Product Information For Vets
"PARS" or Presence of alimentary residues syndrome.
New clinical results obtained from studies of the presence of residues in food.
Author: Dr Sergio Canello

SUMMURY

From the residues present in meat of industrial origin, the author identifies the cause of a remarkable number of pathologies which may be found in cats and dogs.

KEY WORDS

Dog, cat, itch, dermatitis, eczema, outer ear, epiphora, vomit, diarrhoea, residues, syndrome caused by alimentary residues, R. factor ("residual factor"), food-stuffs coming from animals reared by intensive farming.

INTRODUCTION

In the last twenty years we have noticed a growth in the cutaneous and gastro enteric pathology in cats and dogs, the first characterized by strong itching and wounds caused by scratching, the second by frequent vomiting and diarrhoea not responding to any kind of therapy. A few years ago this phenomenon led us to pay particular attention to the anamnesis of the cases examined: so we rejected cures which treated symptoms only and we tried to identify the primary causes which give rise to the above-mentioned phenomena.
In a first phase this research allowed us to isolate certain foods as the main cause of these pathologies and more importantly, with a decreasing order of incidence, the meat of chicken, turkey, pork and beef, including all the packaged foods containing these substances. We understood very clearly that these foods act as simple vectors of an "unknown factor" which seems to be the real cause of these phenomena. The existence of this "unknown factor" perfectly explains the reason why the protein sources of aviary origin, universally accepted as hypo-allergenic and effective from a dietetic point of view, play a basic role in the pathologies examined.
Numerous experiments have shown the close relationship of such phenomena with food intolerance and with allergies provoked by flea bites.
Looking at the picture of alimentary intolerance as a whole, our evidence tends to refute the widely held theory that less than 10% of itching dermatitis and gastro enteric cases are caused by food intolerance.
Confirmation that the phenomena which we had noticed could have not been attributed to conventional alimentary intolerance was tested experimentally. Affected subjects were given fresh meat, identical to that which these animals had previously eaten. But this particular meat was different because it was taken from animals not reared by intensive farming methods and without any chemical or pharmacological treatment. We noticed an effective long-term disappearance of the above-named phenomena and this methodology allowed us to check the effective low incidence of the so-called alimentary intolerances. Further proof of this was obtained as follows: we provided the subjects showing the symptoms with deer meat for more than two years and we noticed a regression of the pathologies without observing phenomena associated with a progressive sensitivity to this nourishment.
These results allowed us to suppose that this "unknown factor" is composed of one or more substances not linked with the natural composition of the food. This problem, therefore, must be analysed in connection with the above related reactions due to the presence of pharmacologically active molecules in food.
At first, through a preliminary period of observation, and later, through an experimental period based on an elimination diet, the aim of our study was to check which relationship existed between the above-mentioned clinical symptoms and a diet based on fresh and/or packaged food coming from animals reared by industrial farming.

PRELIMINARY STUDY

On the ground of the clinical observations of a possible link between many forms of itching dermatitis, or gastro enteric phenomena and nutrition, we checked the alimentary patterns of more than 500 dogs afflicted with these illnesses during a period of five years, from 1976 to 1980 (table number 1).
In the subjects affected with itching, dermatitis and eczema we noticed the clear pre-eminence of feeding based, from a protein point of view, on the use of fresh and packaged meat of intensive farming, so we tested a diet which foresaw the total elimination of this type of meat.
This method resulted in a high percentage of a partial or total remission of the symptoms and also exhibited a contemporary regression of a lot of pathological cases illustrated below. Even if present at the beginning of the diet, these symptoms had not been connected to the clinical and gastro enteric table and to feeding.
The pathologies observed are the following:
- eczema affecting the outer ear, with or without the complication of purulent otitis;
- damp eczema like forms in the neck, in the back, in the croup and in the outer surface of the thigh;
- granulomas provoked by continuous licking affecting the tissues of the carpus and of the tarsus;
- dermatitis of the scrotum;
- conjunctivitis and/or keratose in one or both sides of the eye;
- recurrent episodes of vomiting;
- extended abdomen with paresis of the lower limbs;
- haemorrhagic gastro enteritis;
- chronic diarrhoea;
- abnormal intestinal fermentation and flatulence;
- periodic repletion of the anal sacs;
- convulsive episodes of variable frequency;
- interdigital pyoderma and pyoderma of the chin.
(The detailed description of the above-mentioned phenomena will be reported later in the study).

