InkedMarie: thanks! We are trying to transition her (we have some fish to add once per week, and we recently added the egg), but since she’s still having problems with basic bones and pollen allergies, we’re being slow with the transition. We will probably introduce the fish in a few days, and we have some turkey for tonight. She had allergies when we introduced it at thanksgiving, and we wanted to wait for them to subside before we tried again in case it was actually a reaction to turkey or we would have continued sooner. Still, I hadn’t seen any recommendations for just HOW many kinds of meat should be in rotation, so that is very useful! Thank you very much!
DogFoodie: thank you! It’s always good to have reassurance.
Did you check the search engine here? I do not agree with all of the opinions expressed. /forums/search/allergies/
Do not put anything on it, it will only make it worse.
Assuming your dog is in good health and has seen the regular vet recently.
The best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).
Most dermatologists will not skin test for allergies until the dog has been exhibiting symptoms for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief. There are also other treatment options that a specialist could offer.
Donāt be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, I have heard they are unreliable
A summary of treatments for canine atopy:
Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment
And here is a recent update:
Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment
More info here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/allergytesting.htm
Skin tests to determine what your pet might be allergic to are considerably more accurate, on the whole, than blood tests. However, they are not 100% accurate either. To have them performed, you will need to locate a board certified veterinary dermatologist
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
PS: If you wait, it may get really bad, keep an eye on the chest area for a bright red rash developing. When this happened to my dog I had to go to the emergency veterinary clinic. They usually prescribe steroids to stop the suffering and to temporarily get the situation under control. The Dr there reprimanded me for putting witch hazel on the rash. There are prescription creams that a dermatologist will prescribe that help, but usually only in conjunction with other treatments.
Hi Howard, did she take Metronidazole (Flagyl)? its an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel, also smell her breath does it smell & what of?? that’s how I know what’s happening with my boy when I smell his breath, when my boy starts doing the yellow mushy poos I have a few scripts of Metronidazole the vet has given me & I put Patch on the Metronidazole with food for 10 days & change diet, also I cook potatoes instead of rice, boiled rice can irritate the bowel…. Australian vets are using boiled potatoes now instead or the old fashion boiled rice..
When Patch has had the gurgling pinning bowel noises it was either from the boiled rice or an ingredient he was sensitive too, then over the years I found he has food sensitives…. He has had Pancreatitis when I first rescued him, vet put him on a vet diet for his skin allergies & the fat was toooo high at 19%…..now I cook chicken breast, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, it depends some days I add Kangaroo rissoles some days or I add salmon in spring water drained, I put it all thru a blender for a few seconds….
I cant get The Honest Kitchen in Australia if I could I’d be feeding Patch the “Zeal” the fat is only 8.50% its low in carbs & limited ingredients & fish as protein so easy to digest, for the days I’m lazy…..http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal
I wouldn’t be feeding a raw diet with those symptoms, or if you do want to feed a raw diet, I went thru a Naturopath cause Patch was diagnosed with IBD & needs low fat diet & has Skin Allergies the raw worked for his skin but not his stomach (IBD) he kept regurgitating & burping up the raw Kangaroo & blended raw veggies but when I bake the kangaroo into rissoles & boil the same veggies, he’s OK, so I cook instead now & freeze meals…..
Sounds like you just haven’t found the right diet yet or she may do what happens with Patch, he needs his foods changed every month when I feed kibbles or he starts reacting to an ingredient, I posted a link about this I’ll try & find it, he cant stay on the same kibble too long he starts doing yellow sloppy poos….
Go supermarket get a couple brown potatoes, 1 small sweet potatoes, 1 zucchini & a small broccoli head, peel boil & put in containers in the fridge also maybe change the chicken to turkey or try the chicken & potato & see if there’s any gurgling pinning bowel noises & yellow mushy poo, if its still making loud noises change the protein, no chicken…maybe at first just do the chicken & potato & see if there’s improvement in stools, if there is then add some zucchini wait 2 days look at poos if poos are firm then add broccoli or whatever you want to add, then after a couple of weeks start adding some tin salmon in spring water drained to get all the healthy omegas & vitamins from the salmon, I add 1/2 a small tin per meal but you could make a few meals for a couple of days having a smaller dog… if you do see vet ask for a script for some Metronidazole its good have in cupboard when this happens, she may have too much bad bacteria in the stomach/bowel (S.I.B.O) & needs the metronidazole to fix everything up again….
Hi,
My 12 yr old dog is hospitalized with pancreatitis (on fluids, bowel rest)… She also has elevated liver enzymes. Before getting sick, she was fed darwins in the morning with coconut oil and natures variety instinct in the evening with probiotic. She was doing great with her skin and allergies…
I want to modify her diet to less fat… Any suggestions? Cancelled darwins and was thinking either honest kitchen preference (add ground turkey) or natures variety instinct rabbit. She’s very picky..
Should I start her on milk thistle or sam-e?
Thank you for your time
Good evening, Mike!
Please consider adding Nature’s Logic to your list of Editor’s Choice foods. I have a 12-year-old female Samoyed who has had problems with food allergies for the past several years, and when I changed her food to Nature’s Logic at the suggestion of the good folks at our local holistic pet food store, Brookside Barkery and Bath, in Kansas City, MO, her skin has cleared up beautifully!
I feed both the canned and dry formulas to my two babies, and they love it! It is a little pricy, but so worth it in my opinion. As I tell my friends who say they would NEVER pay more than $XX for a bag of dog food, I would rather pay up front for the best nutrition I can find for my critters than pay later at the vet!
