Horse Allergy and Gelatin?

Updated on November 28, 2017
V.B. asks from Pembina, ND
11 answers

My 8 yr old dd has had near daily stomach pain for 3 yrs. We are seeing a gastroenterologist for her stomach and allergist for other skin issues. None of which are resolved. The allergist does not think her stomach aches are related to any allergies and she has not tested her for any food allergies. My dd was tested for environmental allergies though and is allergic to horses. She has had 2 particularly bad stomach aches recently; one after a smore and the other which was last night after jello. (We generally eat very healthy with only occasional junk food) They both contain gelatin!! I read it is possible that gelatin could be made with horse. Would someone allergic to horses be allergic to their gelatin as well?! I'm excited this is the first link we have found.

**No it definitely is meant to say 3 years. I realize there are not a ton of details above but give me the benefit of the doubt :) I def don't feel like "I have failed Mommy school". She has been to many doctors including going to a psychologist as we originally thought it may be anxiety related and yes she does suffer from anxiety and other behavioral issues. I completed coaching for confidence pilot program which is for parents with children with anxiety. We did not do an elimination diet however we have taken her to a Naturopath to do IgG food testing and that came up with several food she was reacting to that have been eliminated (gluten, dairy, eggs, potatoes, oranges, buckwheat and peas). I have a food diary and this is the first real link I have found. Lately her stomach hurts every day but not usually very severely and it has been on and off so for example there can be sometimes a couple weeks that she doesn't have stomach aches at all. It's at her bellybutton and the area above it always. She is not constipated.
The allergist says food allergies would not present that way. She has been very thorough though and is looking into white blood cell problems because they have been a little low for 3 blood draws and I had no reason not to trust her. I live in Canada (it was not working to put postal code so I had to put my nearest US city) and I can't just get another allergist. My family doctor wouldn't even refer me to one so I had to go through a walk in to get referred to one. Change family doctors? Yeah good luck. We have waiting lists of over 2 yrs. She's been tested for Celiac disease and parasites and has neither. No vomiting, no nausea, no diarrhea. They don't know what it is and apparently some kids have functional abdominal pain or something like that. Could be IBS I've heard. Some kids migraines present as stomach pain. I don't like those answers though, I believe there is a cause so yes I am grasping at straws and jumping to probably ridiculous conclusions like this one but hey what else can I do?

***Thanks everyone for the ideas and advice :) I am feeling especially overwhelmed today with her health. After her fairly bad stomach ache Saturday night after the jello, the next morning she woke up with what I thought was croup maybe, she had the barky cough. Her temp went up to 103.8 during the day. Woke up next morning with a bit of a sore throat. Got it swabbed (after 4 hours trying to convince her as she absolutely terrified of throat swabs and needles but that's a whole other issue) and sure enough she has STREP. So that stomach ache was due to strep maybe? It presented the same as usual but was worse. Same spot, same thing after eating. Between strep throat and impetigo she has had Strep about 15 times and she is not a carrier. Last time she has it she got scarlet fever :( She's on antibiotics now AGAIN and it's going to mess with her gut bacteria and she's going to get sick easier and get infections easier... It's like a cycle that just keeps on going. I don't want to not give her antibiotics because strep scares me but for nearly everything else we do not use any medicines besides all natural stuff like honey for coughs. I have another daughter that is never sick and has no behavior problems or anxiety and I just feel so bad for my older daughter. Thanks everyone hope you all have a great day.

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L.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Ah the joys of socialized medicine...

If you really think it’s food related, you can stop all outside foods and basically start over. Give her rice, then veggies only, add in fruit, then meat. Just like when she was a wee baby. Keep track. If she gets a stomach ache stop the item, wait a week and try again. You won’t get an answer overnight.

Jello and marshmallows don’t contain horse. Gelatin comes from boiling cow and pig bones.

You might also keep track of her emotional state when she gets these stomach aches. What is happening when they flare. When I was a kid, every time my dad went on a business trip, I got a stomach ache that lasted until he returned home...

4 moms found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

I would be getting a new allergist to test her food allergies and see if they relate to the gastro issues.

The horse/gelatin relation seems far fetched to me.

Get a Dr who will get to the root of the problem vs dragging things out. Your daughter needs relief.

3 moms found this helpful
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E.B.

answers from Honolulu on

First, I can relate. My dd has been severely ill for years, and she has had stomach pains for, well, it seems like forever.

You don't need to worry about horse allergies and gelatin. Horses aren't used in the production of gelatin - cow and pigs are.

