[Channey T]

I am in the same boat right now and it is so difficult to see my dog like this. Last year, I thought it was bad and it has only gotten worse. He’s been miserable for the past year and I don’t know how I can help him. I want him to get better as natural and holistically as possible. We tried cooking him food at home instead of the prescribed vet diet for dogs with allergies (Ultramino) and haven’t seen any real improvement. I feel like the medicine that we’ve been giving him is only making his body more weak, his posture has changed dramatically in the last year and his bones seem brittle. We have another Frenchie and he is a solid burly dog so seeing the difference between the two of them is huge. Every time we go to the vet, I feel like we are just tossing our money at them with no real solution. We love our dog so much and we just want to make him better, if anybody has any recommendations on what we should do, let us know. Looking forward to hear from you.

[anonymous]

Yep, welcome to pet care, nowadays.
I also have a maxed out credit card related to veterinary bills. I gave up cable and eating out for my dog with allergies.

My vet said, next time get pet insurance, he plans to get it himself for his next pet.
At present, I have a dog that needs cataract surgery, it’s a long story but she is not adjusting to blindness very well.
Poorhouse here we come!

PS: Explain your financial situation to your vet, maybe something can be worked out

[Florence M]

Where can I find info on smallbatch? So far, my little girl can only tolerate raw and small batch appears to be working. She is allergic to chicken, lamb, and all poultry. She loves venison but it isn’t always available (unless I make it myself) and expensive.
Need a list of raw.

[Susan]

Hi Sandra,

Have you look at different diets, cooked, raw, wet can, freeze dried, air dried, what are their symptoms?
Have you done a food elimination diet?
until you work out what both your dogs can & can’t eat, you’ll be going around in circles & getting no where, or work out if they need more fiber or less fiber?? that’s easy, start adding boiled pumkin 1-2 spoons to one of their meals & not to the other meal & see if poo is firmer from the added pumkin meal. Poo will be a bit more orange..

I did the same with my boy, he didnt seem to do well on no kibbles when I first rescued him, turned out to have IBD, food sensitivities & environment allergies finally after 5yrs I’ve worked out his kibble needs to be higher in protein, low in fat & low in fiber %, less carbs & more meat & the Wellness Core Large Breed seem to agree with him maybe your dogs are the same…need more meat proteins & less carbs, I also feed dehydrated raw for 1 of his meals, I’m trying to get him off kibble he has too many stomach problems on dry kibble.

Have you tried “Wellness Core” Large breed kibble, its money back guaranteed if it doesnt agree with your dogs, that’s why I tried it + I had run out of dry kibbles to try on Patch, it does have potato but its very high in meat protein, it has 3 meat proteins as 1st, 2nd & 3rd ingredients then a carb as 4th ingredient.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs & only 346Kcals per cup so easier to digest, the higher the Kcals the more dense the kibble, so kibble is harder to digest.

It may not be the ingredients they are reacting too? maybe the fiber, fat & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them in the kibbles you’ve tried?…

*Wellness Core Large Breed formula,
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Tomato Pomace, Dried Ground Potatoes, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Pea Fiber, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Broccoli, Vitamin E Supplement, Carrots, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Zinc Proteinate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract.
This is a naturally preserved product.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs 346Kcals per cup,
it may not be the ingredients they are reacting too?? the fiber %, fat % & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them…

PROXIMATES:
MOISTURE
PROTEIN 34.17
FAT 12.88
CARBOHYDRATES 30.66
FIBER 4.89
ASH 7.56
AMINO ACIDS:
ARGININE 2.64
HISTIDINE 0.77
ISOLEUCINE 1.34
LEUCINE 2.20
LYSINE 1.98
MET + CYS 0.94
METHIONINE 0.57
PHE + TYR 2.40
PHENYLALANINE 1.37
THREONINE 1.31
TRYPTOPHAN 0.40
VALINE 1.53
FATTY ACIDS:
LINOLEIC ACID 2.19
ARACHIDONIC ACID 0.08
MINERALS:
CALCIUM 1.61
PHOSPHORUS 1.12
POTASSIUM 0.96
SODIUM 0.22
CHLORIDE 0.40
MAGNESIUM 0.17
IRON 254.27
COPPER 2.35
MANGANESE 2.82
ZINC 20.17
IODINE 0.29
SELENIUM 0.05
VITAMINS & OTHERS:
VITAMIN A 1,144.24 VITAMIN D3 84.63 VITAMIN E 62.67
VITAMIN K N/A THIAMINE (VITAMIN B1) 0.33 RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2) 0.76 PANTOTHENIC ACID 2.40
NIACIN 7.50
PYRIDOXINE 0.49
FOLIC ACID 23.44
BIOTIN 0.58 VITAMIN B12 7.96 CHOLINE 152.33
TAURINE 0.01
1 cup (g) 98
kcal/kg ME 3,540
kcal/cup 346
kcalories Total %
kcal- Protein 1,220 35.6%
kcal- Fat 1,117 32.5%
kcal- Carbohydrates 1,095 31.9%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 1.00%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.25%
Other Total per cup
Glucosamine Hydrochloride 750 mg/kg 73.3 mg
Chondroitin Sulfate 250 mg/kg 24.4 mg

[Lisa C]

Sorry if this is a duplicate message… Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free – adult dry. (Specifically Duck & Sweet Potato Recipe). I see a canned version, but not the dry – curious how it rates with you guys. Been feeding it for a month now and it’s helped with allergies.

