[Laura M]

I recently received a wellness stress scan for my 5yr old lab who has always had slight food issues (dry red skin, dime size bumps that dry out and flake, ear infections). Allergies have gotten worse and is allergic to too much to list but here are a few: bison, lamb, chicken, chicken eggs, turkey, green peas, chickpea, kidney bean, herring/anchovy, shellfish, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oat, quinoa, white and brown rice, rye, wheat, gluten, white and sweet potatoes, pumpkin and seeds. Any suggestions of food brands to try would be appreciated

[anonymous]

“wellness stress scan” What is that?
I would make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist asap, if you have not done so already.
Environmental allergies have nothing to do with the food and they get worse with age.

Have you tried the search engine here? Example: /forums/topic/bulldog-allergy-help/

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by anonymous.

[anonymous]

Hope this helps:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service
Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.
Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.
Top pet dermatological issues
Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:
•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.
All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.
Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.
Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).
IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.
The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.
ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.
This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.
When it’s time to see the vet
Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:
•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin
Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

Dermatology – Common Issues

[Lesley F]

Have you tried doing an elimination diet? Just to make sure they really are allergic to all those things. You might also want to consider making your own dog food if that is the case. I did an elimination die at and i figured out my lab mix is allergic to chicken.

[Laura M]

I’m working with my vet. The test was done on a hair sample and saliva sample I sent in to a holistic place in Montana. With the vet we are first trying to clear up the “bumps” for lack of a better word. In July she developed MRSP which is a bacteria resistant to most antibiotics. We cleared it up with antibiotics and steroids but I feel like here we go again. I’d like to switch her food NOW and not wait to do a food illumination which takes a month or 2. She currently is on a turkey and potato food both of which I just found she is allergic to. I’m not sure how I feel about the holistic results that is why I gave them to the vet while we work this out.
Along with foods that were tested they also screened for allergies to petrol chemicals, enviro chemicals, insects, weeds/flowers, grasses, trees, pollens and dust

[anonymous]

So many scams out there……
I would only trust a Intra Dermal Test (IDT) done by a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist.

“IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.”
Best of luck.

[Laura M]

thank you very much

[Susan W]

I’ve had FANTASTIC success with 3 things: Powdering my dogs w/FOOD GRADE DE powder, feeding them VeRUS OptiCoat &/or Cold Water Fish formulas, and using DerMagic shampoos on them. Itchiness, dryness, irritated ears are GONE!

[aimee]

Hi Laura,

I truly hope that your vet didn’t recommend this test as it is not valid. The company has in my opinion been avoiding FDA crackdown by continually renaming and relaunching the “test” The most recent renaming and relaunching came right after I told Glacier Peaks that I ran a negative control sample. I purchased a test kit and sent in IV fluid as my saliva sample, as it is very near the composition of saliva, and instead of hair I sent in the cotton fibers from one of the swabs in the test kit. My “dog” tested positive for 63 food “sensitivities” 29 environmental “sensitivities” and 9 out of 12 positive concerns.

The company at that time was saying that the test was based in the field of quantum physics. I contacted 2 PhD quantum physicists and both said that what the company sent me was all “hokem” and that nothing in physics would explain what they were claiming.

Keep in mind that the company states that any item marked as a sensitivity may not have any adverse effect for your dog and that items that do not test as sensitive may cause a reaction. In other words the “test” is worthless.

If you want to purse food reaction as a cause for your dog’s problems take a good inventory of everything that has ever crossed your dog’ lips, then feed a diet that doesn’t contain any of those items . Use a therapeutic diet from your vet’s office formulated specifically for use in adverse food reactions and eliminate any other source of exposures which means no flavored medications, no chews, no poop eating, no scavenging etc. Hope you find resolution for your dogs problems.

[anonymous]

See latest blog (11/27) re: food sensitivity tests
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/ excerpt below

“Allergies are a common and frustrating problem for many pet dogs. While the details are incredibly complicated and not completely understood, allergies are the result of inappropriate inflammation and other immune system responses to triggers in the environment.”

[Author]

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