[Dori]

I wouldn’t. I have a dog with many food intolerances and allergies as well as environmental issues. She had very yeasty ears. What fixed that issue was going to an all grain free diet also free of corn, soy, white potatoes and any type of poultry. I avoid anything that has any type of yeast in it. Any food or supplements that I have tried with her that contain yeast of any sort starts the yeasty ears all over again. My other two dogs though not having any allergies or intolerances whatsoever also used to have gunky ears. Their ears have all cleared up also once I made all the switches. All clear now. Good Luck.

[Amy B]

Hi everyone,
I’m finding this thread quite interesting. My 2.5 year old Maltese x Pomeranian has been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. He is allergic to fleas, dust mites and has food allergies. We still haven’t gotten the food part down pat yet and are a bit unsure what to do.
When he was younger he used to be on kangaroo mince and veggies, or beef and veggies. He seemed to be allergic to these so the vet suggested we put him on a novel protein of goat and sweet potato. He was doing well on this diet until the goat was costing us $80 per 3 weeks!
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we should put him on?
Lisa D I also heard from a pet store employee that fish is good for them. Could you explain to me more how long your dog has been on this diet for? And also why you spray him with white vinegar?
I was told to purchase fish mince from BARF dog Big Dog pet food range (all natural) but I saw it contained fine chicken bones (only after I purchased it) but I wanted to see how he would go on dry food as well. Has anyone had any positive experiences with sensitive skin dry food products?
PS. I’m from Australia

Thanks in advance! 🙂

[Dori]

I thought I would chime in also on Brother’s Complete dog formulas and the people at Brother’s. I truly believe that Brother’s is one of the best kibbles on the market (may be the very best) and the owner, his wife and sons who all run the business are truly kind, conscientious people who love canine’s and try very hard to help their consumers and anyone else who ask a question of them. Also, they are ALWAYS available either by phone or email. Wonderful people. I cannot say enough good things about them. The food is really fabulous. My dogs really did fabulous on their food and if you choose to use their food in your rotation you cannot go wrong. Unfortunately for me and my girls I had to discontinue the use of the food because all their formulas contain some sort of poultry and one of my girls is really highly allergic. As she is the poop eater in the group (I run around like a nut picking up as quickly as they all go but she always manages to find something if it’s my husband who lets the dogs out in the yard) I had to switch all three girls to fowl free food. They now all eat raw.

DFA is a fabulous site and Mike and Sandy have truly done a wonderful job. We’ve all gotten a free educational here and though I’ve thanked Mike and Sandy often, I don’t think they really understand how indebted we all are to them. Unfortunately, the site also brings out “trolls” as they are called. I think of them as despicable human beings who decided that their envy of Richard, his knowledge, his sons and their food were fair game for them. It’s really a shame because Richard brought so much knowledge to this site. I will also be forever indebted to Richard because he shared Katie’s story (allergy riddled poop eating dog of mine and one of the loves of my life) with Shawna and gave me her phone number after getting her permission a couple of years ago. She helped me enormously and continues to help me now with all that we are going through with Hannah.

[NectarMom]

I been using Brother’s Complete for 2 yrs and 3 of mine do fine on it and my 4th girl does not do well on it because she is allergic to Poultry and fish but I can honestly say before I started using it my dogs smelled yeasty and it took approx. 8 months to get the yeast out of their systems when feeding only Brother’s Complete and now they are free and clear of Candida Yeast. I now rotate different brands that are grain free and white potato free. Brother’s Complete will always be one of our rotation foods.

[meky6ra]

Yes, she has a history of allergies. She was more or less allergy free for two years, then I decided to try the WEF, then BAM! hives! I’m pretty sure that she’s had all of the other ingredients before, if the ingredients list is accurate.

When my husband and I adopted her, we didn’t know anything about dogfood, didn’t know what was in the food that we were feeding her, and struggled with her horrible allergic attacks. Her health was what made us start researching dogfoods. Before we stopped feeding her supermarket brands or Royal Canin (the food our vet recommended) I don’t know if she ate pork or not. Since then, though, she hasn’t had pork and she hasn’t been itchy until now.

I also know that she’s allergic to plastic, which is what the WEF packaging is made of. I thought that maybe it was the plastic, so tried Merrick Pork, which has packaging similar to ones that she’s been ok with in the past. WORSE hives than the WEF were the result. Now she’s back on her Wellness Simple Salmon and Peas. Her hives are going away, so this is why I think that it was the pork.

I also don’t think that a dog has to be on a dog food for very long to be allergic to something. Sometimes a dog develops an allergy over a long period of time, but sometimes not.