[Martha W]

My 3 year old cockapoo has had chronic gastroenteritis since she was a puppy. Her symptoms have escalated in frequency and drama: lethargy, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, seizures. We’ve switched her food several times suspecting allergies: from chicken to rabbit to turkey/sweet potato and now kangaroo! All food has been purchased through the vet. The one consistent thing in her diet has been CET Hextra Chews, recommended by the vet for oral hygiene. She hasn’t had one in three weeks, after the last horrible week long gastro incident. And she has been fine.
I’m beginning to suspect that the chews have been the culprit all along.
I think very highly of the vet we go to, but it seems reading this posting, some dogs just can’t digest the Virbac CET Hextra chews.
Too bad, as she adored them.
Now she doesn’t have any treats at all, which feels a bit cruel.
If anyone can recommend a safe treat I would appreciate it.

[Anita A]

Anon101,
Thank you for all your input and suggestions. I do feed her twice a day and will now start with water mixed in. She did have a stone that blocked her urethra and she was scheduled for surgery but her blood work was out of whack, she was in emergency 24 hour care for days. The procedures were varied and intense. She is on Pulse food and she does have allergic reaction to wheat. I will check out the Royal Canin Urinary SO. Pugs are prone to bladder stones I found out….after the fact. So we will need to be very observant of her urination and water intake.
We have had 4 x-rays in the past few months. One stubborn stone is still there but we have opted to not go the surgery route because of her complications when they tried to anesthetize her.
Anita

[Jenifer S]

Hi Cathy,

I was told by Chewy that they were going out of business. I fed it to my 15 pound Maltese, because he is allergic to peas and that was one of the only food I could find to feed him. It was a great food, but I am no longer able to get it from the manufacture or from Chewy. That’s great to hear that they are moving to another planet, I wish I could get their food now. Hopefully soon! I think you should be able to feed it to you 13 pound Yorky as my baby is only 15 pounds. 😊

[Jenifer S]

Hi Cathy,

I was told by Chewy that they were going out of business. I fed it to my 15 pound Maltese, because he is allergic to peas and that was one of the only food I could find to feed him. It was a great food, but I am no longer able to get it from the manufacture or from Chewy. That’s great to hear that they are moving to another planet, I wish I could get their food now. Hopefully soon! I think you should be able to feed it to you 13 pound Yorky as my baby is only 15 pounds. 😊

[Blaire S]

I used to bathe my german shepherd anywhere from 5 to 10 days, depending on itchiness. I used a sulfur shampoo for dogs, but head & shoulders dry scalp worked also. Back then, there was a spray called Gentocin that really helped his hot spots and feet. I think there is a new, better product. When his skin began to ooze and get pink (not a full on hot spot) one spray and in 20 minutes it calmed down.
I also did a skin test for allergies, I think it helped but not cheap. At least it gave me a tool for label reading!

[Lisa H]

Hi!

I have a 6 lb long-haired chihuahua and she is currently on Blue Buffalo. I want to switch her to a higher quality food and have narrowed it down between the 4 below. I wanted to see if anyone could help me choose 1 or narrow it down (based on your experience or research). My dog doesn’t have any allergies and generally likes any food that’s put in front of her 🙂

– Nature’s Logic
– NutriSource
– Zignature
– Orijen
– Instinct

Thank you!!

[Charles B]

anon,

A friend mentioned that if our dog is allergic to grass, they would also have an intolerance to Alfalfa meal. I noticed that most foods have alfalfa meal in it, as does the Zignature he is currently on.

Would one consider that to be possible/true?

[anonymous]

“I feed her Acana and Orijen mostly but I remembered when she was a pup she mostly ate raw and didn’t have any issues at all”

That’s because allergies don’t tend to show up till later (age 1-4) and they tend to get worse with age.

Diet has nothing to with yeast, yeast is caused due to a breakdown in the immune system, same with the skin infections and ear infections.
I’m not a scientist, the dermatologist can explain it more clearly.

[anonymous]

For the best results, make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist.
Here is a good article about what you might be looking at, keep in mind there are even newer treatment options than when this article was written
http://www.nevetdermatology.com/canine-atopic-dermatitis-treatment/
/forums/topic/allergies-and-itchy-dogs/
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=allergies

[John B]

I sent you a question 3-4 days ago regarding my golden retriever shepherd mix with major allergies. You responded Friday/ Saturday last week. Unfortunately, I losing your response before I could read it and cannot now locate it. Could you resend your earlier reply? Thanks.

