Puppyhood diet as a factor in the development of owner‐reported allergy/atopy skin signs in adult dogs in Finland

BACKGROUND: The increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in dogs necessitates research in its disease etiology. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between puppyhood dietary exposures and prevalence of owner‐reported allergy/atopy skin signs (AASS) after the age of 1 year. ANIMALS: Four thousand and twenty‐two dogs were eligible, 1158 cases, and 2864 controls. METHODS: This cross‐sectional hypothesis‐driven observational study was extracted from the DogRisk food frequency questionnaire. Forty‐six food items and the ratio of 4 major diet types were tested for their association with AASS incidence later in life. Potential puppyhood dietary risk factors for AASS incidence were specified using binary multivariable logistic regression. The model was adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: Eating raw tripe (odds ratio, 95% confidence intervals OR, 95% CI = 0.36, 0.16‐0.79; P = .01), raw organ meats (OR, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.08‐0.67; P = .007), human meal leftovers, and fish oil supplements as well as eating more that 20% of the diet as raw and/or <80% of the diet as dry, in general, were associated with significantly lower AASS incidence in adulthood. In contrast, dogs fed fruits (OR, 95% CI = 2.01, 1.31‐3.07; P = .001), mixed‐oil supplements, dried animal parts, and dogs that drank from puddles showed significantly higher AASS incidence in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Puppyhood exposure to raw animal‐based foods might have a protective influence on AASS incidence in adulthood, while puppyhood exposure to mixed oils, heat processed foods and sugary fruits might be a potential risk factor of AASS incidence later. The study suggests a causal relationship but does not prove it.