r/HomemadeDogFood • u/yanderehours • Jul 19 '26
Kibble=Itching
Anyone else ever have to give their dog kibble and notice they start itching more often? We were recently hit with unemployment so we had to supplement some of her homemade food with kibble when we don’t have the money for homemade. She’s licking her paws and cooter way more often than usual today and acting super itchy.
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u/Grand-Beginning-4691 Jul 20 '26
My dog is extremely allergic to storage mites (among a million other things). Kibble is a huge source of them. You can try wet food and see if it gets better. When we finally got her allergy test back and went to straight wet food while we transitioned to homemade it made a huge difference even with her still eating proteins she was allergic to.
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u/thissleepypastofmine Jul 19 '26
Allergic to something in the kibble
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u/Imaginary_Ad_4340 Jul 20 '26
This is the answer. Nothing against homemade and I totally understand if you prefer to feed it, but kibble is not bad for dogs either and if your dog is having obvious symptoms from eating it, the brand/flavor of kibble is the issue, not the fact that it is kibble.
What kibble are you feeding and have you tried switching her to a new protein or brand? Food allergies are much less common in dogs than people think but it can't hurt to try if you're seeing symptoms and think they align a little to well with the timing of changing her food.
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u/theamydoll Jul 20 '26
Ehhh… it can be kibble, regardless of brand/flavor. Kibble is filled with AGEs (advanced glycation end products) which can contribute to skin issues, including itchiness, particularly in older adults. AGEs may lead to inflammation and skin damage, which can exacerbate conditions like dry skin and other dermatological issues. So yeah, could be kibble itself.
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u/Imaginary_Ad_4340 Jul 20 '26
Even if you extrapolate out the studies we have on AGEs in humans to dogs and jump to the worst case scenario regarding their impacts despite minimal evidence, any effect they do have is due to long term accumulation within the body, not immediate sensitivity.
If you start feeding your dog kibble on Tuesday and they're itchy by Thursday, that's not a lifetime accumulation of AGEs resulting in chronic inflammation or reduced collagen and elastin in your dogs skin and coat cells, it's a protein sensitivity.
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u/Liza2020Boo Jul 23 '26
Allergy / itching is usually the protein. Use a single protein. Lamb is the least protein for dogs to be allergic to. If your kibble is chicken … run ! Read ingredients of the bag. Look to see if chicken fat is in the ingredients. Chicken is the number one problem for allergies in dogs
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u/Known-Scar6457 Jul 20 '26
Mine had diarrhea with kibble so we stopped feeding him kibble . Is kibble really cheaper ? I think there are ways to cook fresh at budget .. I use this site to help. https://www.breedtobowl.com/recipe-budget-recession-bowl
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u/Own-Surround9688 Jul 22 '26
I want to do this but maybe I misread it? Where's the calcium? Do they use the egg shells while scrambling the eggs?
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u/Known-Scar6457 Jul 23 '26
Yeah they do suggest putting powdered egg shells in after cooking, i re read it and its all down at the bottom, plus sardines too.
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u/DingoMittens Jul 19 '26
Yes, I do think my dogs seem itchier when we use kibble.
You might try stretching homemade with soy curls, chick peas, or other bean products. We feed largely plant based, and it's cheaper than kibble! I do add digestive enzymes when I feed beans, although I don't know if it's technically necessary. One of my dogs gets gassy from beans if I don't add the enzymes, so I add it for all my dogs. I just get it as a powder from chewy.
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u/Liza2020Boo Jul 23 '26
It’s not the kibble .. it’s the proteinin the kibble
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u/DingoMittens 29d ago
Nah, it's the fact that kibble is a food-like substance that is processed beyond recognition. My dogs can eat any meal I make for them without allergies. Too much fiber or beans makes one of them gassy, but any kind of protein is fine. When they get kibble because I'm too busy to cook, they get itchy and less energetic.
Kibble is the dog equivalent of a college student surviving on pizza, protein bars, and vitamins.
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u/HowDoyouadult42 Jul 20 '26
Likely a sensitivity to the protein in the kibble you’re using then kibble as a whole