[K B]

I have an 11mo old Goldendoodle who has food allergies. We have found a food that she loves that does not upset her digestion but I would love to read your review of the product. It is:
Proformatrin Wet Dog Food, specifically the Turkey in Broth formula.

We value your reviews highly and hope you can review this product for us.

Many thanks!
K Bryant

[Laurie D]

A Petco manager told me about this dog food made from crickets and grubs. It sounded disgusting, but he said dogs love bugs and the food is easily digested, helps with allergies. Any thoughts about this dog food? I researched it, and it’s got good reviews, etc.

Thank you for your time and answers.

[David H]

Basically, I’ve done a ton of research on my hyper allergic dog on this site and others to find him food but am having trouble.

We recently did an (expensive) allergy test to see what exactly he is allergic to and it turned out to be quite a lot. I love this dog with all of me so I want to find him something that he enjoys and that he is not allergic to.

We have been giving him Canidae Pure Goodness Salmon and Sweet Potato but I realized today that it contains white potatoes as well as sweet potatoes (he is allergic to white not sweet potatoes) so I need another option. I will try to include an Imgur or similar link so you can see his allergies (there are a lot) if anyone can help me figure this out. Thanks.

Here is the imgur link. I hope they are allowed on this forum: https://imgur.com/a/9rXy3Rz

The key things he is allergic to are:

Milk (VERY allergic)
Liver, Beef
Beet
Potato, White
Lamb
Barley
Kangaroo
Turkey
Soybean
Chicken
Brewer’s Yeast

[Kathleen C]

Wow, I had never heard of this brand before until I saw the review here on The Dog Food Advisor just recently. I see people have been talking about it for years! I want to try to get my chicken allergic dog off of Royal Canin phony food and onto some whitefish Tender and True. Anyone out there using the fish, either whitefish or salmon? Although I worry maybe more about the heavier salmon fish than the whitefish, is that actually a problem?

[Gray P]

We all know how harmful any kind of food that is made in factories is for us. As people become more conscious about their health, they are more inclined towards homemade or natural food. Natural foods are just as important for dogs as natural foods are for humans. No other food is better than “Natural dog foods”.

Foods that are found in nature can meet all the needs of dogs. Dogs can easily digest such foods. However, some natural foods are harmful to dogs. You should avoid them. Otherwise, they can be dangerous for your dog.

Why choose natural food for dogs?
It is a universally accepted fact that all kinds of nutrients are present in natural foods. Those who prefer natural foods to other foods have benefited greatly from them. Such as increased energy, immunity, healthy hair and skin, etc. If you feed your natural dog food then naturally you will notice such positive changes in the dog too. Why?

Because just think about how an unnatural food is made. Various ingredients such as artificial colors, preservatives, added flavors, and fillers are used to enhance the taste of the food. But these unnatural ingredients are very dangerous to health and can cause the death of your dog.

Features a good meal
You will understand why natural food is best for dogs by considering the following factors. Those are the key factors that make food good.

Easily Digestible
Healthy and Longer Lifespan
Reduction in allergies
Reduction in skin ailments
Weight Control
So we know why to feed natural food to dogs. At this point, let us see which are the best natural foods for dogs.

Carrots
Not only for humans, but carrots are also very healthy for dogs. When a dog chews on a carrot, it helps to remove plaque from the dog’s teeth. It makes the dog’s teeth healthy.

Carrots can be a great source of vitamin A for dogs. Vitamin A helps in boosting immunity, skin, and digestion in dogs. In addition, the nutrients contained in carrots can be easily absorbed by dogs as they are digested quickly.

Blueberries

Despite their small size, the berries are very nutritious. Among the berries, blueberries are the most nutritious and one of the Natural dog foods. Blueberries have many positive properties for dogs. It contains high levels of antioxidants, which help your dog’s cells grow and prevent kidney damage. It helps in the growth of the dog’s brain cells which helps in increasing the dog’s physical strength.

Strawberries and berries are high in fiber and vitamins that help prevent your dog’s stomach issues and weight gain. So it can be said that blueberries are an ideal food for dogs.

Apples
Apples are a very tasty fruit and you will want to give your dog a portion of them. Dogs love to eat apples.

Apples have many nutrients. It contains vitamin A and C. Apples are also a good source of fiber and it helps in improving digestion in dogs.

More to checkout
White rice
Fish
Watermelon
Pumpkin
Chia Seeds
Green beans
Eggs
Ginger
Bananas
Cucumbers
Parsley
Bone broth
Turmeric

source: https://graypets.com/natural-dog-foods/

• This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Gray P.

[Kathleen C]

Lilia M: It’s your understanding then that your dog was allergic to the white fish and that caused the problems? After just 2 days of trying to switch my dog to salmon based food his stool became much softer again; not very, like diarrhea, but maybe a worry. I gave up on the salmon. I hate the idea of Royal Canin, but worry about stomach problems. A friend suggested going to a beef or lamb food to stay away from chicken, however all those have chicken in them too. Dog food is a quagmire of stupidity. If chicken is main source of allergies to large percentage of dogs why does dog food have so much chicken in it? I don’t think even the Dog Food Advisor can answer that. I’m finished with trying to switch this dog away from RC. I should be happy something works.

[sky S]

Ok here’s the main question, is there a dog food out there that will work for both a senior and a puppy, that doesn’t contain wheat or corn that will not cause to much weight gain for the senior?

