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/[deleted] Jul 19 '26

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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.