Table number 1
Consumption of fresh and/or packaged meat of industrial origin in 507 dogs suffering from itching dermatitis and/or gastroenteric troubles subjected to a preliminary cognitive inquiry:

(1) consumption of fresh meat, bones, pluck and giblets;
(2) consumption of packaged food-stuffs containing meat, bones, pluck and giblets at a variable rate;
(3) mixed consumption of packaged food-stuffs and fresh meat.

PLAN OF INTERVENTION

On the ground of the results obtained in the preliminary study in the period from 1980 to 1993 we analysed a total of 1312 dogs which, separately or variously associated, displayed the pathological situations previously described.
For each single dog we gathered information about its age, type of life, alimentary habits, presence of internal or external parasites and/or of other contemporary pathological cases. After excluding the most probable concomitant causes (dermatitis caused by flea-bites, mycosis, scabies, allergies caused by touch, atopic eczema, intestinal infestations, filariasis and other) through accurate blood-tests, a number of animals were subjected to an elimination diet.

Table number 2
Total sample of animals examined: 1312

* From a statistical point of view we deemed positive cases with no relapses during a period of 12 months.
** The totals turn out to be superior to the selected subjects because a lot of animals presented more than one symptom simultaneously .

TEST OF REINTRODUCTION

In 850 animals, in which we recorded the total disappearance of the symptoms, we re-introduced the various foods previously eliminated, one at a time and at intervals of 15 days, in order to get a plausible counter-check. At the same time we paid particular attention to food of meat origin and we always verified the times and ways of the eventual reappearance of the symptoms (table number 3).

The preliminary study, the diet based on privation and the tests of reintroduction of the previous food demonstrated a direct link between certain pathologies and the presence of meat of industrial origin in the treatment.
On the contrary the observation that a diet based on organic meat does not provoke the appearance of similar pathologies leads us to think that the cause of these phenomena must be ascribed to substances which are not connected with the natural composition of the meat.
From now on we will call these substances "R. factor" (residual factor).

Analytical description of the pathological cases tested
The pathological tables which we are going to describe show a steady tendency to get worse and they imply an always increasing number of subjects.
Until a few years ago the cutaneous and gastroenteric pathologies seemed to involve adult animals only and they had a slow evolution. Lately, on the contrary, we certify:

1) the expansion of the symptoms even among pups;

2) an increasingly shorter time between the ingestion of the cited harmful food-stuffs and the appearance of itch, dandruff, scurvey and of some wounds provoked by self-scratching and/or of vomit and diarrhoea;

3) the presence of such a procession of symptoms which we will call "syndrome caused by alimentary residues".

Table number 3

Syndrome caused by alimentary residues (P.A.R.S.)
We define syndrome caused by alimentary residues as the manifestation of symptoms which develop in an animal sensitive to the presence of pharmacologically active substances in the food it eats. These marks fundamentally involve the cutaneous apparatus and the gastroenteric one. The eye is very often, too affected.
The involvement of different organs only happens in less common situations which we will define afterwards.
The symptoms of the illness can appear separately or, eventually, combined in various combinations.
The syndrome affecting cats will be described in a following study, since this animal shows a completely different symptomatic state. In fact this condition is only partially superimposed on the one for dogs.

Description of the syndrome caused by alimentary residues in the dog
The syndrome caused by alimentary residues exhibits a prodromic phase, an acute phase and a chronic phase.

