[neezerfan]

I used this for my previous dog. It did work and she did just fine on it. It was about 10-15 years ago and we never did allergy testing so I don’t know what she was allergic to.

[karren w]

Dos hill zd work for dogs with food allergies from wheat potatoes sweet potatoes rice and chicken? Has this worked for you ? Or has it made more problem s with all the carbs in it ?as I would love to know so would see weather worth trying or not ?

[Bobby dog]

Hi jane t:
I don’t know if you read the first page of this forum where this is mentioned, but you may find the Dog Food Wizard tool helpful. Here’s the forum thread discussing it and there is a link in the first post from Rachel M to the Wizard. Good luck!!

/forums/topic/so-i-made-a-tool-for-dogs-with-allergies/

[jane t]

My dog is a Havanese and he is allergic to poultry mix, barley, chicken, flax, corn, sweet potatoes, and turkey. We are DESPERATE to find a food to help him stop scratching. It is so awful and he has no fur on his back. HELP PLEASE!!!!

[Akari_32]

Oh boy, this’ll be fun lol

Haley and Dweezle: Natural Balance Ultra Small Breed. Only got it because it was $1 a pound after coupons– I’m not very happy with, so after the two bags I have are gone, I’ll not buy it again. However, they like it. But they like anything, regardless of how eatable it is lol They also each get a salmon oil pill in their food. Next will be Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Senior and Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Adult, mixed 2:1. These dogs are 60 and 130 lbs, btw LOL after that will probably be Ideal Balance puppy, then Wellness Core Puppy and Small Breed mixed, then who knows. I have a good sized stash to chose from. I try to keep it interesting.

Bentley: SSLL mix, with coconut oil (won’t eat the mix plain, the little brat!) and a nice de-boned raw turkey leg. He gets a random pick of turkey or chicken (bought whole and cut up and separated into white meat, dark meat, and bone-in meat), ground pork, or beef or chicken hearts every day.

Ginger: half Wellness Small Breed Simple Salmon and Potato, and half Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight. She’ll be moving to Purina Veterinary Diet Joint Mobility when I have the money in my account to order it, her Wellness Simple was running out, so I’ll put it off a bit longer, so she’s not switching arounf too much. Her stomach just can’t handle it. Nothing Purina is my first choice except for a very select few of the canned cat foods due to cost, but I’m at my wits end at what I can do to help her poor old joints, and not break the bank (not that there’s much of a bank to break at this point…). I can get it less than what the same size bag of Wellness is, so it’s worth a shot. Her treats today was a half of an Amoxicillin pill in the morning and tonight. She eats it like it’s the most delicious thing she’s ever tasted, so I just let her think that LOL

Usually they all get some form of Zukes or Pet Botanics treats, but no one got any of those today, except the cat, who did high-fives, shakes, and up’s for his G-Zees treats :p He also got 3oz Wild Kitty raw cat food mix (made with chicken) for breakfast, and a 5.5 oz can of Friskies Ocean Whitefish as a very special treat. I don’t do fish or any other Friskies other than two flavors of Special Diet for him very often, but I’ll grab something fish based every now and then for something that isn’t turkey, chicken or beef. Gotta have something different when your crazy mommy limits you to very specific flavors from very specific brands lol I’ve also been giving Bentley a few pieces of Natures Variety Instinct Raw as a treat a few times a day. He loves to eat the little pieces still frozen. I think he likes the texture, and the fact that it’s red meat, something I can’t afford for his rotation very often. Innova Prime Red Meat used to be his favorite kibble before we realized he had carb allergies and before Innova got bought out.

Just a side note on the Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health forumlas: I’m extremely happy with all of them. Typically, even in the rest of the Wellness line, senior and diet foods are just complete crap, but these are comparable to other puppy and adult grain inclusive foods. They have good protein (close to 30%), and low fat (which is what my three old farts need), and are still high calorie (high 400’s!). Would definitely recommend either of these to anyone with a dog that needs a low fat diet, or to any owner who likes to feed lower fat diet food, small or large breed. It’s pretty decently priced, too, especially if you have coupons 😉

[Hater and Molly’s Mom]

We could never have a kitty. My hubbie is allergic to them when hes around them for any length of time.