Thank you for your consideration of my suggestion for your list. š
It sure sounds like she has food allergies. I, personally, would try feeding plain old chicken and rice for a while, then consult the list and start on a raw product or any limited ingredient (/?s=limited+ingredient+dog+foods) food. I like the raw because of the lack of additives.
My old (16, 13 and 11 yrs) dogs are getting a combo of Orijen freeze dried, Natures Variety raw and green tripe. We had some skin and coat problems and this seems to be clearing it up. It'[s not an inexpensive way to go, but neither were all the vet bills.
Hi Boo, stop feeding the can wet food, I was feeding a wet can food & my boy started to scratch & shake his head, I was feeding the wet tin food of a morning & his kibble for dinner, since I’ve stopped the wet tin food no more scratching, I started a elimination cooked diet for breakfast, I knew his kibble wasn’t making him scratch its Fish & Rice kibble, he cant eat the grain free kibbles tooo many starchy carbs, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Tapioca, Carrots, Peas, etc, with his new elimination diet when I added carrots he started to scratch again & shake head (ears)….you need to work out is it from food or environment allergies??
Be careful with the apple cider vinegar & lemon juice that will dry out the skin & make the itch/rash worse, also bath in Malaseb Medicated shampoo every 5-7 days when rash is bad bath time…..I apply Hydrocortisone 1% cream on my boy red paws & under his mouth when if real red & itchy… you can buy the Hydrocortisone cream over the counter at the chemist, thinly apply the cream of a night at bed time & thru the day if needed… or try the Sudocrem its in the baby section, its for eczema, dermatitis, nappy rash etc….
Did you check the search engine here? I do not agree with all of the opinions expressed. /forums/search/allergies/
Do not put anything on it, it will only make it worse.
Assuming your dog is in good health and has seen the regular vet recently.
The best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).
Most dermatologists will not skin test for allergies until the dog has been exhibiting symptoms for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief. There are also other treatment options that a specialist could offer.
Donāt be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, I have heard they are unreliable
A summary of treatments for canine atopy:
Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment
And here is a recent update:
Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment
More info here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/allergytesting.htm
Skin tests to determine what your pet might be allergic to are considerably more accurate, on the whole, than blood tests. However, they are not 100% accurate either. To have them performed, you will need to locate a board certified veterinary dermatologist
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
PS: If you wait, it may get really bad, keep an eye on the chest area for a bright red rash developing. When this happened to my dog I had to go to the emergency veterinary clinic. They usually prescribe steroids to stop the suffering and to temporarily get the situation under control. The Dr there reprimanded me for putting witch hazel on the rash. There are prescription creams that a dermatologist will prescribe that help, but usually only in conjunction with other treatments.
Kevin R. One of my girls, a Maltipoo, was riddled with food intolerances, sensitive and allergies and also environmental issues. Her dermatologist/allergist here in Atlanta, Ga. at Blue Pearl Georgia Veterinary Specialists suggested that I not do that particular testing nor the skin testing and shots. He told me it would be a very long process and the duration of the injections would probably be long term as she was such a mess. He advised me that the very best way to deal with her situation was to attempt to either do an illumination diet or try to figure out and eliminate ingredients in her diet and also to remove all, or as many, toxins in the home environment. I no longer burn candles, no air freshener sprays, no plug ins. I switched to natural type cleaners. Never ever any type of carpet freshening powders that are then vacuumed up. Hardwood floors are cleaned with a solution of vinegar and water. I also wipe her paws (all three dogs actually) when she comes in from out in the yard. I switched to a landscaping company that only uses organic products. I removed all the lawn in our patio/back area where they play and potty to stone, gravel and flower gardens….annuals and perennials. Just early on this year I had two types of testing done solely out of curiosity on my part because I had spent years “fixing” her issues to see what they would come up with. I did the Nutriscan Saliva test by Dr. Jean Dodds first and I believe the cost was around $250.00. If memory serves me that tests for 20 items. Though the test was informative as it did have things that I had already eliminated from her diet I did find that the test showed that she was sensitive to one of the few foods she actually does very well on. I then heard about a test called Glacier Peak Holistics on an allergy group I’m on. That tests for 200 including food and environment which cost $85.00. It is a food and saliva test. I that test was spot on for every single thing that through the years I had eliminated from her diet. The food that she does well on was not something that came up as a sensitivity on that test. It did come up with with food ingredient that I was not aware of and that was cucumbers. From time to time Katie would itch, not a lot but it was there. Turns out that they must have coincided with times that I shared cucumbers with the girls. I eliminated the cucumbers and she’s never scratched again. I feed all three of my dogs commercial raw frozen diets rotating brands and proteins with the exceptions of the ones that Katie cannot tolerate. For treats they get fresh fruits and veggies. I’ve been feeding them this way for a little over 4 1/2 years. Switching to the raw frozen was how I was able to eliminate her food issues as it was the quickest way to eliminate soy, grains, all fowl, corn, white potatoes, tomatoes, white rice, all night shade plant ingredients which are all pro inflammatory. I got Katie at the age of 9 weeks old and at that early age she was an allergy sensitive mess. It took me two years to go through the elimination process with her. She is now 6 1/2 years old and a happy camper. Quite comfortable and happy in her own skin. I continue to wipe all three toy dogs privates and paws with warm clean wash cloths. I should mention that I also have a “no shoes” policy in our home. No one, including repairmen, etc. enters our home with shoes on. It would defeat all I’m doing by dragging in environmental stuff that’s on the bottom of their shoes. Everyone is perfectly happy to go along with my wishes and as a matter of fact through the years more and more people that I know have gone with the “no shoes” in the house policy. I also purchased one of those iRobot Roombas that is programmed to go on daily and then I do a deep in the wall vacuuming once a week. It sounds like a lot but when it all comes together it’s all really easy and has changed her and our lives around.
