Urban living may be driving more dog allergies

City environments may increase the risk of allergies in dogs by limiting their exposure to the microbes found in nature, a researcher told Yle. For Emmi Lassila’s four-year-old Australian cattle dog, Mette, severe food allergies as a puppy meant it took nearly two years to find a suitable diet.

Mette developed severe rashes, yeast in her ears and such intense itching that her armpits were scratched raw. Lassila said identifying the triggers required repeated elimination diets, in which Mette was given only one food at a time.

Chicken, eggs, rice and oats were suitable, but potatoes, peas and corn caused reactions. Lassila said the potato allergy was particularly difficult because potatoes are commonly used in dog foods intended for animals with grain allergies. Mette now eats chicken-and-rice kibble in the morning and raw food containing chicken and turkey in the evening.

Jenni Lehtimäki, a lead researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute, said urban dogs may not receive the same kind or amount of microbial exposure as animals living amid greater natural diversity. Without that exposure, the balance of the immune system may be disrupted, she said.

Lehtimäki said dogs’ overall wellbeing could also matter. Research in humans suggests that natural environments can reduce stress responses, while studies of other mammals have found that social contact can affect their microbes. She said she was not aware of comparable research on dogs sharing microbes with one another.

Magnus Pettersson, chief executive of Snellman Petfoods, said the company has received more feedback about pet allergies and sensitivities in recent years. He pointed to changes in feeding habits and said some symptoms interpreted as allergies could have other causes, including effects of processed grains and highly processed dry food on the gut. Finding suitable food for an allergic dog can be difficult and expensive.