John Bodine (jdbodine)

[anonymous]

“We were considering going back and pursuing a request for a dermatologist, or at least restarting the Cytopoint injections”.

Sounds good. Best of luck

PS: The grass eating may be related to his environmental allergies. Environmental allergies can also play havoc with the gastrointestinal system. He is probably eating the grass in an attempt to alleviate an upset stomach, nausea and such.
Also, most supplements are a waste of money.
Regarding that solid gold supplement, did you read the ingredients?
A fish oil capsule would do the same thing (check with your vet first)

[Anonymous]

Hi, again, Nancy

Yes, I understand about pancreatitis — my female has it, and we know all about watching the fat intake. The Wellness Core Tender Bites that I have been feeding my pups for about 5 weeks has 21% crude fat, versus the 6% or so in the canned foods (also Wellness Core) I was feeding. But — I’m happy to report — absolutely no problems so far. And I have not had to throw any of the Tender Bites away, whereas I tossed TONS of the canned foods away, uneaten. I was making a lot of my own dog food from chicken breasts (baked), carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. The pups ate this, but not with gusto. I also give them two Nutri-Vet senior vitamin tabs a day. But, so far, they’ve been doing really well on the Tender Bites (but I still offer the canned), which are 70% raw, gently dried.

I should mention that my male pup is sensitive to wheat — it was a long process to determine this, as it was by trial and error. When I avoid wheat in both food and treats, he does really well. I took him to a dermatologist several years ago (he’s 11), but they didn’t test for food allergies. Why???? So I had to do my own food testing. Many dog food products are “grain free” in the last many years, so it’s relatively easy to avoid wheat. Treats are the worse offenders. You might want to try staying away from wheat for awhile to see if this is a problem for your Schnauzers. My male is the one on Apoquel for various other allergies — Apoquel was a LIFE CHANGER!

My pups are mixed breed, but predominately Jack Russell terriers. They are litter-mates, but soooooooo different health-wise. The female has pancreatitis, but no other health issues. The male has diabetes, cataracts (he had surgery for this), and lots of allergies. We have only ever fed them premium foods recommended by DogFoodAdvisor, with the exception of Dr. Marty’s, which I bought from the infomercial.

Stay in touch, Nancy. Best of luck with your food search.

[Charles B]

Wow my spelling was horrible in my first post… Blame my phone.

Anyway, Tex has always been a grass eater. And he has a stomach of steel. We don’t believe he has stomach upset. Ive treid giving him some doggie supplements to help regulate him, but saw no change at all. We actually just tried the SeaMeal from SolidGold, and that makes his allergies much much worse.
https://www.solidgoldpet.com/product/seameal/

When we first took foster the vet perscribed us creams, cleaning wipes, and powders for him. When we cleared his infection we went through a different allergy med every 3 weeks for about 3 months. We did get a Cytopoint Injection. It lasted for about 2 weeks and then we were back to severe itching. On the injection the itching never fully subsided, but i was improved. The Apoquel works, and it works very well. He does get blood work every 6 months to monitor on it.

We were considering going back and pursuing a request for a dermatologist, or atleast restarting the Cytopoint injections.

[anonymous]

Please visit a board certified veterinarian asap for testing/diagnosis/treatment.

It’s been a year/4 seasons without significant results by the regular vet.

Do not give over the counter meds/supplements or apply ointments, creams that are not intended for veterinary use unless advised to do so by a veterinarian that has examined your dog.
See my posts:
/forums/search/atopic+dermatitis/

Intradermal skin testing done by a veterinary dermatologist.
/forums/search/environmental+allergies/
Good luck
PS: The initial testing can run about $800. the solution for allergen specific immunotherapy can run about $200 or more maybe 3 times a year. We just see the dermatologist once a year for a checkup. Otherwise he is available by phone and will talk to the regular vet if need be.
The treatment is lifelong, but it is natural, similar to the allergy shots people get to desensitize. No prednisone. Don’t get me wrong, it can take up to a year to kick in, but we saw results right away. They can still have flare-ups but they tend to be mild.

[Susan]

Hi
There’s Vet Diet “Royal Canine” Select Protein, Potato & Rabbit dry kibble & Wet can food
also look at “Ziwi Peak” has a Rabbit air dried formula & Rabbit wet tin raw food. https://www.ziwipets.com/
there’s also “Rayne” Clinical USA, Kangaroo, Rabbit or Crocodile formula’s..
It’s best you do your own raw elimination diet, that’s what I did with my boy 4yrs ago…

These salvia, blood or fur testing are not accurate, they give false positives, the only way 100% is to do a food elimination diet, normally dogs have food sensitivities, food allergies are very rare & the dog normally has IBD symptoms when he has food allergies….