[DogFoodie]

LOL Aquariangt!!

I still have scars on my arms from my incredibly mean cat trying to claw me to death when I was a little kid. My daughter would love to have a kitty, but I am so terribly allergic. That’s not actually an excuse either.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Is being allergic to cats related with not understanding their strange behavior? I’m not really allergic to animals, (knock on wood big time!) but I sometimes feel a little allergic if they have a lot of dust on them.

[Dori]

Oh my goodness! Seriously she has got to be related to my sister’s cat that she rescued from living under a truck outside of her place of work. My sister thought she was doing a good and kindly deed and that cat has hated her ever since. Mind you my sister lives in NJ and that cat would probably have frozen or died of starvation years ago, but honestly she hates my sister. By the same token she loves my brother-in law who has absolutely nothing to do with her. Go figure. Cats? I’m glad I’m allergic to them cause I just don’t get them.

[stephanie b]

My Bostons are allergic to sweet potato, green peas, barley and soy. Finding a good quality dry kibble is very difficult. Has anyone tried Canine Caviar? It is a holistic dry kibble with limited ingredients however it has garlic in it. Isn’t garlic dangerous to dogs?

[Andy B]

Thanks for your help. I called Darwins. They make a raw diet. They told me I can use everything they have except the duck, due to it having sweet potato. I’m learning a lot about dog nutrition after countless hours on the computer. I’d love to feed both my bostons a raw diet but it’s very expensive so I would need to use a 50/50 mix of raw and a good quality kibble. However my dog is extremely allergic to certain foods. I had a blood test done due to him having three seizures. I was feeding him at the time “natural balance” sweet potato and fish formula which had peas also in it. His treats were old mother hubbard peanut. That’s when he started having seizures at night. I had the vet do the allergy test and he’s exGood! I’m glad I did test. I wonder with everything we were feeding him if he was going in aniphilctic shock ( sorry don’t know spell) peas listed as the fourth or fifth ingredient. It seems I can’t find a kibble without peas, & Orijen is the only one having it toward the middle of there ingredients.

[InkedMarie]

Both of Darwins duck have sweet potatoes; the others all have yams. Anyone know if sweet potatoes & yams are the same thing in relation to dog allergies?

[Dog_Obsessed]

It does, but I think this dog is allergic to sweet potatoes, not white ones.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’m also allergic to purfume. The Earthbath doesn’t bother me or Lily, but the shampoo they use at her groomer’s may bother both of us a little. I will look at Vet’s Best.

[Dori]

IMHO you should not use shampoos meant for humans on dogs. Dogs PH levels differ from ours. One of my favorite dog shampoos is put out by Vet’s Best. I use their hypoallergenic formula for all three of my dogs. I bath the girls approximately every 7 – 9 days and their hair and skin are soft, shinny and it easily rinses from their hair. Scent is pleasant (barely noticeable) but not overwhelming by any means. I am allergic to all perfumes, fragrances, etc. and it doesn’t bother me in the least. Also doesn’t bother my allergy prone girl Katie, my maltipoo.

[Andy B]

We just received His Blood work back and hes Extremely allergic to sweet potato’s & peas. Also has to be grain-Free and rosemary free. Anyone have any ideas for me for a Dry Kibble? I was thinking about using a half raw diet from Darwin’s raw diet and a kibble mix. It is extremely hard to find a kibble with not having these ingredients.

[stephanie b]

My problem is so many foods have peas and pea protein in them, one of my Boston’s major allergies.

[Barbara P]

Thank you so much crazy4cats and DogFoodie,
I truly appreciate your recommendations. Colby’s allergies include beef, salmon, poultry mix, eggs, soy, lamb, kelp, and green peas. After looking up the foods, I noticed that peas is the third ingredient in the Nature’s Variety Instinct LID and there is salmon oil in the Natural Balance. The Natural Balance carries the same 2+ star value as the Natural 26 that I am feeding him now but it does not have all the corn (GMO?) that Natural 26 has.
I just got his ears and his scratching under control but I’m nervous that it is making him old before his time. I’m still perplexed.
Thank you for your input.
Barb

[InkedMarie]

Don’t feed the duck; they both have sweet potatoes. Every other one has yams; does anyone know if they’re the same as sweet potatoes in regards to dog allergies?