[DogFoodie]

So, it sounds like you’ve possibly dealt with other intolerance / allergies that your pup might have had previously. Is that the case? At first, I thought this was his first reaction ever, to anything. It seems like a dog that has any intolerance / allergy, is likely to have more.

I’d probably compare the rest of the ingredients just to be sure. I’d hate to see you rule out pork. Maybe keep it in your back pocket (figuratively) to try again another time just to be sure. My thought was that it could been another ingredient or an environmental allergy…, or depending on the type of reaction, it could’ve been a problem with the food (an ingredient, a chemical, preservative or some sort of chemical reaction).

And, I don’t believe you have to have had prior exposure in order to illicit a response. I have a pup whose food intolerances have me confounded. I believe his food intolerance issues started as a result of vaccinosis as a tiny pup. He’s just turned two and there are very few foods I can feed him. I never know what he’ll react to and I always have a food spreadsheet going.

[meky6ra]

I guess her allergic attack could have been caused by something in the environment that happened to be around at the same time that I gave her the new food… My vet said that was possible. Nothing else in the ingredients seemed like possible triggers, also. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence.

[Lynn J]

I believe that you need exposure to an allergen for awhile before you develop the allergic reaction. That’s not to say that pork didn’t agree with your dog, or that you didn’t need a longer transition period.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Mary,

In what way did it inflame your dog’s allergies?

I’d be a little surprised if your dog had a pork allergy that you were unaware of.

[meky6ra]

Oh no! I just bought a bag of WEF beef and lamb and started transitioning my dog to it. I did notice that it smelled a little funny, but not bad enough to cause alarm. It had a bitter smell that reminded me of horse feed. Fortunately for us, it inflamed my dog’s allergies (I assume because of the pork, as she’s never had it before) and I had to stop feeding it. I inspected the kibble pretty well and didn’t see any unusual particles.

[pearl i]

Hi,

Our 10 month old puppy has had continuous itchy skin since we brought him home: licks/ sometimes bites the inside of both groin areas, and his front paws, one more than the other. When we got him from the breeder he was IAMS (chicken protein), then has switched to Orijen LBP (chicken protein), and is currently on Acana Pacifica (fish protein.) He started Acana about a month or so ago, and is still itchy. This week was his second time visiting the vet for antibiotics, antihistamines, cream, etc (not prednisone this time, as he was prescribed that in April for the same issue.) Our vet believes it to be a food allergy as per his age, she wants him to continue on Acana Pacifica and give it some more time. However, she mentioned possibly trying venison or rabbit if Acana Pacifica doesn’t work out.

I researched a bit and found Natural Balance LID, it has high reviews in regards to relieving allergies, but the ingredients are listed to average- below average according to this website. I would like to switch him over to another dry food that is highly ranked with a different protein that he has not tried: venison, rabbit.

Anyone have any feedback related to this? Recommendations for a dry food?

Thank you in advance!

[Tina]

Anyone own a Golden Retriever? If so what do you feed yours?
My Golden Retriever Angel is 8 years old and has these problems;
*dry skin
*itchy skin
*red skin
*scabs all over back, chest and tail
*weak hip and joints
*Gains weight really quick
*eats very fast
*Very gassy
She is on Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior along with Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Adult and Wellness Simple Salmon and Potato mixed in. She has only had chicken her entire life. These are the brands that she has tried as a puppy and a adult;
*Eukanuba Puppy
*Purina Pro Plan Puppy
*Purina One Adult
*Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Adult
*Royal Canine Golden Retriever
*Blue Buffalo Large Breed Senior
*Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior
*Wellness Simple Salmon and Potato
None of these I was happy with and none of them did the trick except for Royal Canine (kinda). What can you suggest? I’m open to ANY suggestions, including all life stages dog food. She will eat anything and I mean anything at all. My only stipulation is that I can find the brand in multiple stores. She never gets bored of the same brand or flavor.

Thank You All

[Susan]