A bit of the details

Jax is a 6 year old (ok he’s not really senior but he has some senior problems) chihuahua/pitbull mix (yes i know, laugh, but it’s cute!) with hip dysplasia and who could stand to lose about 3 of 4 lbs. He also definitely has a wheat allergy, but his current food also doesn’t contain corn or soy and I’m pretty sure he’s at least sensitive to those as well. Currently he’s on 4health weight management, which is working well-ish for him but I still can’t feed him the full recommended amount without him getting really fat really quick and with his hip issues that’s really not a good thing.

Niko is a 5 month old lab/husky mix puppy I will be getting soon from a neglected/borderline abusive environment. He is currently on Purina One, no known allergies or medical problems that I know of yet, however he is on the thin side even for a gangly puppy. I am not sure how much of this is due to neglect and not getting enough exercise and how much may be due to food.

Ideally of course I’d love to only have to get one food for both of them, however with them having much different needs right now I highly doubt I’ll be able to find that.

Any suggestions for either one would be highly welcome!

Thanks!

[Kathleen C]

I went onto a site earlier asking about feeding your dog 3 meals a day and wound up complaining about my dogs extreme diarrhea and his being diagnosed as allergic to chicken. The vet convinced me to start feeding him Royal Canin. I want to thank Mike for sending me an email with information about allergies and how to find out what your dog is allergic to. I personally do not believe Jack is allergic to chicken, but I’m now starting another Royal Canin Hydrolyzed dog food with lower fat. The email also contained Mike’s list of best allergy fighting dog foods but it contained the Royal Canin and my vet has made me so frightened of switching to real dog food again that I can’t bring myself to do it. What gets me is the third ingredient is chicken fat.

[Roger O]

Just received and read Mike’s article on food allergies. I’d like to expand that a bit by saying that most (obviously not all) vets have no clue as what to do for food allergies.. The ones I’ve seen, or spoken to simply ask that I try an elimination diet, and when the dog stops having diarrhea, that’s the food that he’ll tolerate.

My pup is so sensitive to all animal protein, that he can only tolerate mahi mahi fish, nothing else. Even plain flounder upsets his stomach. Forget any mammalian red meat of any kind.

By the way, he does do ok on the hydralized protein food, but absolutely hates it, to the point that he’ll starve rather than eat. At almost 14 years old, I will not torture him, so mahi mahi it is…

Your suggestions, are greatly appreciated!

Roger

[Frances F]

Are there foods that address both allergy and kidney problems? And ones that are not terribly fattening would also be beneficial.

[Jthompsm]

My 12-year-old mixed breed rescue has suddenly developed some digestive issues. My vet suggested grain-free, chicken and beef-free formulas, with the caution that we use a dog food that does NOT have legumes (lentils, peas etc). There is confirmed research these ingredients can cause heart issues in dogs — on the increase since dog food producers have used legumes heavily in grain-free formulas. I noticed in your recent newsletter that the recommendations in “best dog food for allergies” almost all included legumes. Can you do a review article on best dog food for allergies that do NOT include legumes? Thanks.

[Lauren K]

I’d like you to reconsider the foods listed on the “Best Foods for Dogs with Allergies” page.

The FDA has potentially linked grain free foods that have legumes as one of the top 10 ingredients to heart disease in dogs. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy?fbclid=IwAR3xd-Yu2m5C4TkUViEPG3Z5qYEKpJazOOVcS9ph-Z6jrImWORQTC4c0pmA

My dog is a pit mix, has severe allergies, has been on grain free food all her life, and now has heart disease and has experienced congestive heart failure. She has switched to hydrolyzed dog food, is taking 12 pills a day, and may be ok/improve as long as her diet DOES NOT include significant quantities of legumes.

3 of your 5 top 5 include legumes as one of the top 5 ingredients, but there are other options, including grain free without legumes, hydrolyzed dog food, etc.

Thanks for considering!

[Kathleen C]

I started my 11 year old Boston Jack on 3 meals a day when he came down in March with, as of right now, an unknown reason for severe diarrhea and the vet convinced me to switch him to Royal Canin, which I did not want to do. I still believe there was something in his senior/small dog Wellness food that may have caused the problem. Whatever, the vet believed the RC Hydrovised (?) food would cure him and even control his weight. It cured him, I guess if there was a problem, but did not control his weight. The bag shows 17% fat but she says when you subtract the water 10% that brings it down to 8%??? I never have heard of that math! Anyway, Jack is now used to eating 3 meals of 1/4 cup per day, but because of weight gain I’m going back to 2 meals a day. Calorie content with RC is low, but I can’t accept percent of fat amount vet says. However, getting back on Subject: I see no reason not to feed 3 times a day unless it leads to weight gain like Jacks. I will give him maybe 1/3 cup food twice a day and see if that helps weight. I would rather find a good no chicken to change him to but very hard to do so. Oh yes, during all this expensive vet testing stuff she has discovered he’s allergic to chicken. At 11 years of age I doubt there’s any time at all when he was not eating chicken! What causes that???

[Riley W]

Yes, it happened to me that I received expired products, and it was a regular practice for that online shop, I guess. Because when I complained, they just told me they’d make an exchange. And I also ordered one of the https://www.catfoodpoint.com/best-grain-free-cat-food/ premium foods, as we avoid wheat because of allergic reactions. And, of course, the same as in your case, it’s not at all convenient to do the exchange every time. It all ended with the fact that I had to find another shop. I actually don’t really know if it’s safe to give such expired food to pets, but I’ve never risked.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Riley W.