Edit: I will add that there are some people that do not believe in the allergy tests that I have had done on Katie nor their efficacy. All I can say is that they really were spot on with Katie’s issues. Both companies will send you the kits that you need to do the testing with detailed instructions, you send everything back to them and typically in a week or so you’ll get an email with the results. You can then call them and they will go over the results in detail with you.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by
Dori.
Hi Dori, thanks for the advice. I have a Westie. She’s not that close to the ground, but I wondered about this as well. Being a Westie, she has her share of allergies and it sounds like this could be the cause. I don’t know though. I may try the washcloth like you mentioned. I’ve been using the baby wipes, but like you say, they don’t appear to be as effective as one would like. Thanks again.
On another note, does anyone else have any other opinions on the intradermal allergy testing? Anyone currently doing immunotherapy and having success? Thanks.
Hi Kevin,
I have a Cavalier that has had vaginitis, the result of a recessed vulva as well. She doesn’t have any allergies or food sensitivities at all. I’m lucky with her – she’s my easy dog. Her infection was treated with antibiotics and Mal-A-Ket wipes.
Did your vet first rule out a bladder infection or urinary crystals?
I never had any blood tests (to identify allergies) done on my dog, just the skin testing by a dermatologist.
The best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).
Most dermatologists will not skin test for allergies until the dog has been exhibiting symptoms for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief. There are also other treatment options that a specialist could offer.
Donāt be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, I have heard they are unreliable
A summary of treatments for canine atopy:
Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment
And here is a recent update:
Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment
More info here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/allergytesting.htm
Skin tests to determine what your pet might be allergic to are considerably more accurate, on the whole, than blood tests. However, they are not 100% accurate either. To have them performed, you will need to locate a board certified veterinary dermatologist
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
PS: A lot depends on the expertise of the specialist to get the solution right, regarding allergen specific immunotherapy. Even when it is effective, sometimes the solution has to be tweaked from time to time. And it can take a year or so to see dramatic results. In my dog’s case I saw improvement right away, however, they still have flare-ups…
Allergies usually require lifelong treatment. They don’t just go away. From what I know and have read, environmental allergies could cause the symptoms you describe. The same way they can cause inflammation, pruritus, ear infections, etc.
I did the same thing with my dog with allergies, she was doing so well that I was able to decrease her allergy treatments. She was fine for a few months but recently had a flare-up. So, we are back to the beginning. Luckily she responds to immunotherapy and is doing well. We only see the specialist once a year, otherwise, he returns phone calls.
PS: Lesson learned, going forward I will be more cautious about making changes in any regimen that is working for her.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by
anonymously.
It is. So can environmental allergies cause this issue? She used to be on Atopica and I’ve taken her off of it. So far, she’s been doing pretty good. Still a little itchy, but not near as bad as she was before going on Atopica.
Is this the dog you posted about before? The one with allergies?
“She is a very allergic dog”
If so, the same advice applies. I would see a specialist. Her problems could be related to her environmental allergies (or some other medical issue) and have nothing to do with the food.
Pitlove you are absolutely correct. Every dog is different. My point was that when weeding out the protein sources as possible allergies chicken is a good place to start, then beef, then the next most common meat….
It would be nice, easy and convenient if all dogs could eat the exact same things.
Hi Natasha, how old is your pup? & have you wormed her? My boy was eating the Wellness White Fish & Sweet potatoes Complete Health kibble, about 2 months ago, he was doing OK poos when I started introducing the Wellness White fish & Sweet potatoes kibble & mixing it with vet diet kibble…. I use a vet diet kibble that he does good on, to fall back on when something goes wrong with his poos……He suffers with IBD food intolerances & skin allergies….. after 1-2 weeks eating the Wellness kibble, he started farting, having bad gas pain & doing sloppy yellow poos, so I wormed him with Milbemax an all wormer cause he was due to be wormed & I changed his kibble back to his vet diet kibble & started cooking & freezing & feeding a cooked meal for breakfast, Chicken breast, potato, broccoli, sweet potatoes & zucchini, but at first I just feed chicken & potatoes to see his poos stayed firm & they did then I added 1 new veggie per week, only if his poo was firm….
I’d worm your pup if she is due soon to be wormed & change her food, try a different brand a limited ingredient kibble like “California Natural” Lamb & Brown Rice Puppy it has only 5 ingredients, the Wellness brands have tooo many ingredients to pin point which ingredient is doing this if it is an food sensitivity, if after trying another limited ingredient food & the poos are still yellow go & see a vet, she may need some “Metronidazole” antibiotic for the stomach & bowel….
Here’s California Natural site it has better ingredients then the American Vet Diets have, its good to have a food that you know they do well on so if you have to you have a kibble or wet tin food you can feed quickly if needed… In Australia our vet diets have better ingredients, its probably our strict custom laws…. http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products
Or you could try “Daves Pet Food” if you don’t want to cook Chicken, he has Delicate Chicken & Rice that puppys can eat…. look at the ingredients to the Puppy kibble it has too many ingredient like the Wellness… http://davespetfood.com/product/daves-delicate-dinner-canned-dog-food/
I just adopted a second dog yesterday and the shelter switched over to this food (they used to use Science Diet). I got really excited at the prospect of saving some money and the convenience of getting it at the grocery store (currently I use Merrick Grain Free) so the first thing I did was come on here to see if it was reviewed.
While it isn’t reviewed, I just got done going through the ingredient list to at least see which ones are controversial and thought I should share here:
***I couldn’t find info on the following ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Manganous Oxide, L-Carnitine***
Spray Dried Egg Product – Cheap protein filler, a by-product remaining after making liquid eggs for humans.