Hi everyone, the thing is he doesnt have diarrhea at the moment, he hasnt had sloppy poos or diarrhea since December when I tried a new grainfree diet that was 15% fat & was Salmon & potatos, So the fat was probably too high & maybe the potatos gave him diarrhea..He has more stomach problems burping, stomach acid & bad reflux & Ive read that prednisolone can affect their stomach & give stomach ulcers, Ive been doing alot of reading & have read that with IBD that the stomach can be affected, its connected to the small intestine & the dog will need less fiber but when the large intestine is affected they need higher fiber diet & Patch does better on a low fiber diet, so it must be his small intestine that has the problem, the only real way to diagnose IBD is to open him up & do bi-opsys & I wont do that, his last vet kept wanting to cut him open but the new vet said if the prednisolone works then he knows that its IBD & he doesnt need to prove it to himself by opening him up… Ive read that it can cause aggression in dogs… thats all I need Patch is a Staffy & has been bitten a few times by little dogs but he has always walked away but today at the Mall a little black dog bit him & Patch bit her back & wouldnt let go of her fur, the owner said sorry that his dog bites other dogs & I havnt givin Patch the Prednisolone yet ….Today Ive put Patch back on his Zantac as I took him off 1 month ago as hes been doing heaps better.. I have real bad stomach acid & take 40mg Somac twice a day & Im much better so Im thinking Im not on a steriod for my stomach acid… I think this new vet has read all Patches history that was sent over & read that Patches last vet dignosed Patch with IBD & seasonal skin allergies & thinks that the prednisolone will help his skin (paws) problem…. for some reason I wont except that Patch has IBD or IBS. I dont know why, maybe cause its Irritable bowel & no irritable stomach just something in my gut is telling me not to give Patch the prednisolone & the high dose 30mgs a day for 2 weeks..maybe if I give him just 2 x5mg tablets in morning & the other 2 at night instead of the 3x5mg .. my mum has Myloma & for chemo she was put on 40mg a day & she weigh 90kilos

[ladyquixote]

Hi all, first want to thank ya’ll for all the great info you supply here. Have been gathering nutrition info for about a year now and have some major budgeting concerns regarding planning cooked meals for my two dogs. Background: Eldest dog, Gracie is 12 y.o./55# (she is much bigger than standard Aussie) and has major yeast and anxiety problems. Found an alt vet last March who prescribed a variety of chinese herb powders which have significantly helped both problems but still a work in progress. Second dog, Tonto is about 3-1/2 (turned up at my front door emaciated last year and ended up part of our family). He weighs about 60 and is experiencing airborne allergies, due for vet check tomorrow for further input. Both are Aussie mixes.

Foodwise, they were on a mix of the 5-star dry no-grain dog foods since beginning of last year, then began adding the usual recommended toppers plus supplements and then transitioned to all-cooked meals over the last three months. It’s quickly begun taking a lot of my time to prepare meals, so this evening I sat down to figure out my monthly cost. Until now I would go out and buy enough food for a week so the cost bite wasn’t so noticeable.

I knew it was getting too costly but the final tally ended up being $15/day for two dogs! Way, way too much. In addition to the food, there are the supplemental herbs and now monthly visits to the alt vet to check progress which should end once both dogs level off with their itchies.

I’ve removed cottage cheese, carrots and rice which make great fillers because both dogs’ itchies worsened. So more meat takes the place.

My question to you is this, if I switch back to at least level 4-star dry dog food and toppers what would you suggest would be the right ratio between the both?

Gracie’s daily calorie target: 1037, Tonto’s daily calorie target: 1280
Here is a sample 1-day meal divided into two meals for Gracie:
— Chicken Liver pate, (chicken liver smothered then pureed): 2 TBSP 47 Cal
— Chicken Hearts, (lightly smothered then chopped fine): 1-1/2C 402 Cal
— Turkey, Ground; 93% Lean: 1-1/4C 425 Cal
— Mixed Veggies, 1 Cup Cooked then pureed: 40 Cal
— Pumpkin, Canned; 2 TBSP: 13 Cal
— Berries, 1/2 C: 36 Cal
— Alternate Every Day: Either 1-Egg or 1/2 tin Sardines in Water: 65-72 Cal
— Supplements include, Probiotics, 1/2 tsp finely ground eggshells, 1-multi, fish oil or coconut oil.

I’d be interested in your input as well as hearing what your average cost per day is for two medium sized dogs! Thanks so much.

[arwyru24]

My cat that has what seems to be an iron stomach, seems to have environmental allergies/sensitivities. He was overgrooming bald patches on his legs and under his arm pits so among other things I switched from a clay litter to Tidy Cats pure naturals and I mix in Blue Buffalo clumping since its been on sale. I don’t really have a go to at this time.

[Jenna]

Hi Paige

There has been some research done into protein sources that are similar (chicken and turkey eg) that suggest that there may be a connection between sensitivities to both. However without trying, you won’t know. Many times food intolerance runs concurrent to inhalant and environmental allergies, and often the symptoms are the same. You are very limited in what is available based on your criteria, so I might give a single source protein turkey or duck and option, and I might not rule out grain, rather choose one that has had limited exposure like Oatmeal etc. I use the GO! Sensitivity + Shine. Are you sure that chicken and Salmon is out, as many foods using those protein sources contain many other carbs that contain protein such as alfalfa, flax, carrots, eggs, etc.? Is home cooking an option? You could have a nutritionist formulate something, and this could work?