[Wendy T]

My 6 yoa 122lb Rottweiler tested allergic to 33 different items including chicken, turkey, lamb, soybean, rice, egg, milk, all berries, all squash, pumpkin, sunflower (and oil) and guar. He suffers from irritable bowel, hip dysplasia and arthritis. He is overweight and doesn’t like any fish based foods. Does anyone have a suggestion for feeding? If I have to prepare his food I am willing but want to be sure I meet all his dietary needs.

[Chandra H]

Hi! I have a 1 year 9 month old lab. She is great, super active, good weight, strong and fun. However, she has NEVER had a solid poop in her life. I know she has a chicken and egg intolerance and probably several other allergies. She constantly licks her paws, itches, etc. However, the smelling, sopping wet poops are really hard to deal with. She goes about 4-5 times a day and they are a yellow-ish brown color. She has been tested for parasites, etc. so it isn’t that.

This is not new, this has been going on since she came home. I had her on probiotics for a while but it didn’t change anything. She has been on Life Abundance, Purina Pro Sensitive Skin and Stomach, Science Hill prescription, and Open Farm. In the past 1.5 years, we have tried grains and grain free. She is currently on Open Farm Turkey (wet and dry). I really feel like there is something going on with her stomach and I just don’t know where to go from here. She did best on the prescription diet, but it wasn’t firm then either. My vet thinks she just has a lot of allergies . Does anyone have any suggestions?

Oh, and we have tried Turkey, Chicken, Beef, and Salmon proteins and the only difference is that on Chicken she does very poorly. (She looses hair, diarrhea, etc). Thanks for any ideas that may help my sweet girl.

[Maarissa B]

Hello everyone!
We recently started feeding our 6 month old miniature Australian shepherd the honest kitchen grain free beef dehydrated food. Our vet thought he may be allergic to chicken as he kept having loose, light colored stools and recommended trying something with beef. As soon as I made the switch his stools firmed up, however they are DARK, and almost green colored. Is this related to the fact that it is such a rich formula, and has so many greens in it anyway? He is acting totally fine on the food, tons of energy and LOVES the food. Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else.

[Sean W]

Hi everyone,

We recently had our 9-year-old chocolate lab allergy-tested and he came back with the following things testing positive and their HERBU scores are:

Barley: 14
Chicken: 29
Fish Mix: 45
Lamb: 19
Milk: 19
Pea: 27
Peanut: 57
Pork: 24

He was previously on Hills Prescription Metabolic & Mobility which is $106 for a 24lb bag to try and help him lose a little weight and with him being a labrador retriever, the mobility was to help stave off joint issues. I’m having a hard time finding a food that doesn’t have some ingredient in it that he is allergic to. Do you guys have any advice?

Thank you!

[Caroline Z]

My Golden Retriever has allergies to eggs, salmon, peas and legumes. I don’t know if anyone above mentioned Dr. Harvey’s Specialty Diet – Allergy – Turkey or Fish Recipe. Dehydrated food. Pleased with this and my dog is doing well on this. Expensive if only using this for the amount she needs. She was underweight and would like to add some decent dry kibbles to use as well. Get tired of reading labels, labels. Any suggestions? She does best with beef and turkey. Could handle some fish, but not salmon.

[Donna R]

I know I’m late to the conversation here, but pea allergies are real. BUT in the event anyone comes to this thread I wanted to share my experience.

My dog has SEVERE POULTRY allergies. ALL POULTRY and POULTRY BY PRODUCTS… Chicken fat, Chicken Liver, Eggs, Egg Shells, Turkey, Turkey Broth, liver, fat, etc. Let’s just say, I’ll not be subjecting her to any winged animal protein anymore, ever. She’s suffered enough.
Through that adventure, I discovered she’s also allergic (both itching, and extreme panting, etc) to peas, lentils and potatoes. I’m taking it on what I’ve read and studied about nightshade veggies/plants causing allergic reactions to animals with sensitivities to deduce I’m not going to go through them ALL. I know enough to know I’m not taking chances. So anything with ANY Nightshade Plants/Veggies as ingredients will be a no go for me. Poor little thing has suffered enough and I’ve finally found what works for her and I’m sticking with it until, for some reason, it no longer does. We’ve been on this for almost a year without issue (knock on wood).
First we tried Pork. She did excellent with it, thankfully. But I also use different Novel PROTEINS in rotation. Rabbit and Kangaroo for now. I am using kibble, freeze dried and dehydrated. She’s doing great. No itching, no yeast, no signs of any allergies or adverse reactions. She’s maintained a healthy weight and energy level.
Sadly, this won’t work for everyone, but… NOVEL PROTEINS generally will. Avoiding Nightshade plants and veggies may be a great beginning to helping also. There’s tons of them and no need to torture your baby going thru the list when you know if they’re sensitive to one or two chances are great they will be to a great many so keep them all on LIST TO AVOID.
When all else fails freeze dried and dehydrated. While it’s pricy, there are ways to help keep costs in check by being inventive in how you use it. Find a kibble that’s suitable for your baby and mix in.
I do hope this is helpful to all you pet parents who struggle when they see their baby suffer and feel helpless when trying to help.

[Stephanie W]

My brother’s Newfoundland has loose stools. We have tried Purina Forti Florida for dogs, tried canned pumpkin, nothing seems to be working. We are now switching his dog food to Purina ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon & rice – large breed dog food. We have had him checked for parasites – nothing. The vet suggested that he might have allergies to chicken so we have switched to the salmon. His first poo seems to be getting better, a little formed, then when he poos the second time it is real loose (hard to clean up)

Any suggestions would be very helpful. He is eating about 5 1/2 cup per day split between breakfast and dinner. His weight is around 160 lbs.