[Susan]

Hi Charles,
sounds like my boy he’s part cow as well, Patch has IBD, Evironment Allergies & Food Sensitivities, Patch has stopped eating heaps of grass these last 2months since I changed his medication for his acid reflux, I think the Prilosec was making him feel sick & then he’d eat & eat grass, also after he ate certain kibbles like TOTW he’d go outside & eat heaps of grass, since I changed his diet most of the grass eating has stopped, his vet said only let him eat about 1 min worth of grass then stop him, when he eats too much grass it was causing diarrhea, the grass clears him out also too much long grass can get tangled causing a blockage, I watch a Vet TV show & there was a Labrador he did the same would eat & eat grass all day long then 1 afternoon the dogs mum came home early from work lucky cause she noticed her dog he didn’t come to great her like he normally does when she comes home, she found him in real bad pain outside, she rushed him to the vets & he had bloat, when vet operated he found what look like a big ball of wool but it was a big ball of grass all tangled together in his bowel vet removed it…..
now I make sure Patch doesnt go over board with his grass eating, he only eats & eats grass if something is really wrong with his stomach/bowel then I bring him inside & give him 5mls Mylanta or a Quick Eze & he feels better then goes to sleep, are you sure your dog isn’t feeling unwell in stomach? has he always been a heavy grass eater?

I have found baths the best as soon as Patch is really bad with itchy skin & red itchy paws normally around every 5 days thru the hotter months he gets a bath in Malaseb medicated shampoo, the bath & Malaseb relieves his itch & washes off any allergens on his paws & skin, when I dont feel like bathing him, I ge the baby wipes Coconut Oil or the Cucumber & Aloe wipes & wipe him down & wipe his paws, this Summer in Australia was the worst Summer I’ve had with Patches allergies, I dont know if its cause we moved, vet said it is & we dont have CADI injection yet in Australia…..
Have a look at “Cytopoint Injections” given every 4-8 weeks depending on dog & his allergies, Zoetisus are the makers of Apoquel make Cytopoint after so many dogs were having side effects with the Apoquel, Cytopoint is suppose to have less side effects, you could give it a try & see..
https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/cytopoint/

[Charles B]

Over the past year we have fostered and adopted a Golden that’s got some pretty nasty allergies.

We have him eating Zignature Kahatoo and Venison. I see that a Goat and Quail just came out. Hoping to try theses as well.

Anyway he does have some food sensitivities, and when he came to use on Kirkland Grain Free Chicken he was a walking Yeast infection. We got that sorted and after lots of trial and error got him on his current food. It’s still not perfect, and if we give him the wrong treat he’ll start kicking st his face and lick between his toes till they bleed.

He loves being outside sun bathing in the grass. He also loves to eat grass. He’s part cow. He will bathe, grab a mouthful of grass, then roll on his bag chewing till he’s ready for some more.

He’s been on Apoquel for 7-9 months now off and on. On a good day we can give 8mg and be fine. On a bad day we are on 32mg a day. Now that spring is here we are on 16 morning to deal with the allergies.

Is there another route we should be perusing? We can’t force him to stop eating grass so we would like to figure another way around it.

Apoquel is $2.39 a day for us, do $71 a month in pills.

[anonymous]

For best results go to a board certified veterinary dermatologist. Food allergies are rare. Food sensitivities fluctuate.
More often than not environmental allergies are the culprit.
The only accurate test for that is intradermal skin testing. The most natural treatment for environmental allergies is allergen specific immunotherapy otherwise known as allergy shots or desensitization.
For a grain free limited ingredient food consider Zignature whitefish or Nutrisca salmon.

[pitlove]

Hi Jo C-

There is no accurate test out there for food allergies. The serum testing is notorious for false positives and false negatives.

Each of those are different immunoglobulins in the body that are responsible for setting off certain histamine reactions. This SHOULD have been explained to you by the doctor that did the testing, but clearly it was not which makes these results useless as you can’t interpert them well.

If you want to do this correctly, you will need to start over and conduct a proper elimination diet. It is the gold standard for accessing food allergies. An elimination diet can be done a couple different ways.

Option 1: A home cooked diet of a single novel protein (something your dog has never had before) and a single carbohydrate (again, one your dog has never had before). This is to be the SOLE diet for 3 months. No treats, no table scraps, no flavored medications, no food from other pets, no dental chews, nothing at all but the diet.

Option 2: A commercially prepared hydrolyzed protein diet from the vet’s office. Same rules apply here. With these diets the protein molecules are so small that the bodys immune system does not recognize them as a threat and will not form a histamine reaction.

Once the 3 months is up, you can then do a food challenge and reintroduce the old food to see if the symptoms come back. If the dog is positive for food allergies, he/she should have improved over the course of the elimination trial. If the allergies are due to something in the environment, its likely no change in symptoms would occur.

This is very hard to do for most pet owners, but when done correctly will give you a definite answer as to if the dog has food allergies. Sorry, to say, but I would throw out your results from the serum test and see if you can get your money back. There has been an overwhelming amount of research proving that the reliability of those tests is very low.

[Jo C]

Hello everyone so I had my dog allergy tested & turns out he’s allergic to most things & finding commercial food he can eat is proving pretty hard as is purchasing the food he’s not allergic to.

