# Processed Chicken (kibble) vs PMR Chicken (raw)



## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Ok a few, me and another person were discussing allergies.

Why is it that dogs are allergic to processed chicken in kibble but not PMR chicken (raw).

I would really like to know. I know there are other factors in kibble but I remember a dog trainer had said 69 percent of all dogs are allergic to chicken.

I wasn't sure if he was referring to chicken PMR or chicken in kibble.

Can others chime in and explain or express their opinions or knowledge on this topic.

Thanks:smile:


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

^^^Great question I never thought of this.


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## Paws&Tails (Sep 3, 2010)

I've been told it's because cooking changes the structure of the protein. 

Spike is allergic to it cooked, but he hasn't shown any signs of being allergic to it raw yet.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Oooh so its cooked then that causes the allergy or?


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## Paws&Tails (Sep 3, 2010)

Rye&Ted said:


> Oooh so its cooked then that causes the allergy or?


Cooked that causes allergies. That's not to say that dogs aren't or can't be allergic to it raw, though.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Protein allergies are also very misleading. In the food allergy testing that is done on dogs, they test for cooked proteins. Cooking proteins denature them so that the body sees the cooked proteins as an allergen (because of the changed shape which elicits an immune response) but their raw counterpart is not. So if your dog tests positive for an allergy to chicken, keep in mind that is *cooked* chicken, not raw. This makes sense because biologically dogs are not supposed to eat cooked foods.

Dogs can potentially be allergic to raw chicken but I have yet to meet one. I can't tell you how many confirmed "positive" cases to a "chicken" allergy I have come across and seen them turn completely around on raw chicken.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Wow...I'm starting to understand now..

How important the PMR is.


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I posted this on another thread about allergies.
I also think the long list of ingredients found in kibble which are not "normally" included in the allergy tests play a huge factor.
I mean when first looking into the possibility of getting Khan tested, I told the vet we believed he was allergic to Flax/Flaxseed. (We did an elimination of the ingredient to come to that conclusion.) Anyway, he told me that since that falls into an Omega category and the test does not include those, testing would be a waste. The structures, combination of ingredients, etc. are all going to change how the body reacts. Take how sugars/glucose reacts within a diabetic.
It's probably safe to say the more natural state the ingredient is in, the least amount of resistance the body will have of "rejecting" it with an immune response.


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

This is a very interesting point. One of the best ways I can think to describe it is in gluten intolerance to humans. Gluten is an unnatural protein which is formed in the cooking of wheat. This means that a true gluten intolerant person could eat the wheat flour raw!! Obviously raw flour is not great for any human so it is not advisable. 

However, this is one of the reasons why (i believe) so many dogs are allergic to the commercial dog food! and also why the brands go to such lengths to tell us it is gluten free. 

The same is likely to be the case with all cooked food allergies. The more natural something is the less harmful it is I reckon


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Paws&Tails said:


> I've been told it's because cooking changes the structure of the protein.
> 
> Spike is allergic to it cooked, but he hasn't shown any signs of being allergic to it raw yet.


This is exactly right.


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## xxshaelxx (Mar 8, 2010)

danemama08 said:


> This makes sense because biologically dogs are not supposed to eat cooked foods.


Oh, no, Danemama, that isn't right, didn't you know?! I mean, I watch the wild dogs out here, all the time, start their own camp fires and cook their meals over it, laughing about Spike's near death experience when he almost drove the car into a human! :biggrin:


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## k9capture_16 (Aug 23, 2010)

Lincoln has many allergies. Lincoln is allergic to chicken...only the stuff found in dog food. To prove this to my vet (because he didnt believe me and I wasnt paying $700 for an allergy test), I fed him a diet of cooked chicken and white rice for 2 weeks. Not and ideal diet and not very healthy. He didnt improve at all. Not ONE bit. I switched him to raw chicken for 3 weeks and he improved massively. My vet argued that he isnt allergic to chicken because he would react to cooked vs raw the same. Granted it takes longer than 2 weeks to really see results but there wasnt a way I was keeping him on that bland diet for longer, had he of been fine with cooked chicken he would of improved a bit. But he got worse.

Now, when switched to a non chicken based food, he still reacted. People blame corn, gluten, wheat etc etc on allergies commonly enough but I suspected mine is allergic to the preservatives. Even on the best dog foods, he still reacted. Chicken based or not. So he only gets raw chicken and the ODD dehydrated chicken treat. I gave up on finding out his allergies, I suspect what it is. My vet wanted me to try Science Diet and I switched him to raw. I also heard allergy tests arent accurate.

Now, my Aunt has a white dog. Its a Bichon. The vet says because hes got pink skin (like most white dogs do) hes got massive allergies. He always itches his paws. Hes on high dose long term prednisone (the rest of his life) for a breeder defect in his eye (its too small or too much white for showing or something like that) and she has not found a food for him yet. I told her hes probably allergic to the preservatives in the food and she said it was impossible because thats what the vet told her. Lincoln was worse than this guy for allergies...

I never got Hydrolilozed (sp?). How natural is that to break down the food to minute parts the dogs immune system cant even recognize it? Not natural at all...


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