[Honeybeesmom1]

Hey Akari. You’ve decribed my Chi. to a T! I’m 99 percent sure Bentley is allergic to fleas.
Honeybee also has a problem w/ pollen and grass – but his main problem is fleas. I put him on Darwins for months and no change in his hair loss, fleas and itching.

I’ve put him on THK Thrive for months then Zeal for months, Merrick canned for a few wks, then Nature’s Logic kibble for a few wks, then NL canned for a few wks, home-cooked, Pure Balance canned for a few wks, Wellness canned for wks, 4 health canned…NO change w/ his red skin. And all the while he was on all of that diet change…he still had one thing…fleas.

Every 2 days his belly gets sweaty and smells like an old wet dirty sock. Even 2 days after a bath. I bought Virbac Ecto-soothe for $20 from my vet that kills fleas, ticks and lice.
But I think a bottle of $3 dish soap would do the same.

I flea comb him probably 10 times a day and have a glass of water w/ dish soap in it to throw the fleas in.
I have sheets over my furniture ( to catch flea eggs) that I take off and wash in hot water, dish soap and essential oils every 2 days.

I have hardwood floors that I vacuum and mop everyday. I HATE to put the flea drops on them – so I was doing things naturally which was not working.
I bought Advantage and put on all pets…and 2 wks later fleas are back.

First thing I did this morning…was flea comb him – and he had a flea. I bet that one flea bit him 50 times all night. My life’s mission right now…is to kill every flea I see. lol
I’ve even treated the yard w/ DE.

Yesterday I pulverized some oatmeal in my magic bullet and mixed in some warm water and let that sit on him for a few minutes. Rinsed w/ cool water as that soothes his skin.

He’s only 5 lbs..but keeping fleas off him is as hard as keeping them off an 80 lb dog.
I also flea comb the other 2 dogs just as much. I’m in Louisiana and it’s hot & humid in the 80s and 90s now. And we always have problems w/ fleas here.
Good luck w/ Bentley…I know it’s hard.

[Susan]

Hi, sounds like ur dog is allergic to fleas as you said you washed him & killed some fleas… some dogs can just have 1 flea bite & they will itch, scratch & go mad with itchness…I know I wrote to use Antiseptic lotions (Betadine) just becareful with the iodine & antiseptic lotions as they will dry the skin more, they will kill any bacteria but will also make his skin very dry & more itchy, I only use when Patches paws are real bad & his cortisone cream isnt helping, another very cheap way to relieve his itch & dry skin is what my Dermo doctor told me to do, was go to supermarket in the breakfast section buy some oatmeal that we cook & eat its very cheap he said add some water & make a paste & I was to put this oatmeal paste on my itchy skin & face as I suffer from Scleroderma, the oatmeal will soften his skin & stop his itch & its cheaper also he can eat some & it wont hurt him.. try to leave on for 10 mins then rinse…I would try this before the Antiseptic lotion as it sounds like his skin is very dry & furless from fleas…you should start to see an improvment & fur starting to grow back within 2 weeks & try to keep the fleas off him, in the summer at night when Patch is sleeping I go on a flea hunt thru his skin & kill the fleas on him he loves the massage.. he often picks up fleas from the dog park as I dont use no flea products on Patch as he had a real bad reaction to Advantage spot on & was so sick for 1 week his mouth swelled up, his ear swelled up & was spewing blood 7 hrs after applying the Advantage spot on so vet has said dont use any spot ons or Comfortis she said that the Frontline spray was good but its dear if you have a big dog.. Good Luck as its summer over there, Im having winter & I hate the rain & cold, prefer the heat & beach..

[DogFoodie]

Hypoallergenic is basically nomenclature. If a hypoallergenic food contains beef, and your dog is intolerant of our allergic to beef, he’ll still produce a response.

You wanted low residue. Did you identify your dog’s reaction to foods of varying fiber levels? The food you’re feeding now contains a lot of grain (filler ingredient), so it’s producing a larger stool volume.

I’d look for a grain free food with a higher percentage of meat protein and lower carbs along with lower fiber. You might look for Victor GF Ultra Pro, which meets those criteria and has a fiber level of about 2.5%.

I’d also consider adding digestive enzymes. One I’ve had great success with four one of my dogs is Swanson’s BioCore:https://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-biocore-optimum-complete-ultimate-full-spectrum-enzymes-90-veg-caps. It helps him break down sugars from starches and vegetables better than any other enzyme I’ve used.

[Starr D]

thanks to every one for their response! only one has skin allergies – some bumpy dermatitis along back. it generally improves when we limit grains and use oatmeal shampoos. it is also worse in spring and summer so we think grass may also contribute. Not much itching, but an occasional Benadryl takes care of it when he does. does the nurtrisource gf require a prescription? does the eukenuba intestinal?