The only meat he is not allergic to is Rabbit
The only other foods are potato, oat & barley.
Would seem as though Rabbit is not ised in most pet food anymore or stocked in Butchers. (Im in UK)

I’m wondering if anyone could help explain the meaning of the results like what is IgE & IgG

Something’s he tested positive IgG & not IgE

For example for beef his results were IgE 0 IgG 1

Thanks everyone.

[Anonymous]

Hello, Joanne! I appreciate your kindness. I’m sorry you and your pooch are having to endure chemo, but am happy it’s available, aren’t you? Your pup has a wonderful Mommy for going to the time and expense of extending his (her?) life and/or making him more comfortable. Regarding your other pooch with the skin problems, up until a couple years ago, one of my pups had almost no hair in the summertime due to itchiness and rubbing due to allergies. He would get a few months relief in the winter, but the rest of the time he was on heavy antihistamines to get by. Then our vet put him on what was a new drug then: Apoquel. His hair grew back and he has absolutely NO itching year-round. He only has to take the med from April through about Thanksgiving here in Texas. You might want to ask your vet about this drug and if it might be appropriate for your pup. Our female had similar hair loss problems after she was put on estrogen to help her with slight incontinence. No itching, but terrible hair loss. After taking her off the estrogen, her hair came back. Is your dog taking estrogen? Hope Apoquel is the answer to your problem, and best of luck with the lymphoma. The Wellness Core Tender Bites are small bags and may still not be your answer for two 130 pound pups, as it is about $28/2lb bag. Perhaps you won’t need the Tender Bites if Apoquel helps with the skin problem. WOOF!

[Lenore M]

Thanks so much, Rachel :O) You’ve given me some other brands to check!

My English Bulldog is allergic to more than than she’s not — Chicken, Pork, Duck, Turkey, Fish meal, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, egg, milk, soy, corn, wheat — you name it! My Boxer, now gone :O( was also allergic to Chicken and rice! What a nightmare!

I finally found one dry dog food that they could both eat: Earthborn Holistic Meadowfeast with Lamb meal: No Chicken, no Pork, no Duck, no Turkey, no Fish meal, no white Potatoes, no Sweet Potatoes, no egg, no milk, no soy, no corn, no wheat, no brown or white rice!

Hoping this might help someone else out there with the same problem. Here are the ingredients:

Lamb Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Pea Protein, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Blueberries, Cranberries, Apples, Carrots, Spinach, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

Any other ideas, I am all ears!!!

[Blkdoodle]

I have been researching foods for my Goldendoodle who has allergic reactions to potatoes, pea, green beans, chicken, etc. Why is Natures Variety Limited with Lamb given only 3.5 stars?

[Susan]

Hi Hronn,
like CockerlierMon has posted just feed the Hills Z/d nothing else & see does he start getting better?? Vet diets are high in Omega 3 so skin should start to improve, the only way to find out what foods your dog can eat is to do a food elimination diet, he eats 1 meat protein & 1 carb for 6-8 weeks if he has no reaction diarrhea, sloppy poos, wind, farts, itchy smelly yeasty skin, itchy ears, shaking head/ears, red itchy paws, etc then you introduce another new ingredient for 6 weeks see how he goes, does he react?
You can do food elimination diet with the Hills Z/d formula wet or dry formula’s or there’s Hills D/D formula you can try if the Hills Z/d doesn’t work for him, it takes time doing food elimination diet but you will know 100% what ingredients he can & can’t eat..
See how he does on the Hills Z/D, the Z/d didn’t work for my boy, it has Corn Starch & my boy reacts to corn he gets red paws & his skin started to smell yeasty & he became real itchy, Hills is money back guaranteed so if your boy starts having diarrhea, yeasty itchy skin, or gets worse like my boy did then you can take back for refund or try another vet diet like “Royal Canine” Hypoallergenic HP…My dog was put on the Z/d for his IBD & then he started having his yeasty smelly paws & skin…
What symptoms is your dog having? Intestinal problems, skin problems or both?
are you bathing weekly in a medicated shampoo to wash off any allergens on skin, paws etc, baths are really good & relieves itchy skin & paws, I also use creams on paws & around mouth anywhere thats red & itchy I apply cream to stop the itch & reduce the reddness, I use Cortisone 1% cream at night before bed & of a morning before our walk I use “Sudocrem” Sudocrem is a anti bacterial, anti fungul thick healing cream for Dermatitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash, protects the skin & paws…
If you boy can handle Lentils, Chickpeas & Peas (Diarrhea/sloppy poos, wind/farts) then the dry kibble Nutram looks very good, but it has alot of ingredients, he needs a dry kibble that has limited ingredients, 1 meat protein & 1-2 carbs so there’s less ingredients for him to react too….
Can you feed a raw diet or cooked diet? this would be best, if the Hills Z/d makes him better then after 8 weeks just eating the Hills Z/d then start introducing 1 new ingredient with the Z/d food or for lunch feed this new 1 cooked ingredient for 6 weeks then after 6 weeks if he doesnt react then add another new ingredient then you can cook 1 meal with these ingredients he can eat & didnt react & feed the Hills Z/d for his other meal.
Baby steps, do it slowley & keep a diary, write down what your doing, he might have both food sensitivities & environment allergies, if he’s having Intestinal problems & itchy smelly skin, paws…

