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- Jun 11, 2014
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Hi all!! I've been a long time reader but have never started a thread, so here goes!
I've been researching health topics since I recently made the switch to a Paleo lifestyle and noticed some interesting (possible) parallels for feline nutrition. While I understand feline digestion is probably slightly different from human (rates, pH, etc.) the information I found made me curious about food allergies. I am trying to rotate in a variety of proteins for my kittens who started raw at 7 months old, but do worry about constant exposure to certain proteins. I remember seeing information (can't remember the source!) about how allergies/sensitivities in cats are more common when feeding standard food, but not raw. Could this be due to glutens and/or fillers causing inflammation in the gut?
This is the Paleo info on leaky gut I found:
"A “leaky gut” occurs when either the enterocytes are damaged or the proteins that form the tight bond between these cells and hold them together as a solid layer are damaged (or altered). When this happens, it creates microscopic holes through which some of the contents of the gut can leak out into the blood stream or lymphatic system. What leaks out isn’t big chunks of food. Instead, it’s a combination of many different pathogens: incompletely digested proteins, bacteria or bacterial fragments from those friendly bacteria that are supposed to stay inside your gut, or a variety of toxic substances or waste products that would normally be excreted. When these pathogens leak out, the resident immune cells of the gut recognize them as foreign invaders and mount a response against them (when large quantities of pathogens leak out, other parts of the body, especially the liver, also contribute to the response). Exactly what leaks out, and how much, determines the precise nature of this immune response.
Other substances (like incompletely digested proteins) cause specific inflammation, which can take the form of an allergy or an auto-immune disease. An allergy is caused by immune cells creating IgE-type antibodies targeting a part of a protein that is specific to the food it originated from (like an antibody targeting the casein in milk resulting in a milk allergy). A very similar type of immune response is caused by immune cells creating IgA-, IgM- or IgG-type antibodies targeting a part of a protein that is specific to the food it originated from. This type of immune response is technically considered a food sensitivity (and not an allergy), and can cause both allergy-type symptoms and symptoms that you might not normally attribute to an allergy, such as: pain, fatigue, and eczema. It is also the formation of these types of antibodies that can cause auto-immune diseases. Antibodies target only a short sequence of amino acids, and not all of the amino acids that form an individual protein. In the case of food allergies and sensitivities, this short sequence of amino acids is still specific to the food it originated from. But, sometimes the antibodies that form in response to “leaked-out” proteins target a sequence of amino acids that isn’t unique to that protein, but instead is a sequence of amino acids also found in many other normal proteins in the human body. When this happens, the body attacks itself thinking its own cells are foreign invaders."
[Source: http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/03/what-is-leaky-gut-and-how-can-it-cause.html]
So my question is: has anyone noticed allergies or sensitivities to certain proteins after starting raw? How soon into it, how old were your cats, and what was their previous diet like?
I've been researching health topics since I recently made the switch to a Paleo lifestyle and noticed some interesting (possible) parallels for feline nutrition. While I understand feline digestion is probably slightly different from human (rates, pH, etc.) the information I found made me curious about food allergies. I am trying to rotate in a variety of proteins for my kittens who started raw at 7 months old, but do worry about constant exposure to certain proteins. I remember seeing information (can't remember the source!) about how allergies/sensitivities in cats are more common when feeding standard food, but not raw. Could this be due to glutens and/or fillers causing inflammation in the gut?
This is the Paleo info on leaky gut I found:
"A “leaky gut” occurs when either the enterocytes are damaged or the proteins that form the tight bond between these cells and hold them together as a solid layer are damaged (or altered). When this happens, it creates microscopic holes through which some of the contents of the gut can leak out into the blood stream or lymphatic system. What leaks out isn’t big chunks of food. Instead, it’s a combination of many different pathogens: incompletely digested proteins, bacteria or bacterial fragments from those friendly bacteria that are supposed to stay inside your gut, or a variety of toxic substances or waste products that would normally be excreted. When these pathogens leak out, the resident immune cells of the gut recognize them as foreign invaders and mount a response against them (when large quantities of pathogens leak out, other parts of the body, especially the liver, also contribute to the response). Exactly what leaks out, and how much, determines the precise nature of this immune response.
Other substances (like incompletely digested proteins) cause specific inflammation, which can take the form of an allergy or an auto-immune disease. An allergy is caused by immune cells creating IgE-type antibodies targeting a part of a protein that is specific to the food it originated from (like an antibody targeting the casein in milk resulting in a milk allergy). A very similar type of immune response is caused by immune cells creating IgA-, IgM- or IgG-type antibodies targeting a part of a protein that is specific to the food it originated from. This type of immune response is technically considered a food sensitivity (and not an allergy), and can cause both allergy-type symptoms and symptoms that you might not normally attribute to an allergy, such as: pain, fatigue, and eczema. It is also the formation of these types of antibodies that can cause auto-immune diseases. Antibodies target only a short sequence of amino acids, and not all of the amino acids that form an individual protein. In the case of food allergies and sensitivities, this short sequence of amino acids is still specific to the food it originated from. But, sometimes the antibodies that form in response to “leaked-out” proteins target a sequence of amino acids that isn’t unique to that protein, but instead is a sequence of amino acids also found in many other normal proteins in the human body. When this happens, the body attacks itself thinking its own cells are foreign invaders."
[Source: http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/03/what-is-leaky-gut-and-how-can-it-cause.html]
So my question is: has anyone noticed allergies or sensitivities to certain proteins after starting raw? How soon into it, how old were your cats, and what was their previous diet like?