[Kate L]

Hi! I know this topic has been covered endlessly, but I wanted to share my experiences with allergies and maybe gain some insight on different kinds of food for my 7 year old staffy, Gumbo.

We adopted Gumbo when he was 2. He was missing hair, his coat was dull and rough, belly and paws were red and irritated, and he was constantly scratching. The only allergy we were informed of was chicken. He was immediately started on a prescription diet of Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein. It helped slightly, but still itchy and red.

After not seeing much of a difference with the prescription diet, I tried a few store bought foods. Zignature Kangaroo, Taste of the Wild (with fish) and Instinct (can not remember which we tried.) Nothing really helped and we put him back on the prescription diet, this time Royal Canin Ultamino. We do not feed any treats-just carrots and cucumbers.

Monthly cytopoint shots started two years after we got him which I would say brought him the most relief. He also got groomed monthly and bathed with oatmeal bath. Still not 100% but the best he had been. His nails were still red, raw and yeasty. I almost feel he has more of an environmental allergy at this point-different times of the year he seems better or worse.

Over the past few months I have noticed the cytopoint injections are not helping at all. I know it is dry in December where we reside, but his itch became unbearable. His breath was rotten. Coat looked terrible. Vet put him on antibiotics for a “skin infection.” The stink and extreme itch went away, but he was still uncomfortable.

Out of desperation I found an article online that said dehydrated beets had helped their dog considerably.
I immediately ordered and I can not even begin to explain the difference I’ve noticed in Gumbo this month. His nails are growing in completely white (which I have never seen before-they are always brown/red/streaky) his coat is gleaming and his energy is great. He is barely scratching himself. If anything he is still licking his paws, but we are trying to be diligent about wiping them down when wet and using medicated wipes and cream. Then we wrap him like a burrito so he can’t lick the cream off.

I know I shouldn’t mess with something that seems to be working-but I am also tempted to try another type of food with limited ingredients. At $100/month and our first baby on the way it would be great to find him a more cost-effective food and I just don’t love the idea of a kibble that is made in a lab. I’ve considered making his food-I just haven’t done enough research and want to make sure he’s getting the correct ratio of protein, vitamins and nutrients.

I just received a sample from Verus. I spoke with the operations manager and she recommended the menhaden fish formula. Gumbo loved it but it immediately gave him terrible gas..
“We truly believe that VeRUS could be the perfect fit for your furbaby. In addition to offering chelated and proteinated vitamins and minerals (where the body can absorb more efficiently than standard vitamins and minerals), we utilize wholesome ingredients without the use of synthetic chemical preservatives, fillers, or by products. Our cooking methods and standards of manufacturing are of the highest possible being that we are manufactured in an EU certified (European Union) facility. This mandates that each ingredient must be fit for human consumption with an increased level of testing to confirm only the best ingredients are trusted and safe to be used in our formulas. Reliability and transparency are the principles of VeRUS with dedication to nutrition being the guiding force.”

So I’m leaning towards trying a full bag of this food but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on what has worked for their pup. I always feel for anyone going through allergy troubles because it has been something we have been dealing with for years. We really do everything we can for our furbabies! Thank you for reading my novel and any insight you may have.

[Regina A]

Hi, our dog when we first rescued him also had a horrible allergies. we didn’t know why. he would lick, chew and scratch at his skin, 24/7. We suspected after many switches it was fish product related.
The only dry dog food we found after years of searching was Dr. Pol’s Healthy balance Chicken Recipe dog food. Based on your list above, I believe the only ingredient it has is flaxseed but perhaps if it’s the only item, even if he may have a slight reaction, it may still be a dramatic improvement over what he’s been having.
If you change dog foods just make sure to slowly add it to the current dog food and gradually increase the amount over at least a couple weeks before changing it completely so you don’t also upset your dog’s tummy and have diarrhea. And remember it can take a a couple months to really see the different it might make. I feel so strongly about it because our dog was really suffering. He’s a light tan shih tzu so we could see his skin was always red and inflamed, including his gums. and where ever he licked his coat was rust colored and felt like wire. Now he has no rust colored spots and his coat is so soft. I couldn’t believe that difference it made. I hope it will at least help. Best Wishes for you and your fur baby.

[Mel R]