For grainfree kibbles,I like Dr Tims, Annamaet, Farmina and Brothers. You’ll have to look and see what formulas might work.

[stephanie b]

We just found out our Boston has some severe allergies to specific foods (sweet potatos, green peas, barley) we were looking to start on Darwins raw diet but also wanted a good quality kibble (pref grain free). Any suggestions?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Barbara-
I’m not sure of what the allergies are, but have you looked in to Nature’s Variety or Natural Balance’s Limited Ingredient foods?

[Barbara P]

My 4 year old golden, Colby, has been allergy tested and has several food allergies. The two dry foods recommended were Blue Seal Natural 26 or Perscription Diet d/d potato and duck. I’ve been feeding him the BS Natural 26 since June but his face is turning white since starting this. Can anyone tell me if the Perscription Diet would be a better choice? There’s not a lot of info on limited ingredients dry dog foods. He is only 4 years old and he’s beginning to look like he’s 7. I’m open for suggestions.
[email protected]
<Golden allergy foods>

[nilockhart]

Susan, I would love to have the recipe for the Oatmeal Apple cookies you feed/fed Patch. We have an 11 1/2 year old English Bulldog (Memphis) with IBS for about the last year and kidney failure (diagnosed from an ultra sound and monthly blood work which has been holding pretty steady for awhile). He has also suffered with horrible skin allergies for about the last 8 years, and we’ve had several allergy tests done on him which aren’t worth the money you pay. Memphis has tried Royal Canin potato/venison for about a year, then Purina E/N (both at the suggestion of our vet) for quite some time, with Purina Gentle Snackers for treats. He did great for a while, but then he started with constant diarrhea and vomiting, and for the last 6-8 months “gagging” like he’s choking on spit, and even vomiting large amounts of thick spit, so our vet suggested 10 mg Pepcid every morning. I’ve been cooking a mixture of rice, boneless, skinless chicken breast and little mixed veggies for him for quite some time (again, at the suggestion of our vet), but he’s still having serious problems, with terrible bouts of diarrhea off and on (mainly on). We recently weened him to ground turkey breast (99% fat free) instead of the chicken because our groomer thought it could be the chicken, still no improvement. Memphis is still not doing well. He takes Metronidazole off and on when he has blood in his feces, but that has to be the worst medicine ever invented. He is lethargic and barely eats the entire 10 days he’s on it. Then, he’s only good for another 2 or so weeks again before we have another horrible bout of diarrhea. He also takes 5-7 units of Pro-Pectalin (probiotic) 2x a day when he’s sick, which does wonders for him, but we’re supposed to stop when his diarrhea stops (usually 2 days). I’m strongly considering (a) a new vet, (b) leaving him on about 5 cc’s of probiotics every day, (c) switching his food to Canine Caviar or Victor’s Ultra Pro, and (d) wondering whether he has an allergy to rice or corn. We realize he’s on the older end for an English Bulldog, but if it wasn’t for the stupid diarrhea, he is fairly healthy, even for only having one functioning kidney! We just want the diarrhea to stop; our poor little guy has to be miserable!!! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Bellalab]