Prodromic phase in the dog
At first the animal afflicted with this illness presents a phase of "sensitivity" revealing phenomena restricted to a itch "sine materia", or without pus. This form of itch is placed in very definite and determined sides (the croup and both sides of the neck) and tends to reach the outer ear, the armpits and the abdomen. Just from the beginning we notice the frequent appearance of epiphora in one or both sides of the eye, cutaneous desquamation, scurf, dandruff and conjunctival congestion. The sensitivity can manifest itself in the pups in a very short time (even two or three days after the weaning it is quite usual to observe animals displaying a remarkable itch "sine materia", or without pus in the side of the neck). However subjects of different ages are struck and it is common to observe a lot of old animals which become sensitive suddenly.

Acute form in the dog
In the sensitive subjects we notice a very swift appearance of the symptoms and the latency time varies from a minimum of a few minutes to a maximum of twelve hours after the ingestion of the nutriment. Therefore this situation is analogous with extremely allergic phenomena.
After an average latency time of an hour from the ingestion of the nutriment animals can show:

- a fast appearance of a strong rush on the outer ears with itching;
- a quick manifestation of strong itching and irritation in the dorsal and lumbar side and the presence of simple itching in the side of the neck (*);
- a rapid appearance of a damp eczematous form, identical to the "hot spot" and usually limited and restricted to the neck, the back, the croup and to the outer surface of the thigh: this lesion, marked with very intense itching and with consequent wounds caused by self-scratching, was a characteristic of summer time, while, lately, we often notice this event in every season. In some races (poodle and cocker) this form develops in the side of the cheek, too;
- a sudden manifestion in only one side of the eye of a dangerous inflammatory state affecting the conjunctiva and also the cornea, with the formation of ulcers; the wounds provoked by self-scratching can lead to the laceration of the cornea with the following emptiness of the anterior
chamber (*);
- a speedy appearance of conjunctivitis and bilateral lachrymation: this form almost exclusively strikes the dogs of small size and the photophoby, which accompanies this conjunctivitis, represents the peculiar feature of this condition;
- a swift manifestation of a dangerous inflammatory state restricted to the skin of the scrotum: the wounds, which basically involve this covering and not the very close sides, show benign evolution;
- a strong pain is present and the dog tends to lick the part with an extreme precaution, exhibiting
evident difficulties when it lies down (*);
- an appearance of a pointed abdomen with paresis of the lower limbs, borborygmies and flatulences with benign evolution and with a quick recovery in 2 or 3 days at most. The animals involved display sudden weakness of the lower limbs probably due to colic phenomena: as a matter of fact the abdomen is intractable and painful;
- a sudden manifestation of recurrent episodes of vomit;
- a fast appearance of haemorrhagic gastroenteritis marked with presence of dull red blood, especially in the faeces, absent fever or of moderate entity (39° C - 39.5° C = 102.2 F - 103.1 F) and a good general state, without lack of energy in the sense-organ;
- a quick manifestation of convulsive episodes (*).

(*) In the cases marked with an asterisk the chronicity of the above-named phenomena is very
frequent.

The phenomena we delineated before, in the absence of further ingestions of food, continue for 4 or 5 days, while it is possible to see the persistence of this situation for 25/30 days in the most sensitive subjects.
The chronic form of the syndrome caused by alimentary residues is subdivided into two forms:
a) chronic form;
b) chronic evolutionary form.

Chronic disease in the dog
In the chronic form a lot of the symptoms we depicted in the acute form tend to persist in the long run without much variations of intensity.
As far as the cutaneous level is concerned we notice:

- strong opacity of the coat, with presence of dry and opaque hair (a);
- itching "sine materia", or without pus, in the side of the neck;
- itching "sine materia" in the volar side of the foot, especially in the anterior part (b);
- itching and the erythema in one or both sides of the outer ears (the pathology which afflicts the outer ear and the auricular canal is very remarkable: as a matter of fact the auricular canal shows inflammation, redness, thickening of the skin, seborrhoea, desquamation and strong itching. For this reason we analyse this illness more frequently, since this pathology, together with the itching in the side of the neck and of the croup, assumes the pathognomonic character of the syndrome caused by alimentary residues) (*);
- itching and the erythema in the axillary side;
- itching and the erythema in the ventral side with the appearance of papules and/or of pustules;
- itching and the erythema in the dorsal and lumbar side associated with desquamation, alopecias and wounds caused by prolonged scratching;
- animals' bad smelling and unhealthy skin;
- the interdigital pyoderma affecting also some cutaneous callosities with a possible extension to the side of the chin.
A lot of granulomas provoked by continuous licking must be ascribed to the same origin (6, 7, 8, 9, 14). These granulomas are also classified as "psychogenic dermatosis" (13) and they are commonly placed in the distal part of the anterior side of the paw and do not exhibit a tendency to a spontaneous recovery.
As far as the gastroenteric level is concerned we observe:
- numerous episodes of vomiting while the animal is fasting and an abnormal longing for grass (c);
- frequent episodes of diarrhoea, usually of pultaceous consistence;
- an abnormal tendency to intestinal fermentation and to flatulence;
- chronic diarrhoea without presence of fever.
As far as the ocular level is concerned we distinguish:
- almost uniform epiphora with moderate involvement of the conjunctiva; the lachrymation can become a real secretion encrusting the lower part of the inner angle of the eye (d).
As far as the glandular level is concerned we perceive:
- a periodic tendency to fill the anal sacs with excrement matter which is clearly thicker and more viscous than the norm. This is the cause of abscesses and of recurrent fistulas.
As far as the nervous system is concerned we remark:
- the appearance of epileptic attacks which can assume a variable frequency.
As far as dogs' behaviour is concerned we see:
- a depressed and tired attitude with scanty propensity towards socialization and play.
The intensity of the itching and of other symptoms with regularl aggravations througout the day, and their permanence in the long run, are obviously connected with the more or less frequent presence of the "R. Factor" in the food-stuffs and they are also related to meal times, since the latency time of the pathology is too short.

(a) In the subjects suffering from chronic syndrome caused by alimentary residues dog's hair, after washing, tends to keep bright for a very short time: on the contrary the wholesome animal recovers a soft and polished coat rapidly and without any treatment, even after the dog has got
abundantly spattered with mud.
(b) This localization is more frequent in the poodle and in the dwarf races.
(c) There is an always increasing number of subjects which daily look after grass to browse on: the phenomenon, right according to its frequency , is more often considered physiologic even by the experts of this sector. Therefore it does not seem useless to remind that a very healthy animal very seldom seeks grass and that this desire represents a lack of balance almost every time.
(d) Just like the longing for grass, the steady ocular secretion of a lot of subjects is often seen as an almost normal phenomenon: on the contrary its frequent disappearance through a change of the diet indicates how this fact, in comparison with the others we remembered before, does not
symbolize a physiologic event but a real "drain-pipe" of a living organism. Even in the canine brachycephalic races, in spite of evident anatomical and functional implications, the ocular secretion is extremely influenced by the diet.

Chronic evolutionary form in the dog
In the chronic evolutionary form we see some relevant effects.
As far as the cutaneous level is concerned we notice:
- progressive aggravation of the coat's state with dry, opaque and scurvy hair. Moreover we observe the extension of the wounds to the whole back, to the abdomen and to the paws with diffuse alopecias and an almost steady itching even if this is less intense than in the acute phase. We also
perceive the appearance of scabby damp eczemas, hyperkeratosic phenomena, lichenification, serious seborrhoea and pyoderma. The skin of the subject afflicted with the chronic evolutionary form exhales a typical bad smell. Sometimes the chronicity involving the skin only strikes the scrotum (dermatosis of the scrotum 6, 7, 8, 9): this part progressively becomes hyperkeratosic,lichenified and acquires a dull red colour; the pain we illustrated is very strong in the very first phases, so that the dog licks the part with an extreme precaution, exhibiting evident difficulties when it lies down,but eventually diminishes.
As far as the auricular level is concerned we notice:
- chronic otitis with hyperkeratosis of the outer ear and of the duct; in the most advanced phases the otitis becomes purulent and resistant to every therapy.
As far as the ocular level is concerned we see:
- chronic purulent conjunctivitis with possible concomitant blepharitis.
The various aspects of the syndrome are well known and have been accurately and separately described. Nevertheless a common aetiology has never been recognized.
Furthermore it is important to point out that we began to analyse the whole syndrome observing the growth of cutaneous phenomena induced by determined food-stuffs: a large number of the other symptomatic cases which we underlined before can be ascribed to the same origin through the observation of their systematic appearance in the period of diet we usually prescribe for the itching dermatites. We found some instancess of the syndrome caused by alimentary residues through other numerous tests in pathologies which did not present a strict connection with feeding (for instance some types of convulsive episodes).