[Susan]

Hi, have you tried the Holistic Select kibbles they are Hydrolized proteins & the kibble is a low residue kibble…low residue means that the kibble breaks up more easier in the dogs stomach & when water is added to a low residue kibble it will soften straight away they are not real hard kibbles..alot of grainfree kibbles are very very hard exspecially if they have poatoes they go straight thru Patch.. I have my boy on the Eukanuba Intestinal as he has I.B.D, Pancreatitis & seasonal allergies, itchy skin….he was on the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic kibble & this gave Patch very very sloppy poos as the fat% was 19%, now Patch is on the Eukanuba Intestinal a low residue kibble fat is 10% it has cleared up Patches skin & fixed his sloppy poos… Ive been slowly adding the Holistic Select senior Chicken & rice the Fat% is 10% the Protein is 26% & the kibble softens straight away if I add water….. You probably wont find a low residue kibble that is grainfree, I prefer a kibble with just a few good grains like rice & oatmeal..I dont mind oatmeal as the oatmeal helps sooth Patches tummy & bowel…. http://www.holisticselect.com they do have 2 grainfree kibbles also..Good-luck its so hard finding a kibble that agrees with a dog with digestion problems, its taken me 1 year to find the Holistic Select kibbles that break up easy & dont upset Patches tummy but he still on the Eukanuba aswell I mix them together now or sometimes he has 1 kibble for lunch & the other kibble for dinner.. I ask him which one & he picks the kibble thats in containers.. I just wish I could do the whole rotation thing like a lot of people do on this site but Im just so happy that Patch is pooing normal & I can pick it up with no messes on someones lawn..

[raam]

Hi, my 6 month old Belgian Malinois pup has had three bouts of giardia. Every time he was on Panacur, he lost interest in his food and it stayed that way after, preferring to starve himself rather than eat. In his short life I switched him from Blue Buffalo Wilderness LBP to Fromm LBP, and then after his last bout switched to Farmina LBP.

He initially went nuts over the Farmina, so I was surprised he lost taste for that as well (he always found the BB and Fromm a bit ‘meh’ to begin with). Before the giardia he also had beautiful solid, dark poops after switching to Farmina, though it hasn’t solidified since (although he was tested negative at the last fecal checkup).

I was hoping it would change with a strict feeding schedule (it’s there for 15 mins, then I take away), but it has been a month and a half and he still dislikes the kibble, only eating a minimum. I now mix it with a bit of wet food because he was getting too skinny.

Any people with similar situations or advice? I feel stuck between wanting to stick it out or switching yet again (I was considering Acana LBP).

Our trainer suggested he might be allergic to chicken, but he has no symptoms other than mushy poop and a dislike for his kibble.

[Harpers Mom]

Merrick is a rich food so it is common for dogs to have runny poos if they aren’t used to something like that. I would look for a food maybe slightly lower protein, but definitely get off Science diet, not a good food. I’m not too familiar with weurva, but others on here are. Why type of skin problems do they have (allergies, dander, etc)?

[Melissaandcrew]

What type of skin issue do they have? Schnauzers are not a high skin issue breed do I surprised yoj h as ve more than one with food allergies?

[Susan]

With food allergies dogs can have hive like lumps over their body, red itchy skin & diarrhea & other symtoms, it doesnt happen straight after eating, can take a couple of days for the reaction to show, maybe he needs his fur trimmed as summer is coming up if ur in America..vets normally have real good shampoos & conditioners for dry skin, I found shampoos & matching conditioner with oatmeal have helped my boys skin..

[Susan]

Hi, Omayra has ur little man been fleaed? as that is probably causing his itch, a nice bath & a good flea product like frontline should keep the fleas away Frontline make a really good spray, I dont know if it can be used on pups u’d have to check..food allergies are rare especially a 3month old pup, only around 5% of dogs will suffer food allergies, some may be intolarant to certain foods, & have food intolarences also look at the Fat% on ur treats alot of treats are high in fat & you can only give a few treats a day as they can cause diarrhea & muchy poo.. its best to use ur dogs daily kibble (Blue Buffalo) as a treat when training…..make sure you keep up with his worming….sounds like u are both sharing ur little boy so make sure that you both arent giving treats at different times & just use some of his kibble as a treat…
Someone else will have to help with the Raw as my boy is on kibble & home cooked chicken & pumkin..sounds like ur little boy has a loving caring home..

[Omayra R]

Hello all.

My sister adopted a puppy last month and he is the first dog to be our family member. He will be 3 months old tomorrow (June 8th).