Hi everyone. I’m at crying point for my lovely female boxer. She’s 7 this year and she’s been the most poorliest dog I’ve ever had. I’ve read about the same problem on this forum that my bitch has and I’ve read all of peoples solutions but I’ve done them all. I’m devastated for her. For 6 years my girl has had the gulping thing but can I start by telling you of her illness so you will understand why I can’t try all of your suggestions . She started at an early age of itching and scratching her ears were left bleeding and her chest sliced from her claws. She has no fur left on her chest now. She’s bald. The fur just doesn’t grow back. So in 2018 I had an allergy test done . It cost £450 but it wasn’t the money ( I’m just trying to explain that it should be an extensive test for that price. ). It turns out she’s allergic to 13 things…….dust, grass, weeds, beech trees, birch trees, ostrich in dog food, venison in dog food, grain, blue fish ( I can’t remember the rest . I’m waiting for the vet to send me a print out). So I put her on a hypoallergenic food, grain free dog food. The vet that told me of all these allergies said that a dog can eat everything on a pig apart from the oink hmmm funny… so she’s on pork , sweet potato and apple. But her gulping remained. All her life when she’s had an episode of gulping I’ve automatically opened the back door and she’s ran out to eat grass for 30 minutes minimum but you may remember that I said she’s allergic to grass 😔. Recently I moved house which has no garden so when she has a gulping fit I’m walking to the field at the bottom of the road at 3am in the morning just to stop her from gulping. The grass seems to stop the gulping but it’s not doing her grass allergy any good. She panics and just expects grass. She’s been put on omeprazole 3 months ago and I’ve spaced her food out incase it’s too heavy on her stomach to have big portion. I also got her a food bowl and water bowl with them lumps in the bowl ( to stop them from eating too fast ) and I also took her collar off ( I only put her collar on when it’s time for walkies. ). She’s gone the longest time ever without having a bad gulping fit , which is 10 weeks and when she has a small panic gulp I put her head in my hand and stroke her throat ( easier without the collar on ). But today no stroking her throat would calm her down. 3 hours of gulping and panicking … she vomited. She has never vomited. The vet has put her on a steroid called medrone to fight her itching but it’s not the answer to ALL her allergies and I’m also aware that steroids ruin the organs in time. She’s been on them 4 years now and when she’s had to come off them for an acl operation her itching went worse . She’s also been diagnosed with pancreatitis last week so
. If anyone has got any recent suggestions they are more than welcome . Just bare in mind she’s limited with all her problems .
Thankyou

[lexie M]

hey guys. I have been dealing with this for a very long time my dog is now 13. she’s a pit mix. We are currently having an episode right now that’s what made me finally search it on the internet. I’ve tried all your common acid reflux medicine and she’s on Science Diet sensitive skin and stomach dog food. But what I have noticed in these last few episodes she has had is she starts having them in the middle of eating her dog food she goes from eating dog food all the sudden she’s hacking like she’s got dog food stuck in her throat and then looking for grass or carpet or whatever she can eat. We’ve been going through this for years I think the sensitive skin and stomach dog food has helped but still we have the episodes but now like I said it is whenever she is eating she will start after she has choked on a piece or something. Because it’s not after she eats, it’s mid meal. She’s ate so much carpet and other things in the past and then usually 2 – 3 days in she would throw up all the grass all the carpet she ate in a big ol wad and she would feel better. Her last episodes I have never noticed that final throw up happening it just finally subsides actually. I keep a closer eye on her now and make sure she doesn’t eat carpet and try not to let her eat grass when she goes outside. These episodes still last 2 to 3 days and she’s just miserable makes me so sad for her but it’s not acid reflux it’s not allergies it’s like she gets food stuck in her throat I massage her throat tap her on her back try to do whatever I can to dislodge this piece of dog food or whatever is making her choke and hack we still have not had any luck though. I showed my video to vets as well this is like this most uncommon ailment in dogs nobody knows how to cure it if it isnt acid reflux and it isn’t allergies…

[John K]

Before dying your pet’s hair, make sure that the product you use is safe for your dog. It is important to never use products designed for humans because they contain chemicals that can harm your dog. Choose a product made specifically for dogs and buy it from a reputable manufacturer. Also, you must make sure that your dog does not have any allergies. Before attempting to dye your pet’s hair, you should consult with your vet about whether it is safe for your animal.

Source: Doggie Hair Dye – Dog Hair Dye

[Hanna D]

I have a Cocker Spaniel that has food allergies. She is allergic to dairy, beef, wheat and flaxseed. We don’t want grain free food or any with legumes. What she is on now she doesn’t like. Does anyone have any recommendations of foods or maybe a website I can put in the ingredients she is allergic to and it provide me a list?

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic

[ryan E]

My dog has alwaysgood and had a strong stomach and never had any dietary allergies. But Sundays made his poop very mushy constantly. Once in a while he would have massive diarreah. We love the brand, their process, the smell and quality of the food, and even the packaging, but unfortunately, this isn’t right for our dog.

The basic idea behind this Click counter is to measure the clicks in a particular time interval. That means clicker counter. if you select the time for 30 sec,

[Regina A]

My male dog also suffered terribly from allergies. when I switched to a grain free and saw improvement I thought it was the grain he was allergic to even though the vet said it’s highly unlikely that a dog would be allergic to grain. all along it ended up being all the fish oil/fish meal. Not saying it is the same for you but I thought it was the grain because I changed dog food brands and saw improvement. Please read my post on “finally a a dog food with NO Fish Ingredients” I don’t know if you would want to try the food but it’s been a game changer for my dogs. They are both on Dr Pol’s healthy balance chicken recipe dry dog food. I saw the ingredients, doesn’t look like it has any fish product(omega’s) and no potatoes. It does have brown rice and barley but like I said…..it could be the other two ingredents and not the grain. might be worth a shot. hope this helps…

[Staci W]

My dog has allergies and they effect his skin badly. I was informed by my vet to go grain free. That helped some but he was still having some major issues with loosing his fur and odors and well as bad skin. He was really starting to look like he had mange. Vet says no Potatoes. He has yeast and Potatoes feed yeast. Ok so I go find a food that has no grain and no potatoes. His skin is healing within days of this switch. But now he smells like cat pee. We do not have cats and he is a senior dog who does not hang outside long enough to roll in cat urine. I googled it and turns out it is common in dogs who are sensitive to high Omega 3 & 6. So now I need to find a dog food that is Grain Free, Potato Free, and low in Omegas. NO I’m not going to feed raw and NO I’m not going to cook for him. I barely have time to cook for myself let alone my doggo.

[Todd L]

Hi All, sorry if this is the wrong sub-forum for this question or if I missed it. I did a forum search and didn’t find it.