[CockalierMom]

As haleycookie mentioned, the only accurate way to determine food allergies/sensitivities is through an elimination diet and Hill’s ZD is the perfect food to start that with. If your vet did not discuss with you, then for 12 weeks only feed the Hill’s ZD with absolutely no other food. If you need to give treats then use the kibble, or buy the ZD treats. After 12 weeks and no issues, then slowly introduce a new food to see is there is a reaction. This is how a proper elimination diet is done so please discuss this with your vet. If you can find foods where there is not a reaction, then you will have other choices, but do the full 12 weeks before considering adding another food.

[anonymous]

Okay, so the blood test.

Intradermal skin testing done by a veterinary dermatologist is the most accurate way to test for environmental allergies.

I suspect the test you had done detects sensitivities and not true allergies.
Check with your vet.

Per the search engine: http://www.nevetdermatology.com/canine-atopic-dermatitis-treatment/
/forums/topic/allergies-and-itchy-dogs/
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=allergies

[haleycookie]

Natures variety lamb has none of those things. I’m sure there are others as well. But he cautions saliva and fur allergy tests aren’t very accurate. Only an elimination diet can accurately find what your dog is allergic too.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by haleycookie.

[anonymous]

What test did you use?

Because even if I was to believe it was accurate (I don’t) it would be impossible to avoid all those ingredients in any commercial dog food.
The prescription food goes through a process so the dog does not react to the allergens.

Do you mean food sensitivities as opposed to allergies?
Because food allergies are rare and food sensitivities tend to fluctuate.

If his problems continue I would go to a veterinary dermatologist for testing/diagnosis/treatment. I think you would get much better results.

[Blkdoodle]

My Goldendoodle is allergic (tested) to Potatoes, Bananas, Legumes, Beets, Peanut, Salmon, Shellfish mix, Chicken, Fish mix, Kangaroo, Rabbit, and sensitive to other ingredients popularly used by dog food manufactures.
I have researched and researched trying to find a food with little, prefer NONE, of these above foods and fillers.
I would love suggestions. I thought Sport Elite was the answer with their Venison, but now that is not even on their radar, when they get back into production

Sorry this was to be posted, not a reply.
.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Blkdoodle.

[zcRiley]

If those particular fillers prevent taurine absorption which then leads to heart disease, this may or may not affect healthy pets over time (since adding it would do nothing).

My pit bulls successfully rotated thru half of the 4 and 5 Star foods until suddenly at age 1 1/2, became severely allergic to chicken, grains and a lot of other ingredients. I did a full panel testing for both. Zignature saved their lives, as their topical and ingested medications didn’t help. They were so tortured.

I’ll definitely monitor their heart health much closer as I cannot take them off of Zignature (I’ve tried, bad results immediately in their fecal matter). I have recommended this brand to other members in dire straits. Thank you for this new information!

[Leslie K]

Westie has always had sensitive stomach with occasional bile vomit and refusing of food. Only occurs in early morning accompanied by noisy stomach / intestines. In the last month has been virtually every morning. Murphy is 14 yrs old and has been on a twice a day feeding of prey type raw diet his entire life which eliminated skin allergies.
Have tried splitting his dinner and giving 2nd portion before bed as well as just giving him some sweet potato or 1/2 slice of bread at bedtime. That works occasionally but not enough. Any suggestions on what my senior boy might need in his elder years to make it through the night without waking with stomach distress? Maybe probiotics?

[Rick W]

I stumbled across what some might consider a “hole in the wall” pet shop but inside that shop was a couple whose passion are your pets and solving riddles like what we were dealing with. When I described everything to her, she put our dog on a different food with different supplements. By the way, I forgot to mention above that he was dealing with bad eye drainage too which I didn’t know was relevant until she asked. Bottom line?? We think he is allergic to chicken and everything we were feeding him had chicken in it. We are now on a the large breed puppy food from NutriSource whose main proteins are turkey and whitefish. It’s grain-free as well. She also changed his probiotic from ProPlan version to a brand called Herbsmith. The specific probiotic is Microflora Plus. Last, we were giving him canned pumpkin and she suggested a more concentrated version (dehydrated) that we sprinkle on his food. The brand is Super Snouts and the product is called Pumpkin Latte. It’s a mixture of pumpkin and whole goat’s milk.

Soon after switching over, he was much better and he no longer has all that drainage in his eyes. Glad we found her!