We were told to feed him dry mixed with wet 4 times a day, up until July 19th. After that, 3 times a day dry.

His dry is the Blue Buffalo holistic life protection brand, and his wet is Wellness for puppies. For training treats we have Organix peanut butter cookies and Fruitables pumpkin and apple flavor.

Now his poop is finally coming out solid, but at the end it’s a little mushy. From my understanding, poop must be solid and not that smelly. At first he was pooping diarrhea, but that was before he got his deworming shot. After the shot, no more diarrhea but would like it his poop to be more solid and a tad bit smelly. This morning he pooped a lot! He hasn’t pooped since. I asked my sister how often does he poop now and she hasn’t been paying attention, so bare with me. As I don’t live with my family and the dog. I stay over the weekends to watch over him. Since I have a more flexible schedule, I can take him to the vet etc.

I notice after he eats, he gets itchy. I’m wondering if he has any food allergies? I know this mix is prone to skin sensitivity. I want that itching to stop. Also read that tear stains are more proned to his food, not breed. We clean his eyes often but would to see that decrease. It’s not excessive though.

Can anyone here suggest me a new diet, please? I’m looking into the raw brand route but i’m not sure how many times a day with these foods. Sorry, this all so new to me.

I’m also in the process of looking for a well reputable holistic vet. I’m just do terrified of all the horror stories with vets and diets I’ve been reading online.

We want the very best for our little guy.

Thank you 🙂

[Susan]

Yes, Shasta 220 is right.. treating the outside is just as importatnt with dry itchy skin, you need a real good medicated shampoo that kills bacteria (yeast) I use Medicated Malaseb shampoo & bath every 5-7 days as soon as Patch starts his scratching its bath time…His feet are real bad at the moment cause we are having heaps of rain so I fill a shallow bath & put a couple of caps of Detol Antiseptic lotion in water & soak his feet they smell awful like corn, you can smell him when he sits next to me like a bad yeasty bread shop a real yukky yeasty smell, after I soaked his feet, then I washed his feet in some Medicated Malaseb shampoo the reddness has gone & he has stopped licking… so we’ll sleep tonight..try to get a medicated shampoo that kills bacteria of the skin.. with food low carbs no potatoes, sweet potatoes, any foods that converts to sugar are NO good as they make yeast… scratching can start the bacteria breeding & spreading, so bath weekly…. If you cant find Malaseb look for Paws (Pure Animal Wellbeing) Nutriderm Replenishing Shampoo & Conditioner for dry itchy skin.. I bath in the Malaseb shampoo then the Paws Conditioner, the conditioner u leave on their skin to moisturise & soften the skin..u’ll need to do this routine probably for the rest of his life even though they start to look real good & stop scratching you can then maybe bath fornightly, in winter Patches itch slows down, then when summer is back so is his seasonal allergies..

[Jess S]

Yay thank you for all the helpful ideas and input have started implementing them and take her back to the vet for a chat about maintaining her allergies better 🙂

[Kay G]

I am currently feeding Fromm GF dry & rotate the proteins. I also had in raw toppers once or twice a day. I have 3 Springers and 1 Cavalier. My oldest Springer (7) has numerous health issues which I have been told are immune related, one being bad allergies/yeast. He has had double ACL surgery, sees a chiropractor regularly and on supplements for his joints, immune system etc. but he just doesn’t seem “right”. After doing research, Nature’s Logic was suggested to me because it does not have the starchy carbs that feeds the yeast (potatoes, peas etc.) that is in the Fromm food. My only concern is the millet in the Nature’s Logic. I bought a bag of Chicken to try, so we will see how he handles it. I am also leaning toward switching the other three dogs over to Nature’s Logic mainly because it is easier for me to feed all four dogs the same thing….. does anyone have feed back on this they could share with me?

[Akari_32]

You guys may recall, my moms dog, Bentley, is always itchy. Right now, his back half is almost completely bald, and his skin is bright red. No matter what we do, what foods he’s on, what protein and carb sources the food has or doesn’t have, fleas or no fleas (obviously we strive for no fleas, but we have some sort of freakish super fleas around here, and he’s so small he’s like a flea magnet in the grass). It just doesn’t matter. We yell at him for scratch so much that he actually goes and hides so he can scratch. Crafty little terrier… Lol

He also smells. Doesn’t matter of he just had a bath or not. He’s stinky. I think it’s a yeast thing?

I’m 99% sure most of it has to do with seasonal allergies, as he gets much better in the winter, and almost all his hair grows back by the time is warms up again for spring.

I always hear of these stories of these dogs that are doing terrible on any kibble, no matter what kind it is, and then they are put on raw and all their problems go away, or are greatly reduced to the point where they can actually be dogs again.