Hi all. I am curious to know if anyone has ever come across a dog that cannot tolerate ANY digestive enzyme. I have a Lab/Bulldog mix. She is almost 2 years old and she has been quite a challenge since I adopted her. She came to me on Pedigree kibble. I wanted to get her off that ASAP and slowly introduced TOTW. She did okay for 5 months or so and then had a horrible bout of colitis. During this time, (after a vet visit and meds) I fed boiled chicken/rice and things improved until I starting adding the kibble back into the diet. With each increase of kibble, the stools became worse. I experimented with several brands of kibble – slowly introducing which ever one I was trying but after about the 1/2 cup mark, runny stools. I finally gave up and started cooking for her. I rotate chicken, beef, turkey. Vegetables include peas, carrots, green beans. I use a limited amount of carbs – pasta, barley, sweet potatoes and not much of this is given. So far I have tried Dr. Mercola’s products, Enzyme Miracle (and probiotic miracle), Animal Essential enzymes, and Digestive Enzyme/Probiotic by Pet Health and Nutrition Center. While on the any of these there have been stool issues especially the Enzyme Miracle. That led to another vet visit with bloody stools. She has been on the last item I listed for about a month and problems are starting again. If I keep her off the digestive enzymes she is fine. Right now as far as other supplements all she is getting is fish oil and calcium. And the last few weeks all she has done is itch and chew. Since stopping the enzymes she is finally getting better with that too. Why aren’t enzymes helping her? I just don’t get it. She also had nasty diarrhea when taking heartworm meds so I stopped those. She cannot tolerate flea medication – makes her extremely loopy. I love her to pieces – she is the sweetest dog and so smart. I just feel so bad that she is so sensitive to things. But digestive enzymes???????

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Nut – I guess I could do that. She always ends up on steroids in the winters because her back flares up. My parents probably couldn’t afford them year round. My dad got a new job a took a significant pay cut, so nice things are somewhat unattainable. Would the regular glucosamine chondritin supplements work? And if so what strength?

@ Dog Obsessed – All four were actually on Victor Grain Free Yukon River formula, but it ended up being too expensive. My parents went back to Beneful, but I’ve just about talked them into buying Evolve from the local HEB. It’s a 4 star food with no corn, wheat, or soy, which seem to trigger one of the dogs allergies. The dogs won’t eat Merrick for some reason. I haven’t looked at the Pure Balance though. Thanks for the suggestion!

[theBCnut]

He says 50% because dogs can be allergic to any food that has protein in it, not just meat proteins. An elimination diet is the way to go to figure out what your dog is reacting to.

[theBCnut]

Ear infections are strongly correlated with food allergies, so that’s really good that your vet is jumping on this. Most vets just keep treating the ears and never look any further until there are serious problems. Good luck working this out.

[christine p]

My dogs are itching. What are the best grain free dog foods for allergies?

[theBCnut]

You want a limited ingredient diet, so you aren’t adding a lot of ingredients to her system. Look at Nature’s Variety Instinct LID Lamb or Canine Caviar Lamb and Split Pea. Just remember that she can be allergic to any food that has protein in it, not just meats. My dog reacts to chicken, eggs, all grains, flax, and tomato, not all are meat proteins.

[theBCnut]

Not DF but, food allergy test for dogs are known to be inaccurate, giving both false negatives and false positives. This is because the tests only test for one type of immune response and dogs actually have several different immune responses to allergens, and they can have the one type that is tested for for more than one reason. If you go to the websites of the various companies that put out all these tests, they all post the disclaimer that their tests are not accurate and the standard for diagnosing food allergies is a properly run elimination diet. If the companies that make the tests suggest you do a food trial instead of using their test, I would listen to that bit of advice.

[Kathleen C]

This probably doesn’t help the Schnauzer, but my Boston, Jack, is on Wellness Core Reduced Fat, but not losing weight. So, I checked with Nature’s Variety about their Instinct Healthy Weight Salmon meal, which I’ve used for him before and was recommended to me by my dogs holistic vet, with the idea of putting Jack back on it. They say “The carbohydrates are 25% in our Instinct Healthy Weight Salmon Meal Kibble and 27% in our Healthy Weight Chicken Kibble”, which is what I was asking them about. So, I may go back to that since it’s listed at 34% protein and 12% (min)/16% (max) fat. I’m a little worried about the fat since the Wellness is listed at 13%, but the carbs are 34%, so the carbs will be fewer. My other worry is the turkey in the Nature’s Variety. Jack may be allergic to the chicken in the Wellness. He scratches at his ears a lot, but the vets can find nothing wrong there.

