations at the end of this blog post; booking one of these would be incredibly beneficial for you and your pet if they suffer with intolerances you can’t get control of.

Some things you may wish to consider include:

• Feed fresh foods, whether raw or lightly cooked. Dry foods are very drying on the gut, and often contain ingredients which can hinder gut health.
• Run an elimination diet with our guidance. This will entail feeding only one single protein for a minimum of 6 weeks to see if there’s a reaction to this food, or give the gut a rest if this protein is a ‘safe’ protein for your pet!
• Work on the gut using our fantastic gut health supplement Gut Guardian, which is a perfect combination of mucilage herbs to heal the gut, and probiotics to help it flourish!
• Increase omega 3 in your pet’s diet! Omega 3 Fatty Acids are essential nutrients which have fantastic anti-inflammatory properties. To help balance out inflammation in the body, omega 3 needs to far outweigh omega 6 consumption, which is already naturally high in the meat based meals our carnivores eat.
• Feed antioxidant rich foods Foods like blueberries and leafy greens are high in anti-oxidants which help to destroy free radicals (unstable oxygen atoms in the body, which cause inflammation).
• Reduce vaccine usage by opting for a titre test instead. Leading immunologists have proven time and time again that immunity lasts a lifetime, so unless your pet has any immune system dampening medications, its unlikely they’d need more vaccines. The adjuvants in these vaccines are not very gut friendly, which leaves your pet more vulnerable to intolerances.
• Stop using chemical pest control products on or in your pet! Oral pest control products are extremely harsh on the gut, and those applied onto the pet’s skin affect gut integrity via the gut-skin axis. We want to heal the gut in order to reduce inflammation, instead of maim it further through the use of these often unnecessary medications.
• Revise any home cleaning products being used including home fragrance, surface cleansing and laundry products. Try to opt for a more natural option so as not to affect the gut through the gut-skin axis.

Findings Here
Findings Here

Keeping on top of your pet’s intolerances is ever so important in the fight against inflammation in the body; if you feel you would benefit from 1-2-1 help with this, or any other diagnosed health problem in your pet, please don’t hesitate to book a session with Katie!



Team MPN x