Tomato Pomace – Cheap fiber filler, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex – A controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
The last one is what concerns me, so I plan on sticking with Merrick. I apologize if I missed any, this was just me looking at about 15 dog food reviews here and cross referencing the ingredients.
Some of the common allergic symptoms seen in dogs are Chronic ear inflammation, Itching, Paw biting, Obsessive licking etc. There are certain meats and grains that might likely to cause your dog with allergy. These food items are pork, rabbit, beef, chicken, fish, egg soy and corn. Consult some good doctor or follow the below link. Like animals human do get allergic of some food. Check out few below healthy recipes for better health.
http://www.yellowpages.com/weston-fl/mip/moon-thai-japanese-inc-4618031
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This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by
Rebecca S.
@Xavier G
We had a Weimaraner with the same symptoms. She had a lot of different allergies. I mean her vet records were like a novel and we were advised by many vets to give her a Benadryl daily for them. You can try going without it in certain seasons and see if it’s possibly just seasonal but it really helped Abby.
Thanks! Regular dental cleaning his entire life and brushing. Vet thinks it is a genetic thing. I have though about allergies, but the other pap also had loose stools. Maybe I moved to canned too quickly.
I dog sat a 10 yr old with half missing/bad teeth. I put the kibble into our Ninja blender & pulsed it to a chunky powder. No water needed, easy to eat. Is your Pap’s mouth in pain? Dental cleaning helpful? C.E.T. Enzymatic Toothpaste nightly does wonders. Also check for allergies/diseases for the diarrhea, it may not be the wet food causing it.
Hello Guys,
Our dog suffered from severe skin issues, primarily rashes under our boxerās armpits and his belly. I was so fed up with stuff that did not work both from the web and our vets I read extensively on the benefits of SCFAās and probiotics for helping dogās allergies. A research journal lead me to a particular flax seed developed by a farming co-op that grows a specific flax seed for dogs. There website included canine products with their flax. I used the VitaHound product that includes enzymes and probiotics with the flax, and it worked, no more rash and no more itching. So great to see someone advocating for this type of approach, keep posting on the benefits of SFCAās and probiotics, the vet profession needs to help their patience use these compounds to help their suffering dogs and not have to figure it out on their own. I look forward to visiting your site keep up spreading the word.
Can anyone recommend a chicken-free food for a large breed puppy?
My Dogue De Bordeaux appears to be allergic to chicken. I’ve tried several different large breed puppy foods, and she throws up all of the chicken based ones. Right now I’ve got her on Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy because it’s the only large breed puppy food I’ve found that’s based on lamb. However, she doesn’t seem to like it and will only eat it if I mix in some FreshPet roll. She also seems to scratch a lot, so I don’t think it’s agreeing with her skin. (Not to mention she’s been having a lot of gas. . . .)
All the other large breed puppy foods I’ve found are chicken based. I’m open to putting her on an adult or all life stages food since there are more chicken-free options, but most of them don’t provide the calcium and phosphorous info.
Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
Tiffany
Hi Sharon… we have a 14 year old moxie who was having the same problems …. and a lot more. We had our regular vet do an allergy blood test and that did show what she is allergic to food wise. Found out we have been feeding her food she was horribly allergic to and have since changed. But, we still have to give our gal 1/2 a benedryl during certain times of the year when she starts sneezing and reverse sneezing. This helps. The problem with possible food allergies is huge though. Many homemade dog foods have rice or corn and in our pups case she was extremely extremely allergic to both those things. Because of this the vet tried 3 different dog foods (one was this dyrolized dog food and it almost killed her ..literally). So for right now, she is actually on a dog food with rice AND corn and doing fine. We were told that sometimes even with allergies a dog can handle certain foods. So it is very confusing. In our case though we wound up going to a holistic veterinarian. Because our doxie has a history of pancreatitis many of the things she is NOT allergic to (test showed she is not allergic to pork) she can’t have because of the fat content. But she is getting a holistic concoction that has been keeping her pancreas soothed and working well now and she is oddly on a food she should be allergic to but is not. If she can’t handle this dog food she is on now our holistic vet has some other recommendations we will try but for now she is doing fantastic. We believe this is because of this holistic vet (she is a “real” vet who has been to school for other things and believes in more than the standard veterinarian ways. She actually saved her life after the hydrolized dog food almost killed her (from the other vet).. So perhaps getting with your vet about 1/2 a benedryl? then a allergy test? Great luck though… our doxies are special !!!
What you describe sounds like environmental allergies. If I were you, I would consult a board certified veterinary internal medicine specialist or dermatologist. Diet/food may not have much to do with his symptoms.
At age 16, I would let the dog (if it was mine) eat whatever he wants, in moderation.
PS: Check out the search engine here at this site, lots of info.
I assume your pet has had a senior workup, if not, that might be a good place to start. The veterinarian may be able to prescribe medications (depending on the results of the exam) that will keep your dog comfortable.
Zignature Zssentials is a budget friendly food that worked for all of my AmStaffs’ ailments for a year now. Nothing else was working due to their allergies, diarrhea, dandruff etc. It’s their main entre but I rotate their side dishes of dry & canned for nutrient variety. Read the ingredients on Chewy.com. They offer free fast delivery. Also, Aroma Paws Honeysuckle Jasmine all natural shampoo is specifically for dry skin & dandruff. I bathe once every 2 weeks.
Hi Allison, the black spots are yeast, a lot of people think grain free kibbles are the best, but they’re not, most of these grain free kibbles are higher in starchy ingredients like Potatoes, peas, tapioca, chick peas, lentils, etc… I’ve found that kibbles with Sweet Potato & Barley with no peas or Sweet Potatoes & Quinoa with no peas or another grain works better then these grain free kibbles with starchy potatoes, starchy peas, starchy tapioca, chick peas etc….