[theBCnut]

The article today is about food fraud in dog and cat food. I don’t know how we people with dogs with allergies survive getting our dogs fed.

[LindaW]

Would love to see info published/discussed about the above topic title. I’ve been informed about how most dog food companies use synthetics that are *usually* from China or India. There are only a handful that have whole food vitamins. For instance, sodium selenite used for selenium, is derived from drain cleaner and lye. There was a great article in Dogs Naturally magazine that blew my mind. Never knew about the premixes before. Quite a lot of food allergies, the article stated, are actually not from any one food but from the chemicals used in the vitamin/mineral premixes. Good to know.

[Dori]

Good explanation Bobby dog, thanks. I wonder why cats need higher doses than dogs. Did it mention that. Just curious. I don’t have any cats I’m allergic to them.

[Susan]

Hello Tabitha, Patch was dignosed with Lymphocytic Gastritis, Helicobacter infection & also suffers from skin allergies from food & environment, When I googled Lymphocytic Gastritis the helicobacter infection & Celiac disease comes up, you can only find L/G for humans & its suppose to be rare, I’m putting Patch on a Gluten free & grainfree diet, I found a vet diet Royal Canin “Sensitivity Control” its just Tapioca & Duck, & is only 9% fat he also can’t have too much fat… Ive also been researching “Lectins” as Lectins can cause heaps of health problems especially the GI tract…With the Tapioca would Tapioca be high in Lectins It says that Tapioca is Gluten free,
I always thought Patch was allergic to Starch cause he’d get real bad diarrhea & break out with a rash all over chest & stomach area & itch after eating potatos, sweet potatoes made his ears itch, peas, rye, barley gave him bad wind & sloppy poos but now Ive read that Potatoes, peas, rye, barley are high in Lectins, so he probably wasnt allergic to starch, its the lectins, do you know much about Lectins…. I’m trying to find foods that are lectin free & alot of foods have lectins in them…How do I find out if Tapioca is high with Lectins….
I just read the link that u put up for Naturella, Its sounds like ur girl Keva has acid refux, my boy was doing the same thing 12am-3am he had a Endoscope + biopies done 3 weeks ago, that’s when vet found the Helicobacter infection & has been put on antibiotics & Zantac for 3weeks, maybe try Keva on a lower fat diet & a small feed around 9pm so the acid doesnt come into her throat early hours of the morning, thats what Ive been doing also the Zantac has helped… by the way I love ur Fat Protein & Carb converter..

[T]

Skin issues can be so frustrating! If he’s chewing the skin, it’s most likely itchy. Causes for itchy skin can include: inahalant or food allergy, food sensitivity, gastrointestinal imbalance, external parasites, or less commonly autoimmune disease, liver disease, etc.

Skin problems are one of the most common presenting complaints in the patients I see. I’ve had some good success with concentrating on optimizing gi function, feeding whole foods, using acupuncture and herbs. Avoid strong meds unless it is a real emergency. Steroids and antibiotics may suppress symptoms for a while, but the problem is still there! Symptoms are the body’s way of telling us there is a problem and we want to address the problem, not just suppress the symptom.

Hope that makes sense… I have some articles on my blog about food, allergies, and skin if you’d like to check it out: http://naturalalternativesvet.com/category/blog

I’m a holistic veterinarian in Bloomington, IN and food/skin issues are one of my obsessions! Best of luck to you.

Tabitha

[Dori]

Naturella. Doesn’t sound like hot spots. Hot spots usually have some redness or other type of inflammation that goes along the the bald spots. If you’ve been giving Bruno Sentinel every month without missing any then it shouldn’t be fleas either but do check him out with a flea comb or just give him a bath. Fleas don’t like water so if it is fleas you’ll readily see them in the sink or tub. That only leaves some type of allergic reaction to food or some environmental issue he may have been exposed to. Is it possible that whoever did the fur intake treatment on him was too aggressive and he got a bit of a razor burn type effect. They really have to know what they’re doing with those things and just work slowly and on small areas at a time. Maybe they rushed through it?