It appears the review was updated in March of this year and shows as a 5 star, highly recommended.

However, further down the the ingredients and nutrient analysis sound average at best.

In addition, the comments about the food are very negative.

I am switching my dogs off of poultry and beef due to suspected allergies from our vet (ear infections, hot spots).

Thanks!

[Michelle A]

My dog eats the Kangaroo low fat kibble which I mix with the Kangaroo wet. She loves it. Her stool is so much better than it used to be. She has environmental and food allergies. You may want to switch from Rabbit as it just may be too rich for your dogs stomach. I have not tried the rabbit on Rayne, but I used to use the Rabbit by Nature’s Variety and even though it is a high grade food, it was too rich for my dogs belly. I like Rayne. It is expensive, but a better more well dog is worth it.

[Hanna D]

I have a cocker spaniel with beef, dairy, wheat and flaxseed allergies. I have a golden retriever with anal gland issues. I would like to find a dog food both can it. I want to stay away from GRAIN FREE! Right now they are on Royal Canin weight dog food.

[MashaT22]

Hi all! Hoping someone out there can help me out.

My service dog has had extreme food and environmental allergies since 2017. Back then, the vet felt he could eat a non-prescription diet as long as we avoided the proteins that he was allergic to. For anyone that has done allergy tests at the vet, they’ll know a 300 for each allergen is severe. My boys tested anywhere from 300 to 2000+, mostly on the upper end of that scale. However, there were still enough types of food that he was not allergic to thankfully which meant I could just avoid what we knew he was allergic to and feed what we knew he wasn’t allergic to. I just had to carefully read labels if I gave him new treats and we kept to the same food formula.

I recently noticed changes in his symptoms to the environmental allergies during/after he was going outside, so we redid his allergy tests again since it’s been a long time. To my surprise (because I don’t see any obvious symptoms after I feed him any food/treats), we learned that he’s now allergic to so many types of food and environmental allergens that he’s practically allergic to himself! Some allergens go as high as 2800 — it’s dairy, some plant based foods/oils, and all proteins they can test for (they can’t test every type of food out there obviously), Amazingly, there are no issues with wheat, corn, etc.

Anyway, the vet initially suggested Ultamino from Royal Canin. Problem number one is that I’m bothered by the main protein is chicken by-product (aka junk) rather than chicken or chicken meal. This is a service dog that needs the best possible nutrition, and the service dog organization told us to stay away from anything listing byproducts on the label. It’s a bit shocking that a prescription diet could theoretically contain who knows what in it. I am also concerned why corn starch is listed as the first ingredient — and I see a similar trend of some weird ingredients being listed as the first ingredient when I looked at some other hydrolyzed brands like Science Diet. Doesn’t seem very nutritious to have weird things like corn starch as the first ingredient.

The second problem is the price. There’s no way I can afford these prescription options. My boy has been eating Science Diet Chicken and Barley formula for a very long time now. A 35 lbs bag is usually $55-$60 and lasts and 6-8 weeks. Ultamino, as an example, is only sold in 19 lbs for $99 each. That means I’d have to spend WAY more on Ultamino for the equivalent amount of pounds (ie, two 19 lbs bags for $200) than what I’m spending now on SD. I don’t mean to put a price on my priceless boy, but I sadly just don’t have that kind of money given my financial circumstances.

That being said, I’m looking for alternatives that may cost less and have the maximum nutrition value possible. The vet told me that any brand/formula I feel is suitable (he knows I’m knowledgeable about canine nutrition and labels) so long as it’s a hydrolyzed formula. I’d prefer a non-prescription option because I have more of a chance of being able to catch sales, apply coupon codes, and not have to constantly request refills — however, I am also open to less costly prescription options that are healthier without byproducts and weird ingredients than Ultamino. It also must be kibble to abide by rules set by the service dog school due to the way they are trained. He cannot eat wet food.

I would also like to understand why the diets I’ve looked at have weird ingredients as the first ingredient. I’m guess it has something to do with the hydrolyzing process, but why would the amount exceed the amount of protein and most of the actual food in the ingredients? It’s concerning to me, and I’d love more information about this if anyone has it.

There is an old topic that is closed to posts where a someone there recommended a specific formula from WholeHearted that is hydrolyzed and sold without a prescription. /forums/topic/nonprescription-hydrolyzed-protein-dog-food/

I am hoping there might be more options being that the above post is from 2018. This WholeHearted formula is a pea-based, grain-free formula that can lead to DCM in dogs. Being that my boy isn’t allergic to grains, I’d prefer a food option “with” grains that so I won’t have to start supplementing taurine and monitoring him for potential DCM issues.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and respond! I’m very passionate about my boy’s health and well-being. He’s perfectly healthy thankfully other than the allergies he developed shortly after I brought him home from service dog school at age 2.5. Any input would be deeply appreciated.

[Tammie B]

Good morning Tracey! I’m so sorry your babies are going thru this! I give my baby a supplement that eliminated his incontinence and I have a friend who had great success eliminating the bladder stones/crystals. If you’d like more info, just let me know. He’s a yorkie and has had bouts of pancreatitis, haven’t had any of that in a very long time. He may not be as prone as your babies, but I’m happy to share what and why I feed what I do. He does have horrible allergies and was on apoquel for years, successfully off apoquel and on an all natural supplement now.