What has helped my dd:

A low residue food plan. Residue is not the same as fiber. It's quite simple to follow, and there are lots of helpful guides online. PM me if you need more info. Basically, vegetables are peeled and cooked until tender. Raw foods are avoided, as are seeds and nuts. Chewy, stringy foods are avoided (beef jerky, brisket, celery, etc).

Look into the Whole30 plan and commit to following it religiously for at least 30 days. 45 to 60 is best. It eliminates grains, dairy, sugar, etc. There are Facebook support and recipe groups, and the plan is amazing. There's nothing to purchase or sign up for. It's just really clean simple eating. The basic premise is that food must be pure, in it's original form, recognizable (no zucchini "cookies" or vegetables made to look like pancakes). And yes, eliminate corn, corn syrup, cornstarch, etc. Look online for a list of corn products.

Switch from any sugar, no matter how "raw" or "natural" to only organic maple syrup and/or pure raw local unfiltered honey, and go easy on both of them. Absolutely no stevia or agave. They're highly processed and many people react to them.

Another idea: does your daughter eat or drink ANYTHING that is "diet", "sugar-free", or artificially sweetened? That includes gum, soda, sugar-free drinks, fat-free stuff, anything advertised as "sugar free". And it includes the low calorie versions of regular foods, like low-calorie sour cream, for example. If she does, go cold turkey. My dd is severely intolerant, though not technically allergic, to sorbitol, erythritol, mannitol, isotol, aspertame, etc. They give her an instant stomach ache. If your daughter likes a glass of juice, switch to white grape juice with no other ingredients (Welch's makes one). Sorbitol, etc, is naturally found in apples, cherries, purple grapes and a couple other foods.

Going back to the sour cream example, look at the ingredient list on a tub of Daisy low-fat sour cream vs the list on the regular full fat tub. There is a long list of stuff in the low-fat, vs 2 ingredients in the full fat. Use the purest ingredients you can. Buy the full fat sour cream for the tacos, but only use a little. Use real parmigiano cheese, not the green can. Keep your foods' ingredient list to a minimum.

And try to avoid carrageenan, xanthan gum, and other gums. If you drink commercial almond milk or soy milk, look to see if they contain carrageenan or gums. Make your own (they're easy to make). My dd also gets stomach aches, bloating, and pain from carrageenans and gums. Gluten-free organic oats make a delicious "milk". You just soak the oats, drain, throw them in a blender with water, and strain. I bought a milk-straining bag for just a couple dollars on Amazon.

It's good that you're keeping a food diary, but make sure to include time of day, and what activity is going on when the food was eaten. Include fluids as well.

Don't give up!

3 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I don't know about gelatin but WHY has the allergist not tested for food allergies?

3 moms found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Portland on

Added:

Thanks for the added info. Sorry - I missed the 3 years part the first time I read this. Sounds like this has been very hard and don't mean to suggest you haven't been thorough.

Have you thought about talking to a dietician? I have a relative who is one, who works with kids. She has uncovered many things that other people couldn't figure out.

Hang in there. Keep us posted.

**************************

I don't know what brand of Jello you used - but if you go to the site for Jello under FAQ

Q: What is the source of gelatin used in JELL-O gelatin?
A: Gelatin is made from collagen, a protein that comes from animals used for food, like beef or pork. Production of gelatin is under supervision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During the manufacturing of gelatin, chemical changes take place so that the final product, the composition, and identity of the original material is completely eliminated. Because of this, gelatin isn't considered a meat by the United States Government.

So it's not from horse.

My thought was I doubt very much your daughter is ingesting food products from horse daily (stomaches daily). I know you want to figure it out but doubtful.

I would keep a log. A friend of mine had a year of stomach pain as a child. It was chocolate. The doctors all missed it.

One of my children had stomach aches for a year at that age. Reflux, food intolerances, etc. were tested and she tried medications. Mild anxiety - that's what it was in the end.

It was so mild I had missed it.

We have lactose intolerance in our family, we also have allergies and skin conditions related to allergies. So I've seen quite a bit and know it's hard. I hope you find one soon. Keep us posted.

3 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

horse proteins aren't permitted into the human food industry in this country. i don't know the situation is in canada. since horse slaughter is permitted there, it may be that there is equine protein in the gelatin, but it seems a pretty long shot that this is what's causing your daughter's issues.

it sounds as if you're doing the right stuff EXCEPT that i'm taken aback that in 3 years you haven't attempted the sensible and relatively easy tack of an elimination diet.

why not give 'er a whirl?
khairete
S.