Does anyone have tips on how I can do an extremely cheap raw diet? And is it cheaper to go with a RMB base and not supplement calcium, or to do mostly muscle meat and supplement the calcium, etc associated with bones? Money is defiantly an issue, but we can’t have this freakish Chinese crested/poodle/terrier Frankenstein love child looking thing. There is a Save-A-Lot near the house, which I know would help with the cost, but I’m not sure the quality of their meats. We usually shop at Publix or SAMs Club for meat, depending on what we need. We also have Winn Dixie. I know they do great deals on meat, as well.

He’s about 8 pounds, very active (so fat isn’t too much of a problem), and loves him a good raw bone (I’ve given him chicken necks, pig knuckles, a few others before).

And back on the supplement thing again, is it possible to feed raw with no supplements? What supplements are some cost effective ones?

I’d love to hear of some of your recipes and weekly meal plans and such, as well 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi Kritterlady:
The only suggestion I have for enticing your dog to eat coco oil is trying to melt it and see if he will lick it out of his bowl.

Only one of my cats will eat coco oil in his food, but it can’t be mixed completely in (or melted) because he won’t touch it. I have to hide a small solid amount in his food. The other cats will not touch their food if something is hiding or mixed into it. Sometimes they eat it alone in solid form or melted, when all else fails I just rub it onto their fur. My dog absolutely loves it no matter what and if I don’t watch him he will lick it off the cats fur! lol

Sometimes added supplements don’t agree with our pets and he may also be telling you this by not eating it.

As for the honey I have never had a pet with seasonal allergies, but definately would try either local raw honey or local bee pollen if they did. Since honey doesn’t interest him, I would look into bee pollen. I would imagine it is easier to administer. Here’s a few links with more info on bee pollen and honey. Good luck!

/forums/topic/bee-pollen/

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_9/features/Bee-Honey-Products-Help-Canines_15967-1.html

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.ca/2014/01/honey-good-for-dogs-cats-honey-is.html

[Kritterlady]

So I’ve tried adding the coconut oil and my 11 yr old GSD will not touch it. Same with the raw honey, which I use. He has severe seasonal allergies and I know this would help. I’ve tried adding tiny amounts and even getting him to lick it off my hands. He just gives me the look! Any suggestions would be appreciated

[Tina]

Anyone own a Golden Retriever? If so what do you feed yours? My Golden Retriever Angel is 8 years old and has these problems;
*dry skin
*itchy skin
*red skin
*weak hip and joints (she is on cohesion for this)
*sometimes over weight
*eats very fast
She is on Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior along with other small bags of stuff mixed in. She has only had chicken her entire life and as a younger puppy/adult was on;
*Eukanuba Puppy
*Purina Pro Plan Puppy
*Purina One Adult
*Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Adult
*Royal Canine Golden Retriever
*Blue Buffalo Large Breed Senior
*Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior
None of these I was happy with and none of them did the trick except for Royal Canine (kinda). What can you suggest? I’m open to ANY suggestions, including all life stages dog food. My only thing is that I need it to be inexpensive, not cheap but not like $80 for a 24lb bag.

[Shasta220]

I only just skimmed through the posts, so I might be a replaying record – but if you’re not able to track a food suspect, it might be environmental allergies. I heard you mention mosquitoes – that’s very possible, also some dogs are sensitive to grass, pollen, etc.

Maybe try adding a little spoonful of raw organic LOCAL honey to his food daily and see if that eventually helps. I’ve heard of honey working miracles on itchy allergy dogs. If you want a “quick fix”, then you could try Benadryl (or the equivalent for dogs, I’m assuming you can find allergy tabs)

[ab1028]

I do rotate foods. Right now he is eating Orijen adult, and he has also eaten Acana Pacific, Wild Prairie, Grasslands, and Now! Fresh. I am wondering if it is seasonal allergies as well. There is also a strong possibility that he is getting bitten from mosquitoes. During the winter, we were supplementing his food with fish oil and he was definitely not as itchy. Not perfect, but not bad either.

Thank you so much for the links!

[Dori]

Hi Serena. I don’t feed any kibble but definitely canned would be better. Kibble food generally has a lot of different ingredients in them similar to most kibble foods including whatever binder they are using to keep the kibble in tact. Your dog could still have issues with canned food depending on what her ingredient intolerances are but it’s easier to keep track of ingredients and intolerances. A lot of dogs with allergies and intolerances do better on canned, imo, than kibble.

When I first started doing an elimination test with Katie, the first ingredient was chicken. Then discovered that she is badly intolerant of all fowl. It’s not the same with red meats. Beef, Bison, Kangaroo, Rabbit, Goat, Lamb, Vennison will have completely different reactions from each other. Katie cannot eat Lamb or Goat but she does fine with all the others so far anyway.