[Douglas E]

I have read this entire thread as well as similar ones. Look, other than broad brush strokes, animal nutrition has been much ignored for the majority of pet-human history. Heck, the same can be said for HUMAN nutrition. Only within the past 40 years has our nutrition become the topic of serious scientific inquiry. This has been a natural development in thought from deeper insights into cellular biology, biochemistry and immunology. The science of human nutrition is quite new.

How then can we expect to understand other species’ specific nutritional needs? We hardly understand the human organism yet in that regard. If human nutritional science is in its’ infancy, canine nutrition is only embryonic. That research it further complicated by gross breed differences, historically poor food quality diets, congenital and/our genetic weaknesses from severely poor breeding, medical thought that simply treats symptoms and a new problem- canine geriatrics.

A dog in the wild would typically have a life expectancy less than half of our pets’. Nutritional deficiency plays a major part in that mortality. And no, an all raw and only carnivorous diet is not what a dog would get in the wild. While dogs are highly adapted to having a majority of the diet be animal proteins, they have a much greater variety. Even from only consuming prey animals, they will eat the contents of those animals’ intestines and stomach(s) which would include “probiotics,” yeasts (naturally occurring intestinal fauna,) and various vagetation such as primitive grains. Those grains would be partially digested, yes, so raw gains would likely be less digestible. Canines would also eat the high fat organ meats, hair, skin and bone. It is important to note that the high need of calcium, as well as other bone minerals, for dogs is well noted these days. It is necessary nutritionally for Canines to occaisionally consume vegetable, or even mineral, matter. Not only must they do so to enable gut function, they must do so for biological need. Not all needs are met by prey. This is why in the absence of adequate herbivorous prey, dogs will suplement by what pet owners would consider pica.

All that being said (now that I have presented myself in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral the Very Model of a Modern Major General, ) the answers are not simple. But the guidelines are.

1. Use common sense, canine nutrition is imperfect at best
2. Do not presume to be an expert, or that human remedy necessarily applies
3. Do not rely on diet to cure medical conditions that may really be microbial or parastic infections, disease or biological defecit aside from nutrition
4. Realize that isolating an immunological response, whether from allergic reaction or not, is a difficult and time consuming process
5. Use keen observation when using any new food source or additive, including veterinarian recommended treatments. Don’t simply go with the flow thinking that treatment course is the fix-it for sure (OK, preaching to the choir I think there…)
6. Each dog is as different biologically as we are. If it does improve health in some, it may not in others or it may actually be detrimental
7. A business, or product, that is intentionally or negligently harmful will not survive. Caveat Emptor
8. etc. etc. etc…

Here’s hoping great health to all you and all your furry families

D

[Naturella]

Dog_Obsessed, he usually stops chewing on it when oils are on it. And it literally looks like clear, healthy skin – is that what hot spots look like? I don’t know much about them. I just looked them up actually, and they look nothing like Bruno has – in fact they look like something Snowy has, on both her sides of the thighs, red, irritated, almost raw, skin, on the fold between the legs and the torso, and hers clear up very well with coconut oil, but her family is not very consistent with it and they come back.

As for foods, we started transitioning today, so it can’t be from that. Other than that, no change in his normal food routine. Until today he was on Back to Basics Open Range with usual THK and BDN toppers, plus fresh food toppers. Today we began introducing Castor & Pollux Ultramix GF with Duck, Turkey, Lamb, and Salmon meals. But the spot was there before, I saw it yesterday actually.

As far as seasonal or environmental allergies, it may be that, not sure. When he had the scrotum spots, I did see one flea on him, and there may have been more, but so far I haven’t seen any on him around the leg spot… But there MAY be some? The oil treatment helped last time, and I will try it again I guess, and if he gets another itchy spot, I will ask a vet.

[Dog_Obsessed]

It sounds like a hot spot, which can be due to various different things. It can be due to allergies, though if he is not showing other symptoms then that isn’t terribly likely. Have you tried any new foods lately? The most important thing right now is getting him to stop chewing on it, which unfortunately may require him to wear a cone or cone-alternatave. You could try a soft or inflatable cone if he doesn’t try to reck it and it stops him from going at the spot. You could also ask the vet for advice. If this reoccurs or if he shows other signs of being itchy or hair loss, then allergies, either food or seasonal, are likely.