2 moms found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

ETA: Based on all your added info, I would have written a very different answer if you had presented even half of that in the original post. So would most of us. Please check back and look at every single answer again for added info. FYI we get a lot of troll posts from first-time posters so anything that's devoid of crucial details leaves a lot to be desired. If you have added constraints with long waiting periods due to being in Canada, that also would have changed a lot of my advice and that of many others. I work in food science and with many families with adults/kids with digestive issues including IBS, Crohn's, chronic diarrhea or constipation, reflux and more. There is so much you can do with effective supplementation with a qualified educator with experience in inflammation and epigenetics.

Original response: If my child had stomach pains for 3 years and I had not tried either an elimination diet or had her tested, I'd expect my friends to tell me I'm flunking out of Mommy School. Perhaps you meant to write "3 weeks" instead of "3 years"? You sound responsible with the gastroenterologist and the allergist so I'm assuming this is a mistake and you have not let your child suffer for 3 years. Double check to see if the gastro MD did some testing (including celiac) and therefore the allergist isn't repeating it. I think jumping at something like gelatin is a huge leap especially since she's been sick a lot and probably hasn't had gelatin every day. I think you're missing something. Either get new doctors, insist that they share your daughter's records and consult with each other, or go to a children's hospital for a full team approach to this, including a psychologist or social worker to help her with the stress of so much pain.

2 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

In USA, horse would not be used as a human food source.
Dog food maybe but not for people.

I hope '3 years' is a misprint and you meant '3 weeks' because I'd be really worried about any problem that was on going for 3 years.
When people say 'stomach' - it can be a very broad term for almost anywhere on the front of the abdomen.
Is it high up near her rib cage to one side or the other?
Is it lower down, below her belly button to one side or the other?

Are there any other gastrointestinal symptoms besides stomach ache?
Vomiting, diarrhea, acid stomach, constipation, etc?
Do a food diary for her.
Everything that goes into her mouth - what she eats, drinks, how much, when, where, how she feels and any symptoms that occur, how often she uses the bathroom, etc and keep doing it until the issue is resolved.
Take it with you to her gastroenterologist appointments.

Jello tends to sooth my stomach if I'm not feeling well.
For me it's a comfort food - though I realize it might not be for everyone.

It wouldn't hurt for the allergist to test for food allergies and sensitivities.

It could be a lot of things.
Ulcer
hernia
appendix
parasites
a mild gastroenteritis (some sort of stomach bug)
acid reflux
gall bladder issues - although she's young for that
Hopefully the gastroenterologist will be able to figure it out quickly and what ever it is will be easily fixed.

Additional:
Wow.
I'm so sorry your daughter is having such long term ongoing issues.
When our son gets stomach pains (and fortunately he's pretty much out grown a mild IBS issue he had when he was younger) - a heating pad helped him a lot.
If he was having really bad intestinal spasms a warm bath helped him too.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Well, I'm very allergic to horses but not to gelatin.

However, a friend of mine has symptoms much like your daughters - stomach ache and my friend's stomach sometimes even swells like she is bloated. Her allergy is to corn. How is this related to smores and jello? Corn syrup - marshmallows are pure corn syrup and ready-to-eat jello snacks are made with corn syrup. My friend cannot each anything with corn in it, including corn syrup or corn starch (and also obvious sources like tortilla chips and corn or popcorn as whole foods). The doctor doesn't call it an allergy, but simply an intolerance. Either way, she reacts badly to it. You might try avoiding corn for a week or two and see if it helps. It's tough at first because corn starch is in a lot of baked goods plus any thickened liquids (gravy, salad dressings); my friend has to make a lot of her own foods substituting potato starch for corn starch in recipes and looking for corn syrup on labels for everything. Even some grated cheeses use corn starch to keep the cheese from sticking together. I'm not trying to scare you, but rather to help you know what to look for so that you can try a corn elimination diet.

Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

I have had good luck going to a functional medicine practitioner (not a naturopath). She used to be a regular doctor but switched to open her own practice bc she was so frustrated with the system. This kind of doctor's goal is to get to the root cause of the problem. She has been really helping me with my migraines which no other doctor (even specialists) has been able to do in 20 years. It's a slow process with a lot of tests so you have to be patient. It sounds like you are a good mom and are trying hard to figure this out...you've done a lot already.

1 mom found this helpful

T.D.

answers from Springfield on

i will say this. my husband was allergy tested and came up positive for an allergy to tomatoes. his reaction? tummy ache and diarrhea. he is also allergic to onions and peppers and anything with that in it. paprika, onion powder and such are all eliminated from his diet. when he accidentially ingests something with onion in it he will have tummy cramping, pain and diarrhea
so it is totally possible that anything containing gelatin could be a culprit. i would also push for an allergy test just to know what else is on that list of things to avoid.
when taking antibiotics my childs pedi also tells parents to use a probiotic such as cultrelle. yogurt with live cultures is another option

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