It’s very rare for dogs to be allergic to a protein…..Grains, Starchy veggies yes they’ll get itchy, smelly skin, red paws, itchy smelly ears, etc, you wrote “we tried different kibbles in the past” were they all grain free?? with starchy veggies ?? you changed the protein but did you change the ingredients?
Wash dog in Malaseb medicated shampoo weekly until the scratching goes & the black spot start to go away..Malaseb is an anti-bacteria shampoo….a dog probiotic will also heap strengthen the good bacteria in the gut & make the immune stronger to fight off any yeast over growth..
Try & feed something else besides kibble, “The Honest Kitchen” Zeal is low in carbs…. or the Honest Kitchen has their Base Mixes & you add your own meat… http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal
K-9Natural Freeze Dried is also very low in carbs… Ziwi Peak another excellent Wet tin or air dried food your dogs will love Ziwi Peak its expensive but worth it.. http://www.ziwipeak.com/
there’s a heap of really good foods around instead of kibbles…. Kibbles need the carbs to bind the kibble….
“We lived in different areas with different weather, different homes so I know itās not environmental”.
The best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).
Most dermatologists will not skin test for allergies until the dog has been exhibiting symptoms for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief. There are also other treatment options that a specialist could offer.
Donāt be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, I have heard they are unreliable
A summary of treatments for canine atopy:
Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment
And here is a recent update:
Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment
More info here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/allergytesting.htm
Skin tests to determine what your pet might be allergic to are considerably more accurate, on the whole, than blood tests. However, they are not 100% accurate either. To have them performed, you will need to locate a board certified veterinary dermatologist
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
via search engine here: /forums/search/allergies/
Another site you may find helpful http://www.allergydogcentral.com/category/symptoms/
I realize there are symptoms like scratching, marks on the belly, etc.
But how can I really pinpoint the source of such symptom to a specific ingredient?
For instance, my dogs were on Wellness Core for 10 years or so. At the same time, one of my dogs has had these black spots all over her belly all these years. They weren’t as much in the beginning but as she aged, the spots got darker. The vet says it’s allergy. Ok, allergy to what? Could be various thing, she says. Of course. We lived in different areas with different weather, different homes so I know it’s not environmental.
Other than black spots on her belly, she’s healthy. We tried different kibbles in the past (chicken, beef, buffalo, seafood, duck, turkey, you name it) but the marks weren’t going away. Some people know to avoid certain ingredients like chicken liver and lamb for their dogs’ allergic conditions, but how do they do that?
How do I know to blame a certain food ingredient, so I can avoid buying things with it in the future?
Anyone has suggestions for large breed adult food?
I have an American Bulldog, Odin, that is a year and 4 month old, weighs 95-100 lbs. and a 4 years old French Bulldog mix with something perhaps English Bulldog, Charlie, weighs 36-40 lbs. I recently started feeding them Whole Earth Farms Grain Free either the Salmon or the beef/pork/lamb combo. My dogs also love fresh veggies like cucumbers, carrots, green beans, and fruits.
I have 2 issues I am dealing with:
Minor but important: the size of the kibbles with the “All Dog Breeds Foods.” It is not suitable for a large breed. Odin is not chewing it well.
The major issue: The American Bulldog has skin problems. He is allergic to something. He has redness around his face and skin and red spots on his belly. We tried different kind of dog foods and nothing seems to work for him. We also tried different kind of allergy medicine. The vet can’t figure out the problem as well. So far, we are avoiding chicken and grains. The allergy is possibly environmental, perhaps grass or pine straw. We picked up Odin at 6-7 weeks old infested with flees and ticks. He was covered with tick larva. It was horrible. This may be related to his allergies. The vet has been running tests, but no luck so far.
Any suggestions for food or anyone encountered similar problems?
Are they giving him sub q fluids? Every day or every other day? It shouldn’t be too expensive, I found it helpful with my dog that had kidney damage related to Lyme disease.
In fact, I gave it myself (prescribed by veterinarian).
Sounds acute (from what you describe), if he gets through this, he should be good to go for a few years. I would not look at the abdominal surgery as a negative thing. I would listen to the specialists and do what they advise.
PS: Sometimes you get a dog that needs nothing but the minimum of routine care. Then there are the ones that have allergies or diabetes or some other condition that costs a few bucks. In the end, it all evens out.
In fact, I wouldn’t wait too long to have the surgery, if he is as bad as you say, maybe they can move the surgery date closer. The weaker he is , the less likely he will be able to tolerate it. What you describe, sounds like an emergency situation.
My soon to be 6 month old GSD puppy has been on Orijen and while my adult male handles it fine she is just having pudding poo, I think it might be too rich for her.. she’s currently 42lbs and I’m feeding her 2 cups a day so I don’t think it’s that I’m overfeeding her. I’m trying her on a lower protein kibble now, pine forest TOTW.. I swear I’d never feed a diamond food but I’m not as much as a food snob as I used to be I guess lol. I’d prefer to feed raw but with some recent health issues I’ve had to move to a kibble/raw blend.. they get mostly kibble but with some raw added in for teeth cleaning along with raw eggs a few times a week, fish oil and probiotics/digestive enzymes.
I really like the taste of the wild lineup being able to rotate differing proteins along with the price point. Helps me be able to add more raw in! I know their reputation isn’t great though.. Is there a similar food? I’m on the editor’s choice list and don’t understand many of the foods on there as most of them I haven’t and wouldn’t chose to feed. I’m at a loss and so confused!