All that said…we just had another bout of diarrhea over the past few days, but we also had a training session which required lots of treats so we need to evaluate what was in those treats because nothing else has changed. It’s always something…

[Kimberly S]

Kathy B, I also have a large breed with recurring UTI’s and I am very encouraged by your post. I did have one question for you though, my dog also has allergies to grain, is Zignature a grain-free food? Also, are all of Zignature’s ingredients have the cranberries or is it a certain label I should look for?
Thank you for giving me hope to an endless battle.
Kimberly S

[Connie L]

Im new to this site and i need some help, im having the worst time with my pitti.. she is having really bad skin issues that affect her ears, her belly skin, and her skin is flaking and she is loosing little patches of hair… every site i have gone on say pitties are notorious for these issue and RAW is the beat way to go.. BUT……. she is allergic to chicken, and alot of these diets call for feeding chicken, a buddy of mines gave me a meal plan to start… i started with ground beef and she seems to be loving the food she cleans her bowl, i also see that they require organs but where i live its seems like its not easy to aquire all the wierd stuff… i guess i need help with meal planning. 😫😫

[anonymous]

I won’t ask what makes you think she is allergic to all these things. I would consult a veterinary dermatologist for accurate testing/diagnosis and treatment (if you haven’t done so already)
Everyone wants to blame the food, often food is not the culpit based on my experience.

Anyway, Nutrisca salmon and some of the Zignature kibbles may meet your criteria, we like the whitefish.

[Dan W]

My sheltie is 7 years old, she’s allergic to chicken, turkey, eggs and white potatoes. Everything I find has chicken bi-products or egg products. She’s 40 pounds and should be 25 – 30, and has skin irritation and rash. The Merrick dog food looked pretty good but someone mentioned that Purina bought them out and changed the ingredients, I’m feeding her Taste of the Wild ( bison and vinison) but the ingredients have chicken and egg products. Help !

[CK C]

I have a dog with IBD who is currently on a special homemade diet. We are hoping to transition him to a store-bought dog food at some point. He needs a simple ingredient food that is pork based. He is allergic to poultry and fish. Our local store recommended a new Horizon brand dog food that is pork meal based called Taiga. I can’t find reviews of it anywhere.

It’s 13% fat, which is great for my dog, who needs a lower fat diet.

I would appreciate any help with this quest! Does this look OK for food?

Here are the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS
PORK MEAL, RED LENTILS, PEAS, GARBANZO BEANS, PEA STARCH, PORK, ALFALFA MEAL, CANOLA OIL, CARROTS, APPLES, BROCCOLI, BOK CHOY, CABBAGE, BLUEBERRIES, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, YUCCA SCHIDIGERA EXTRACT, DRIED ASPERGILLUS NIGER FERMENTATION EXTRACT, PINEAPPLE, DRIED TRICHODERMA LONGIBRACHIATUM FERMENTATION EXTRACT, DRIED ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS CASEI FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED BIFIDOBACTERIUM BIFIDUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, VITAMIN A ACETATE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, RIBOFLAVIN, NIACIN, FOLIC ACID, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, BIOTIN, L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE (SOURCE OF VITAMIN C), FERROUS SULPHATE, IRON PROTEINATE, ZINC SULPHATE, ZINC PROTEINATE, MANGANOUS OXIDE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, COPPER SULPHATE, COPPER PROTEINATE, CALCIUM IODATE, SELENIUM YEAST, MAGNESIUM OXIDE.

[Susan]

Hi Patty,
are you walking her daily, throwing a ball in the yard or park for 20mins X 3 times a day? Excerise will help her lose weight, get her into a routine with her excerising, eat meals the same time, feed 3 small meals a day, if she is hungry then start adding beans with her raw food or as a treat, buy the frozen beans, make sure she goes on daily walks, same time everyday…
A raw diet does make the dog lose weight, cause they are not eating all those carbs that’s in dry processsed kibbles, they are eating what their bodies have been build to eat, raw food, a dog has a short digestive tract made to quickly digest raw meat & move quickly into the small bowel before any bacteria starts to breed, the raw meat moves thru the stomach quickly into the small bowel then large bowel then poo…
A raw diet is healthier, higher in protein & higher fat what a dog needs….
I’ve just started my 9yr boy on Dehydrated Raw Diet. “Frontier Pets” due to declining health, I have to try everything before I put him to sleep, I just wish I started him on this dehydrated raw diet earlier when it came out… I know in the past my boy lost weight when he was eating a home made raw diet, I didnt want him to lose weight, I had to increase his raw diet to keep his weight on, the home made raw diet stopped his yeasty smelly skin, stopped his red paws, then I started a raw elimination diet & found he can not eat chicken, it was the chicken causing his red paws & itchy smelly skin, he also suffers with Seasonal Environment Allergies as well Spring & Summer & baths are best for environment allergies, you wash off the allergens that’s on their skin & paws……
Are you bathing her weekly or twice a week? or as soon as you see her really scratching, rolling around on carpet grass scratching herself give her a bath in a medicated shampoo, it will reduce her itchy skin & paws. I use “Malaseb” Medicated Shampoo for Patch, the Malaseb kills any bacteria or yeast on his skin & paws, relieves his itchy skin & red paws, puts moisture back into his skin & leaves him feeling so soft & silky.. Buy some Malaseb shampoo & start bathing weekly or every 5 days especially now Spring is here….
Look for a raw wet diet or dry air dried raw diet or dehydrated raw diet & stop the Wellness Core dry kibble, if you have 1/4 to 1/2 a bag of the Core then take it back to pet shop & buy her some more raw food, just feed her the raw diet for 1 month & you will see a difference, have you looked at Ziwi Peak air dried & wet can food raw? Ziwi Peak has limited ingredients & good for dogs who have food sensitivities & environment allergies, You don’t need to feed as much as you do with the dry kibble, the 1/2 a cup comes in the Ziwi Peak bag, here’s their site https://www.ziwipets.com/ contact Ziwi Peak if you have any questions.