[theBCnut]

I’m not currently using Darwin’s because one of my dogs is allergic to at least one thing in every one of their formulas, but I used it for quite a while and was always very pleased with it and how my other dogs did on it.

[Alexandria A]

I’m aware that some allergies could be driven tour the environment but being my dogs never had this Issue before I know it is from either the east starvation recipe or the supplements. As far as the box saying that there is customer service that our nutritional veterinarian assistance or whatever they call it it doesn’t really seem that these people have much knowledge on the product or on any type of recipes as I have called I have been getting really limited information. I honestly and going with my instincts here and I feel as though the customer service really doesn’t care about the customers or the dogs health it is a little suspicious that they have customer service from 9 AM to 5 PM that tells me that they must have a lot of people calling with issues from the supplements.

Since both my dogs never had this type of issue before I will never use this product again.

[tecknik]

What some don’t realize is that your dog’s allergies may not be food related. That turned out to be the case for my dog. Here I was trying all different food concoctions, then the useless Dinovite and it turns out my dog has many environmental allergies including Wool, willow, dust mites, mold mites and about 20 other things.
I’ve always had her on a raw diet (Abady) which is helpful and keeps her coat nice and shiny. (less poop as well due to minimal carbs, too) I also add unrefined coconut oil for more nutrients as well as a good dog vitamin.
As for dog treats, I buy $3.99lb london broils or stew beef then grill it medium rare, then cut into bite size pieces. I will buy in bulk and freeze the remaining. It’s a little work but not that much and if you look at the ounces of a bag of good dog treats, you will find that you are paying over $10 a pound! (usually $4 to $5 for a 6oz bag of treats) It’s the best type of treat to give your dog and you know exactly what is in it.
For my dog’s treatment, we first had the allergy testing done. Yes, it is expensive and thank God I have insurance so I get reimbursed. ($500 because dog has to have anesthesia)
Second step was to remove as many of her allergens as possible from the environment. That meant giving up my two brand new wool carpets. :/ Now I clean an extra day a week as well to ensure there is no dust.
Third step was medication to cure her symptoms. She had ear infections, yeast infections and sores from all the scratching. The doctor prescribed a slew of medicines including prednisone which really stopped her scratching. Unfortunately, this can not be used long term because it can be harmful to the liver and other organs.
Fourth step (and this is where we are now) Allergy shots. It started every other day and now we are at once a week. The scratching is down to a minimal and hopefully over time her immune system will work against her allergies and she will be a happy dog for good.

[CockalierMom]

My dog has environmental and pollen allergies, and I have recently discovered any food with tapioca starch causes her to have severe scratching at her ears, eyes, chin and neck, and chewing on her legs. I was beginning to think she was allergic to almost all foods until I realized the common ingredient was the tapioca starch.

[Akari_32]

I recently had the same issue with my older lab mix. It was to the point where I would run my hand down her back and come up with literally a handful of hair. And I could do it over and over and get the same results. Having a collar on just for a walk would also result in a bald ring around her neck. I finally took her to the vet thinking maybe it was a thyroid problem, and it turns out it was only seasonal allergies. Thankfully he didn’t charge me to tell me that! He prescribed prednisone, which I filled just in case but never picked up. She doesn’t do well on it, so I didn’t want to give unless she continued to get worse. I upped her fish oil from one pill a day to two pills a day, and it cleared up on its own in a week or so. I would take your girl to the vet just to be sure its nothing serious, and go from there.

That said, Eukanuba isn’t the greatest of foods, and I can assure you there is much better for the same price, and even less. Its also made by the same company that makes your candy bars (Mars), and before that, a chemical and “etc” company (P&G). I use a lot of Wellness, all varieties, and I couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve also used NutriSource Super Performance and certain Nutro Natural Choice formulas in the past and was happy with both of them. Breeders an interesting lot. They tend to use foods that have a lasting reputation, rather than foods that are actually healthful. Don’t let him force you into feeding a something you’re unsure of.