I like Acana and really like the look of their new products coming in 2016, it’s just so pricey.. I have 5 dogs! I’ve tried Victor and just didn’t like the results I got with that, both my GSD’s got really nasty dirty ears on that food even the fish and sweet potato one… their coats also weren’t as nice. So what I’m considering right now is TOTW, Fromm and Earthborn. My big issue is my male is allergic to a lot and seems to get most itchy on chicken and pork. He looks absolutely amazing on Orijen six fish but at almost $100 a bag it’s hard to justify long term. So just looking for foods similar to TOTW but with a better reputation and ingredient sourcing, I also have zero issues with grain inclusive foods as I don’t think they are any better than all the potatoes and lentils in grain free foods.
TIA!
Hi Kristine, yes I know what you’re going thru, I rescued my boy at the age of 4 yrs old, the day he was suppose to be put to sleep & it was his birthday, today actually, the 20th November, he was Micro Chipped with DOB, the lady said feed him a healthy diet & he’ll look good again, he was in real poor condition, he suffers with skin allergies as well from food & Seasonal environment allergies, so I’d say Patches old owners took him to the pound cause of the IBD & Skin problems & got rid of him š
Until Koji has biopsies you will be going around in circles, so the sooner he has his biopsies you’ll get some answers on what type of IBD he has & what is causing the inflammation of the small bowel….Patches vet also blind medicated Patch & I would watch him get worse with some medications, the Prednisone (Steroid) made Patch sick, ant acid meds made him worse, finally this year I learnt he’s not making enough stomach acid Hypochlorhydria, so no more ant acid medications….. Metronidazole seem to be the only medication that helped him & certain foods…… boiled rice irritated his bowel causing noisey, gurgling bowel noises, bad wind & then diarrhea, kibble was no good, it irritated his stomach more, so I was soaking the vet diet kibble in warm water till kibble was soft then fully draining all the water & squeezing out any water & putting the soft kibble in a blender for about 5-6 seconds but its still over processed kibble & hard to digest, water added with kibble can cause acid reflux another thing I learnt this year….
I cook now for Patch but I still have problems with his weight keeping it on & his stomach some days & every 5-6months Patch gets S.I.B.O & has to be wormed then put on Metronidazole for 2 weeks then he’s all better again……
In the beginning I belonged to the “IBDogs” a yahoo group & they were the ones that told me to have an Endoscope & biopsies done on Patches stomach & small bowel, it only cost $750 that’s with 2 biopsies…. but Patches flap (pyloric sphincter) to the small bowel was closed & vet couldn’t go thru to his small bowel but the ladies in the “IBDogs” yahoo group said their vets got thru to the small bowel, so maybe some specialist know how to open the Pyloric Sphincter so you can go thru & get biopsies from the small bowel….
This time next year Koji will be much better, sounds like you have the right specialist, Koji is a very lucky boy, he has you, some people just give up & do what happened to Patch dumped at the pound… all I did in the beginning was breathe, sleep, dream, IBD & Skin allergies….
I have a cane Corso and I had switched him 4 times before u found the right food. I also had him on fromm and it didn’t work out. So I switched him to Acana pacifica all life stages, it’s fish based but the first 5 ingredients is meat. Check it out and their other products. He might have been allergic to chicken, but all I know it’s been working, his stools went from losely soft to nice and firm. Also, look into earthborne, they also have a bag that has few meats listed before getting into the rest of the ingredients.
Hi Coonhound Mama,
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af40/VolcanoGuy/P1010006_zpsjqflqyc2.jpg
Maggie is a Black and Tan Coonhound who is now about 7 years old. Sheās had itching problems since we got her at the Amador County Animal Shelter 6 years ago and am not sure if itās caused by food or airborne allergies. I tried a food without Lentils or Peas a while back and it seemed to help. Then, I switched her to a food that has chicken in it without lentils or peas and the itching started up again so Iām going to try once again a food without lentils, peas, or chicken and see how that goes. Good luck with your friend.
I would like to see a review of this by Dog Food Advisor too!
My 13 year old Shih Tzu has allergies to a whole slew of things (chicken, turkey, sweet potato, potato, venison, beef, alfalfa, dust, ragweed pollen, grass, possibly lamb….ugh). This has made feeding her particularly challenging. We had resorted to buying ground raw quail or rabbit from a local “pet food deli”. But it is a 45 minute drive each way; which results in us choosing to buy a LOT of food and freezer storage for it. It also results in us adding supplements and “safe” veggies without knowing if we’re getting the ratios right, etc.
SO….I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Cocolicious Wild Caught Salmon & Pork by Party Animal. I bought a case from Chewy and she has been eating for about 2 weeks. She likes it (but she generally likes most food) and so far I don’t see any allergy reactions. (Hooray!)
How does one request a review from the editor?
Ah puppies & diarrhea. There’s a million causes.
Given that he’s been having to adjust to new environments in his short life I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that it’s just stress/excitement.
To help him symptomatically make sure the rice you give him is white rice. Brown can be more difficult to digest. When you make the rice save the water it’s boiled in and pour it over food and/or give it to drink.
Pumpkin is a great help in relieving diarrhea. 1 tsp/10 #s.
I have also had great luck with probiotics. An easy 1 to get a hold of is Nutri-vet Food Transition. It’s at Petco & comes in packets or tabs. It’s not expensive. Works great.
Then there’s my all time favorite thing and that’s raw goat milk.
When giving probios or goat milk wait 2 hrs before or 4 hrs after meals if on an antibiotic.
If you think he has a chicken allergy you can try giving him organic ground beef w/ the least amt of fat you can get. Boil it like you would the chicken.