[Andrea L]

Hi,

I have an 11 year old Yorkie who has food allergies or intolerances (causing itching, skin lesions),it’s also likely that she has outdoor allergies since in the spring/summer she will easily develop eye/ear infections. After trying beef, pork alternatives with no luck, the fish based food I started her on cleared up her skin within the first 2 weeks of her being on it .A year and a half later she developed a bladder infection that showed 2 types of crystals in her urine. Supposedly caused b y the dog food . Her vet put her on Royal Canin SO to clear the crystals and it worked ,yet within 3-4 months of being on this food (chicken based which I knew yet my vet said the crystals was much more of a concern than the itchy skin issue ) she has again broken out with lessons and is all over itchy. Her yearly bloodwork (a few weeks ago) showed a crazy liver #,thyroid was checked and all normal so she goes for liver ultrasound Monday .I’m assuming the liver is completely separate form anything else she’s dealing with . From everything I’ve read allergy testing is inconclusive . Im looking for advice on how to help her be comfortable and not itch the rest of her life yet not have bladder issues . Im not sure what to feed her or if I should stay on the SO diet to control the crystals and then pursue allergy meds once we resolve the liver issue . I’m honestly at a loss and I’m against medication if I possible.

Thank you for any help /advice

[houndraptor]

Okay, so for starters this is my first self-owned dog ever. He’s a retired racing Greyhound, and I’m a pre-veterinary college student who overthinks like everything and worries constantly about my dog.

My hound came home in January, and I first started feeding him ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach salmon & oatmeal… he had loose stool & pretty bad dandruff, which the vet chalked up to being due to stress. I switched him to ProPlan beef & rice, and he continued to have loose stool but the dandruff became literally horrific like it looked like it was snowing on him. NOT allergies, and he weirdly wasn’t itchy? He just had ridiculously dry skin.

Then, I switched him to Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains (the lamb one) in hopes of trying to curb his dandruff (omega-3 supplements weren’t helping), and he had HORRIFIC diarrhea, I mean like straight up he had the runs. I took him to the vet the next morning and we did a course of metronidazole & probiotic paste. The probiotic paste gave him some temporary relief.

Because of his reaction to TOTW, I switched him to Canidae beef & oatmeal. And honestly? he was doing really well for awhile. I was also supplementing fiber through Olewo Carrots for awhile, but we ran out and have been issues ordering another bag until yesterday. We were still having 50/50 loose stool and good poops, my only qualm was that he seems to have a duller coat. And now we are here…. Aaaand he is having liquid shoot-out-the-butt poops again- I bought him Fortiflora, but I don’t think it’s doing much to help. I made him an appointment to see the vet again but they couldn’t squeeze us in until Thursday. I’m kind of at a loss lol… I feel like total garbage and I don’t know what to do 🙁

He doesn’t have any other symptoms than the diarrhea either! It’s not parasites (I’ve had him tested twice), he’s not lethargic, he isn’t in pain, he’s not itchy, he’s not vomiting, he’s eating & drinking like normal, there’s no blood. He’s totally normal other than having horrific diarrhea!

[Gabriel W]

My dog has always had a strong stomach and never had any dietary allergies. But Sundays made his poop very mushy constantly. Once in a while he would have massive diarreah. We love the brand, their process, the smell and quality of the food, and even the packaging, but unfortunately, this isn’t right for our dog.

Curious to see if anyone else has also been experiencing this with Sundays.

[Robert G]

Hi, I have a GSD and she is having her second episode with belly hot spots which she licks and bits and which also cause crusty side lips and has her licking her lips all the time and at same time she is lethargic. Vet says allergies. But to what? We have fed her home made chicken and Zignature High Protein Kibble her entire 5 years of life so far with no problems. And once you start down the road of Allergies and food it gets crazy and you get crazy reading about it all. Our breeder says it is the NexGard Flea and tick pills. She forbids them and says they are killing our dog. Pesticide that never leaves the system and just builds up.
So what am I to think.
I did notice Zignature Kibble size change recently. And I wonder if it has coincided. I contacted them and they said no change to formula, that it is just a machine change. Then I read on your forum about Zignature problems and someone mentioned they don’t make food themselves….. oh boy.

Any advice on my dogs situation and how to solve?

[Tracey G]

I am in the same boat. Walter, half shitzu and mutt, developed pancreatitis about 10 years ago after prednisone for allergies. The apoquel was not a help and was expensive. He is now 13. He has been on Hills low fat diet for years with no issues. If and when we tried something else, he had a flare up. We just picked him up from the vet today after having stone surgery. They pulled out a huge stone. It has been sent to the lab, but I’m pretty sure it’s a calcium oxalate stone. I read where carrots and spinach can cause this. He is addicted to carrots, so those have to go. I’m terrified his pancreatitis will flare up on the kidney diet after reading what you all have been through.

Is it possible to use both foods? Will any fat send him into a pancreatic flare up? Like you all, he is our baby. I will do anything including cook his foods. It’s interesting to note there are many other dogs with these issues.

Piki, I too am so sorry about your doggie. What enzyme would the doctor have added? Very curious.

[Patricia A]

Liz I’m so sorry if she has this disease because from what I read it will be very painful. This usually presents itself at a young age. (The condition occurs in males and females, with an average age of onset of 3 years, though puppies as young as 4 months have been affected. Fortunately, if MMM is diagnosed early, dogs can be treated to increase the likelihood of a full recovery. Research of this disease at the University of California-San Diego led to the development of a blood test in 2004 that detects the presence of 2M antibodies and accurately identifies affected dogs.)
Does she fall into this age group? Also mostly effects jaw but you said jaw is not as bad. It causes extreme pain when trying to eat?
Was allergies and dental issues ruled out? I know scented candles or even bedding or carpet cleaners can be extremely toxic to dogs and exhibit severe allergic reactions.
Keep updating and hope she ends up not being diagnosed with this.