[zhiba]

Ever since my dog’s allergies became a big factor in his life, we’ve switched to freeze dried and limited ingredient treats (as well as food).

We get treats from Orijen Singles, Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch, Sojos Simply, Etta Says, Whole Life, PureBites, and Vital Essentials.

Recently I discovered the VE cat food on Chewy. It makes for excellent training treats! They are smaller nibblets than the dog food, with a few additions that I like. Comparison –

Turkey Nibblets (dog)
Ground turkey with bone, turkey heart, turkey liver, herring oil (natural source of vitamin D), mixed tocopherols (natural antioxidant), d-alpha tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Turkey Nibblets (cat)
Ground turkey with bone; turkey heart; turkey liver; boneless skinless turkey breast; raw organic goat’s milk; raw organic apple cider vinegar; herring oil; mixed tocopherol; d-alpha tocopherol

[Melissaandcrew]

Heliobactor is a bacteria, not a virus-It is the Genus name that contains (I believe) 35 or so strains. The most common is H. Pylori. I have not looked into it in years, so please google and don’t take my word for 100 percent accuracy. I do recall reading back then that there was a potential for it to be contagious-though I do not recall all the details.

I think what you are calling Lymphocyctic Gastritis, is actually Lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis(LP), and is the most common form of IBD in dogs. “They” do not know for sure what the cause of this is, but its believed that it is an immune response set off in response to environmental allergies, diet etc.

Google Lymphocytic-Plasmacytic enteritis for lots of info.

[Juliet C]

My border collie has skin issues. The vet was of no help and order £100’s on blood test etc. Apart from keeping him free of fleas obviously I went down the line of possible food allergies. Plus when we bath him we use ordinary dandruff shampoo. After 6 months of constant scratching, rolling and the rest an incredibly itchy dog does. We settled a cheap brand of supermarket dog food out of desperation and their also cheap mixer. It turns out our boy can’t handle all the the fancy additives and supplements that the expensive brands contain. He comes from a long line of farm dogs. That were basically fed on what was available. Table scraps, sheep pellets. Rabbits shot on the farm. So sometimes its ok to go back to the basics. We thought we were doing right by the poor dude by giving him the high life food wise. Instead we were hurting him. I threw out the stuff the farmer gave me thinking it was crap. I learnt a lesson!

[Dori]

BC, I understand that neutering and spaying for that matter is a metabolic/hormone issue. I was just pointing out that in my life and family with dogs (all neutered and spayed..not just mine but my parents and siblings dogs) I’ve never come across that. I did not become allergic to animals until I was in my early forties when I went to dogs with hair as opposed to fur. I’m not saying that it doesn’t or can’t happen, I was just saying I’ve never seen it and so there are more issues at play and the situation has a possibility (probability) of maybe not being reversed; but certainly controlled.

Betsey definitely did the right thing in neutering her dog with an undescended testicle. That’s a no brainer and Betsey, you should not feel bad about what you did. It’s what a responsible dog guardian is suppose to do. You just don’t care and treat your dog but all the dogs to come that may be disposed to those traits. Wish everyone was as responsible. Neutering and spaying is an individual and individual dog/cat choice. Health out ways the risks in some cases and vice versa. They are all individuals as we are and decisions are made, hopefully, after research and what sits right in your heart and soul and feels right for your animal.

No disrespect intended on my part for anyone who chooses not to spay or neuter. Just my opinion and what feels right and good to me and what I can live with.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Dori.

[theBCnut]

Responsible people are perfectly capable of preventing unwanted puppies. They don’t neuter over much of the rest of the world. And for every health benefit, there is a health detriment.

Irresponsible people are the problem and neutering by responsible people won’t cure that issue, and the irresponsible people still won’t do the responsible thing and neuter their dogs.

Betsy did the right thing and neutered her dog with an undescended testicle and I did the right thing by neutering my dog with food allergies, but that will not affect the over population problem, because neither dog is running around loose to go breeding puppies anyways.