[pitlove]

Hi Patty-

I think thats a really great question you are asking, but unfortunetly difficult to answer, so I will give you pros and cons.

Pros (from what I’ve heard) from a raw diet is healthy teeth, small stool, evidence of help with allergic dogs. Cons are pathogen exposure, potentially not balancing the meals correctly, possible GI obstruction from bone content.

Weight loss can be tricky. The key is to burn more calories than what is being consumed. If she is not active and is still getting extras in her diet (like the pork pattie and other treats), but isn’t getting enough exercise to burn off those calories, she will not lose weight even on a raw diet. And yes, I’ve seen overweight dogs on raw diets. Raw isn’t a cure all for weight control. You, the owner, still have to put in the work and get the dog exercising. Walks are good, fetch in the yard is good. We use something called a “flirt pole” with my dog to burn calories. The big thing is going to be no more treats! Also, you will need to make sure that everyone in your household is on board with trying to help her lose the weight. Explain to them that she can live up to 2 years longer if you help her lose weight and yall want to keep her around for as long as possible.

[anonymous]

Please consult a veterinary dermatologist. Your dog is young, environmental allergies get worse with age, not better.

See my posts on the topic. /forums/search/environmental+allergies/

[patty S]

She has dry skin and scratches all the time. I have tried a homeopathic treatment for itching cuased by environmental allergies but so far there is only a slight improvement. The vet did give her a shot last year that worked great for the itching but I hate to keep using that as my research showed it wasn’t a great choice. I do give her coconut oil. I am at my wits end. I tried the raw diet and she likes it and is healthy except overweight still. Anyway, thank you.
Patty

[anonymous]

Maybe the milk thistle is causing gastrointestinal upset an/or allergies.
Some information here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/04/milk-thistle-in-dogs-and-cats/
See the comments too.

I like Zignature or Nutrisca as a base for dog food, I always add something like a bit chopped boiled chicken meat or something and a little water.
I have heard good things about Pro Plan Focus for sensitive skin and stomach.

Hope these articles help. When you do “research” you are going to get all kinds of opinions.
Homeopathic veterinarians have very different views on diet than traditional veterinarians.
So you will get a lot of conflicting information, and some of it will not be accurate.
https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[Rick W]

I forgot I didn’t provide this group an update. I wanted to let everyone know that we solved the riddle in case others are needing the same help. I stumbled across what some might consider a “hole in the wall” pet shop but inside that shop was a couple whose passion are your pets and solving riddles like what we were dealing with. When I described everything to her, she put our dog on a different food with different supplements. By the way, I forgot to mention above that he was dealing with bad eye drainage too which I didn’t know was relevant until she asked. Bottom line?? He is allergic to chicken and everything we were feeding him had chicken in it. We are now on a the large breed puppy food from NutriSource whose main proteins are turkey and whitefish. It’s grain-free as well. She also changed his probiotic from ProPlan version to a brand called Herbsmith. The specific probiotic is Microflora Plus. Last, we were giving him canned pumpkin and she suggested a more concentrated version (dehydrated) that we sprinkle on his food. The brand is Super Snouts and the product is called Pumpkin Latte. It’s a mixture of pumpkin and whole goat’s milk.

Soon after switching over, he was much better and he no longer has all that drainage in his eyes. Glad we found her!

[Ron S]

I also bought Dr Marty’s food that is supposed to help with allergies and health problems. Even as expensive as it is, for my pet I am willing to try. Unfortunately after my dog walking away from the food and not even trying, I was very disappointed Thinking that my dog is spoiled I tossed the food after a few hours and tried again the next morning, again mixing with her old food. She picked out the old food and possibly ate a small amount of the new, She finally ate some of it and promptly got sick at her stomach. I purchased 3 bags and am waiting on a return authorization to return the remaining 2 bags.

[Blkdoodle]

Have you had an allergy test run? I kept changing foods and giving away what didn’t work and it was all most was as expensive as the test. Now I have exactly what I need to look out for in allergies for Callie. Which helps my research. My sister in law has a blond Goldendoodle and she will NOT give him anything with beef. She believes that is what turns the hair around his eyes dark. My gal is black so don’t have to worry about that. Good luck with your search.