[runi K]

The Labrador breed is prone to developing food allergies, which often appear as skin allergies through the body’s inflammatory reaction to the offending food.

[runi K]

Eye discharge can result from food allergies, which compromise the immune system and cause all sorts of uncomfortable symptoms.

[Regina A]

I have a Shih Tzu I adopted years ago and he scratched 24/7, licked/chewed at his paws and was rust colored anywhere he licked and around his eyes from his tear stains. When I adopted him the person caring for him mentioned be was being fed a salmon dog food. My vet put him on steroids to provide relief but we knew it wasn’t a long term solution. I tried so many foods and finally landed on Merrick grain free chicken. He was a completely different dog. His coat almost started like a wired coat and became so soft. He stopped itching and he no longer had any rust colored saliva which was evident where he licked or tears. Everything went well for years. Then about a few years ago I noticed that the he wasn’t itching but all of a sudden all his paws were reddish again from where he licked his paws. I noticed my other shih Tzu who never had food allergies started getting rust colored tear stains. That’s when I found out Merrick updated their formula and added more fish meal. I tried to find other foods with less fish product but it was so hard to know since they almost all contain them. I eventually just kept him on Merrick and continued checking from time to time to find something without fish. It wasn’t until just a couple months ago I noticed that Dr. Pol from the TV show has different products. I scoured all the different dog foods and discovered that Dr. Pol’s Healthy Balance Chicken has NO FISH INGREDIENTS. I was so excited to try it out. As soon as I got it I slowly started adding it to the current food to make sure the food change wouldn’t upset their tummies. Both dogs are on the food for over a month now and the results have been AMAZING! Neither one has rust colored paws and another huge benefit is that I realized not only are their tear stains clear but they have FAR less eye discharge/boogers. I hardly have to clean their eyes. This worked wonders for my allergy prone male shih tzu bit it made me realize that even for the dogs who aren’t seemingly as affected like my little female, they actually still are. I hope Dr. Pol never changes his Healthy Balance Chicken formula!!

[Ana V]

I agree with everything u said, I did all that when I first got my 2 doggos. 1 girl Maltese 1boy Yorkiepoo. 11lbs each. I even gave her angel eyes but then I found out it was bad for their overall health so o threw it away.
Ever since I found out MyOllie human grade food, it has been the chance they needed. The girl had so much stains but months later she was co clean n white fur no stains. They disappeared n the allergies. So she looks better in pictures n in person.

[Emily S]

Hi guys. I couldn’t find anything about this dog food here so I thought I’d ask what anyone may know about it?

Currently my dog who as what feels like every allergy in the world is eating their Good Grub version.. I’ve never seen her so fluffy and good looking. Previously she was in a cone for 12 months! It’s the only food with none of her allergies except for salt.

I’ve had good luck with it but I still want to hear others opinions!

[Steven I]

Hi everyone. I have a soon to be 17 year old female chihuahua.

Her vet advised she should go on a limited ingredient diet because of allergies and age.

She has the fresh pet refrigerated food now but what similar food would be good for her?

She prefers the refrigerated fresh food over kibble and has some teeth missing so she likes softer foods best. Thanks for any suggestions you can give.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Steven I.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Steven I.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Steven I.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
Sounds like you are having a rough time finding an appropriate food for your pup. I am curious how you determined that he/she is allergic to all of those ingredients? Most allergy tests are not accurate and food allergies are not very common. Has your vet recommended an elimination diet?

Most will recommend a hydrolyzed prescription food to get the allergies under control. Then you can slowly add a new protein to see if there is a reaction.

A lot of people have great results with Purina ProPlan Sensitive Skin Salmon kibble that have dogs that are sensitive to chicken.

I hope you get it figured out.

[Nicole D]

Having a heck of a time trying to find a food for my dog that has allergies. Can’t find anything without chicken, sunflower oil, rosemary, no grains, sweet potato, yeast, garbonzo beans, etc. These were the main ones that I am finding in all of them. Does anyone know of anything that dose not have all this?

[Rachel S]

Hello! I see this post is a few years old but I am hoping someone can give me some insight. I have a 3 year old female cane corso, my child if you will. Last week around 3 am on Sunday she started throwing up, I assumed it was because she ate grass on a walk and usually will throw up for a while when digesting it. Unfortunately the throwing up went on for about 9 hours. She refused to eat and was very lethargic and sleepy. I called the vet and brought her in. They sedated her and ran some tests, one of them being for pancreatitis. The vet told us her pancreatitis test came back “negative” but her bloodwork showed high pancreas enzymes which led her to believe it was early pancreatitis and would treat it as so. I was told to give her a bland diet of chicken and rice. At the same time as the pancreatitis testing we also had some allergy testing done. Her results came back highly allergic to most meats and fillers in dog food. was were instructed to put her on Purina Pro Plan Hydrolyzed low fat dog food-salmon. The food is prescription so we are still waiting for it to show up in the mail. We are now over a week since the throw up incident and she does have her energy back, is drinking, peeing and pooping but she does throw up yellow bile once or twice every other day. Not much interest in food either. I assumed it was the boiled chicken so I stopped giving her that and have been giving her a pancreatitic kibble but it is chicken flavor….could that be the reason for her throwing up? or has her stomach been through so much trauma that there will be throwing up continuing to happen until we get her on the correct diet? I am hoping someone can help. I am so nervous and scared for her.