I usually get i/d cans when my dogs need to be on a bland diet. It’s a prescription food. But it makes me feel better to add the rice, chicken/beef to supplement the food because then I know it’s balanced. This is obviously a diet that isn’t meant to be fed for too long. Especially with a growing pup.
Ask the vet to hold off on vaccines until his immune system isn’t busy fighting something else or he’s less stressed. Also I personally prefer to spread out vaccines at least 2 wks apart. I don’t do combos. (Except the parvo. It only comes that way.) It’s easier on the immune system and if there’s a reaction I can know which was the cause. And I only do the core vaxx. Understand that I am not an anti-vaxxer. Just not an over-vaxxer. It took me 30+ yrs of raising dogs and other animals to figure out that they don’t need a lot of the stuff we shoot them up with. And the difference between vaccinating and immunization. And what the shots do when an animal isn’t in optimal health at the time they receive them.
Sometimes dogs lick their paws because they have a fungus. That’s not always a sign of allergies. So if eliminating chicken doesn’t help, try looking into that.
Good luck with your new puppy. Congratulations!
Regarding food intolerances:
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
Check the search engine here /forums/search/allergies/
Also, if the dog is still sick tomorrow, you may want to ask the vet about postponing vaccinations until he is medically stable.
Down the road if the allergy symptoms continue, the best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).
Don’t be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, I have heard they are unreliable.
PS: Any kibble soaked in water overnight is like wet food, especially if you mix something tasty in it. Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea dry and canned has no grains, no potato, no chicken or egg. See Chewy. com for price comparison.
My puppy was only at the shelter for 2 days when i adopted him. They still own him until he gets all his shots and is neutered. They have him on an antibiotic to decrease chance of upper respiratory infections. The tech said it causes diarrhea too. (frustrating!)
Anyway he is getting his shots tomorrow. He gained 1lb 2oz in the week that I’ve had him so at least that is positive. I took him in on Thursday to check for parvo since his diarrhea was really runny. It was negative thank goodness. They gave me a liquid peppermint smelling medicine to give him. It’s for 5 days so Tuesday will be his last day on that. Thankfully this morning when i took him out for the first time since last Friday it was still mushy but it wasn’t liquid. Progress!
He was doing okay on the chicken and rice but they said he might be allergic to chicken. I talked so a vet who said that puppies who chew on their feet a lot are allergic to a protein. I switched it to rice and lamb for one day and it was a HUGE difference. He has more energy and doesn’t chew on his feet anymore.
I’m going to have the vet check him for any worms too just in case. He will get a check up tomorrow so I’m looking forward to chatting his ear off on what to feed him. He does not like dry kibble. The lab and rice i gave him was from a container called Caesar’s puppy. He seems to be enjoying that for now.
Thank you for the advice.
Research Brothers dog food. They don’t have white potatoes. I was using it for my dogs arthritis problem. Somewhere I read that a Ft Lauderdale? canine unit cured their dogs allergies with this food. It comes from a Florida pet store and they UPS it to you if you don’t live nearby. I now use Earthborn Holistics which doesn’t use white potatoes in its Great Plains Feast (bison meat). Good Luck!
We have been feeding our dogs good friends from pups to adults. Never have any issues with allergies, they have high energy, good bowel movements and digestion and shiny coats. Our vet was even amazed at how healthy our pets were and she never heard of it before we told her. My brother in law has a dog he was allergic to almost all dog foods except high end expensive ones and he tries our Good Friends and has also been using it ever since.
The best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).
Most dermatologists will not skin test for allergies until the dog has been exhibiting symptoms for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief. There are also other treatment options that a specialist could offer.
A summary of treatments for canine atopy:
Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment
And here is a recent update:
Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment
More info here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/allergytesting.htm
Skin tests to determine what your pet might be allergic to are considerably more accurate, on the whole, than blood tests. However, they are not 100% accurate either. To have them performed, you will need to locate a board certified veterinary dermatologist
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
via search engine here: /forums/search/allergies/
Another site you may find helpful http://www.allergydogcentral.com/category/symptoms/
PS: Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea (dry and canned) is grain/potato free, check Chewy. com for price comparison.
The best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).
Most dermatologists will not skin test for allergies until the dog has been exhibiting symptoms for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief. There are also other treatment options that a specialist could offer.
A summary of treatments for canine atopy:
Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment
And here is a recent update:
Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment
More info here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/allergytesting.htm
Skin tests to determine what your pet might be allergic to are considerably more accurate, on the whole, than blood tests. However, they are not 100% accurate either. To have them performed, you will need to locate a board certified veterinary dermatologist
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
via search engine here: /forums/search/allergies/
Another site: http://www.allergydogcentral
@Olga, what did/do you feed your vegetarian dog? Do you give any vitamin or taurine supplement?
We use V-dog kibble and she adores it enough for us to use it as training treats, but she goes NUTS over blended beans and broccoli so I would like to home cook for her more. Our dog cannot have milk due to food allergies, but she just loves all the veggies and low-sugar fruits she can get.
I will likely check out a new cookbook called Healthy Happy Pooch with recipes for home-cooked meals, but I would also love to hear what someone with your experience feeds your dogs as you clearly have had great results. We’re happy V-dog exists, but processed kibble in any form doesn’t strike me as an ideal long-term diet.
Thank you for sharing your story. Our dog is thriving on her veggie diet (vet and staff always remark how nice it is to see a healthy dog of her breed), but it has been only a year.
I was also going to suggest LID.
A long time ago I had a dog that couldn’t eat the usual proteins like chicken & beef. This was before there were so many dogs effected by allergies so our options were very limited and very expensive.