Aetiopathogenesis

It has been proved that the P.A.R.S. Syndrome is unquestionably of alimentary origin, since an adequate change in the diet leads to a definitive disappearance of the symptomatology without the aid of any medicine.
As we pointed out in the introduction it was clear that the above-mentioned foods act as simple carriers of an "unknown factor" which is the primary cause of the P.A.R.S. syndrome.
Through some elementary observations and with a reasonable probability we identified this unknown factor in the presence of pharmacologically active substances in those foods derived from industrial farmed animals.
We noticed that the same foods, if extracted from subjects bred organically, do not provoke the P.A.R.S. syndrome in the animals which eat that food.
Further confirmation of this fact comes from the disappearance of the P.A.R.S. syndrome in dogs fed with venison. We used this meat in order to be sure that we had a completely natural product, devoid of chemical residues. The analogous positive result we are now obtaining with mutton must be ascribed not only to the recognized low degree of allergy to this meat, but to the absence of chemical residues in this species.The absence of residues in the ovine meat can be easily explained by the lack of economic interest in treating these species from a pharmacological point of view.
Since the P.A.R.S. syndrome appears in sensitive animals fed on products containing industrially farmed meat, we naturally wondered what was the element acting as a real "lowest common denominator". We can answer this question only through a great deal of strict tests. It appears that the auxinic and antibiotic families, are the only ones which are always present in almost all animal fodder. The substance, which directly or through its metabolites has the highest possibilities of being the cause of the phenomena we are treating, comes out to be oxytetracycline. In the last twenty years this antibiotic has been widely used, as an auxinic remedy in the prophylaxis and in the therapy of animal breeding, often not complying with the provisions of the law.
It is very probable that the level of " factor R" in meat is conditioned by when various pharmacological substances before slaughter. This would explain the varying different degrees of frequency and of seriousness are withdrawn in the P.A.R.S. syndrome which are completely different from country to country, and from district to district. Furthermore it is necessary to keep in mind that animal skeletons are more and more used to produce bonemeal, thus provoking a continuous growth of "factor R".
It is probable that the P.A.R.S. syndrome develops, even though insignificant amounts of "factor R" are present in the animal. In our opinion these are the foods which can contain the "lfactor R".
- all food which contains tissues from such animals.

Table number 4
Presence of the "factor R" in the tissues of animals bred in a farm

Presence of the "R factor" in various foods
Our research allowed us to draw up a table relating the level of residues in different tissues based in actual reactions.
It has been clinically proved that adipose and bone tissue act as deposits of "factor R". The direct consequence of this is that the foods containing a higher amount of these tissues turn out to be the ones provoking the syndrome more frequently and violently.
The tissues which show a lower concentration of "factor R" are the internal organs (lungs and spleen, especially).(table 5)
The appearance of the syndrome in animals not fed with meat or its derivatives could be explained by the frequent use of bonemeal flour or animal fats, such as butter and lard present in commercial food. Fats are added to ingredients which way not appeal to small animals in order to make the product more appetising.
However it is possible that other subtances and other metabolites are responsible for the appearance of the syndrome caused by alimentary residues at the same time.

Presence of "factor R" in different tissues
We illustrate the presence of residues in various tissues in table number 5.

Table number 5
Presence of the "factor R" in various foods