If he could’ve lived forever I would’ve probably tried enzymes, pineapple, probiotics, pure pumpkin. All things I have found go help my dogs after him.
If he was here today I would probably be giving him raw goat milk. I swear that stuff is good for everything and everyone.
Good luck on your search. I hope your dog gets some relief soon.
Hi Ken,
I haven’t read through all the comments but I wanted to state that it could be the chicken causing the issue — a chicken sensitivity versus and allergy. Maybe the chicken itself OR what the chicken ate even (since it seems to be brand specific). I’m a raw feeder of multiple dogs (I have six of my own right now and foster) for over 10 years by the way. My Pom gets ulcerative colitis (bright red blood in diarrhea (her’s is almost liquid though)). Chicken is what sets my girl off (only the muscle meat – she is fine with eggs, liver, kidneys etc).
Sensitivities can manifest after the dog (or person) has been on the food for a while. A protein in certain foods, called a lectin, can bind with the gut wall and cause disease. Initially it binds with IgA (an immune system antigen) but eventually the body is not capable of producing enough IgA to bind with the lectin and then you see symptoms. Typical allergy tests test for IgE immunoglobulins so they can’t detect food sensitivities (which are actually much more common than IgE allergies). I understand that the food he gets better on is “boiled chicken” but boiling (at least with legumes) leaches some of the lectins from the food making less for the body to have to deal with. OR possibly the boiled chicken is different than the one causing the IBD because of something the chicken ate (organic grains fed to livestock have lectins too).
Okay, that was just one thought. The other is that the raw chicken drumstick and thigh diet is not a balanced diet. I know, I know……eye rolls and oh not one of those must be balanced nuts. š hee hee But there really is something to it. Dark meat chicken is an excellent source of linoleic acid (the omega 6 fat that is necessary for health). However when LA is over-consumed and/or not consumed in balance with omega 3 fats it can be quite inflammatory. Although a good source of LA, chicken is deficient in saturated fatty acids which the body also needs. You don’t mention organs which supply other nutrients. This may or may not be a direct cause but it certainly could be an indirect cause.
Hope, whatever it is, you can get it figured out and get back to wonderful health.
Hi, my boy does poos with red blood when he eats something that he’s allergic too, also Bone stop any bone in the diet & add grounded egg shells instead for calcuim, I went thru a Animal Nutritionist to put Patch on a raw diet, I had to start with low fat meats Kangaroo, Chicken or Turkey & just 1 protein, no bones or organ meat….. I then had to blend some broccoli, Celery, Carrot & Apple in a blender & stop just before the veggies turn to a pulp water, I was adding 1 cup kangaroo with 1-2 spoons blended veggies, freeze the rest in section in freezer for the rest of the week/month… the Nutritionist wouldn’t let me feed any pet shop meats, raw Barf diets….she said the meat is real low grade quality & make my own raw…..
Patch didn’t last on his Raw Diet, he has IBD Skin/Food Allergies, I now cook his meals & he’s doing heaps better no blood, no jelly poos he also eats a kibble but not mixed with any cooked meals….
Hi Ken,
I’m pretty new to the site too. My dog has seasonal allergies (watery eyes and nose) and also a chronic yeast issue. The vet says they feed off of each other, compromised immune from environmental allergies make opportunistic yeast more rapid spreading. I have a French Bulldog with lots of folds, so yeast has a great place to hide. Like you, I wanted to cut out all sugars, which feed yeast, too see if it helped. I chose a freeze-dried raw from this site (TruDog) which has been less complicated from a safety standpoint. They have Turkey and Beef ( which it looks like your dog is allergic to).
I do try to keep her off as many harmful meds as reasonable, but I have found that despite my best efforts, she still needs allergy meds during seasonal allergy times. We will see if after a good freeze, the yeast slows down with the other allergies. I regularly clean my dogs “folds” and ears, and soak her feet. That helps some with yeast.
I guess basically what I am saying is the whole allergy/food/environment/ genetic thing is complicated, and while I personally think cutting the sugar with a raw diet seems like a good plan for dealing with yeast, I am finding that if I really want to do right by my dog, just the diet won’t alleviate all of her issues. You might check out a freeze dried raw. There are a couple on the site. A little more quality control for my piece of mind. Good luck, itchy is complicated!
If it was my dog I would take him to the emergency vet now/today for some testing and x-rays.
Bloody diarrhea is an indication of something being very wrong. Maybe a sharp bone fragment has caused some internal bleeding? Why are you doing this? A lot of dogs can’t tolerate raw.
Please do some research:
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw+food
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=nutrition
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/09/integrating-myths-and-nonsense-with-standard-advice-for-allergic-pets/ (excerpt below)
Bottom Line
Allergies are a serious medical problem that causes a great deal of suffering for pets and their owners. Causes are complex and involve both genetic, developmental, and environmental factors, and symptoms tend to come and go unpredictably, which makes evaluating the effects of any particular intervention challenging. While there are many safe and effective therapies that can help manage allergy symptoms, there is no cure. Only complete avoidance of the antigens the individual is allergic to can eliminate symptoms entirely, and this is often not possible. No treatment that has any benefit is completely without risks, and the risks and benefits must always be carefully and rationally weighed.
Article on apoquel and treatment options for allergies http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
excerpt below:
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common ā but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
Intradermal Skin Tests http://www.allergydogcentral.com/2011/06/30/dog-allergy-testing-and-allergy-shots/
āAn intradermal skin test involves the injection of a small amount of antigen into your dogās skin. This procedure is most often performed by a veterinary dermatologist or pet allergy specialistā.
BTW: Dogs can be stoic and not show any signs and symptoms of pain and discomfort, until it is extreme.
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