If you’re going to switch to canned food please try to make sure that the cans themselves are BHA free, No Carragean (sp?) and also look for the least possible ingredients made from human food ingredients. My rule is that if I can’t pronounce or would not eat it myself then my dogs don’t eat it either. Another way you can feed your dog is to try rotating with freeze dried foods. Closer to raw, but not exactly. There again, keep in mind what the ingredients are (human grade) and what he may have an issue with. I’ve had my hands full with Katie and her allergies and intolerances since I got her at 9 weeks old. She’ll be 5 years old on 6/24/14. It’s been a challenge and she and I have suffered through it. She always comes up with something she once ate that can no longer tolerate. Some of her latest have been alfalfa in any form and kelp in any form. So you just have to keep trying.

Oh, with the canned or any food, just cause it says Beef doesn’t mean that they haven’t added somewhere in the ingredient list chicken fat or lamb or some other protein so please please please read all the ingredients. Good Luck. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been busy with my older gal Hannah, almost 15 year old Maltese who was finally diagnosed yesterday with bladder cancer so, understandably I’m in denial and totally freaked out. My best to you and your dog.

[Sara P]

So why don’t you try put her some doggy shoes when you go out.

In fact you should be prepared to the fact that she might be atopic and need further investigation. Today it is fairly easy to perform intradermal allergy tests and start a personalized therapy to reduce the symptoms and improve her quality of life. It is not curative but really helps most of the “allergic-to-everything-dogs”.

Talk to your vet about this.

[Darenka]

While I do a rotational diet switching between dog foods, everyone in my house gets the same dog food from 6 month old to 15-year senior. It makes my life easier and unless there is a specific reason (allergies, kidney, liver disease or such) there is little compelling reason to keep numerous bags of dog food around–everyone benefits from good protein no matter what the age. Blood work on seniors is perfect even with proteins in the 30%+ category. They just get fed less to make up for a more sedate pace. Does the Foxhound get fed prior to exercise or gulp his food? If the throwing up continues, talk to your vet and rule out an illness.

[neezerfan]

My last dog had food allergies and we fed her only zd until she stopped having symptoms. Then we tried one food at a time for a few weeks to see if it caused symptoms. If it did, we started the whole process over again until we found a food that worked. When I used it about 6-10 years ago it did not have chicken in it. It had hydrolysed protein so it would not trigger allergies.

[Bobby dog]

Hi ab1028:
I give unrefined organic coconut oil internally and also use it externally for both my dog and cats. Initially I used it to help alleviate and improve some skin conditions both had. Now I use it for maintenance to keep their skin and coat healthy and moisturized; I really like the results. I feed it a few times a week and apply externally to one cat that has dry skin patches.

The most improvement in their skin and coats came from changing and improving their diets. You wrote that you tried to limit food. One suggestion I have for you is to try dog foods with different proteins (and starches if you feed kibble) to see if it may be a protein (meat or plant source) that does not agree with your dog. Keep the ingredient lists of each food and compare them if you observe a reaction to determine if they contain common ingredients that may be the culprit.

Another thing to consider is maybe your pup has seasonal allergies. I have never had a pet that suffered from this, but there are several posters on DFA that do. If allergies were an issue I would consider feeding local bee pollen or local honey to my pet. Here’s a link to a DFA forum on the subject and also a few articles about bee pollen and honey:

/forums/topic/bee-pollen/

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_9/features/Bee-Honey-Products-Help-Canines_15967-1.html

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.ca/2014/01/honey-good-for-dogs-cats-honey-is.html

Here’s some links to articles about coco oil you may find helpful, good luck!

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_11/features/alternative-treatments-updated_20861-1.html?pg=3

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/02/coconut-oil-is-good-for-your-dogs.html

[Jess S]

Hi I have a 5 yr old english staffy we adopted who is sensative/ allergic to chicken, beef and grains. She has been eating either costal catch or hills science diet zd and although much better she still has obsessive paw licking and itching problems and chronic ear problems. She was diagnosed with polyps in her ears due to the condition when we got her. I feel that she may also be sensative to the peas in most of tje available holistic brands and the chicken in the zd. Can some one please help me with suggestions for dogs with chronic ear problems and a food which doesn’t contain chicken, beef, grain or peas/pea protien? Thanks in advance Jess.

[Alex V]

I do not typically write reviews, but in this case it is necessary. I have had my 8 year old black lab on Dinovite for 6 months and have seen absolutely no results. Yesterday I took him to an allergist to have him checked out. He has a bacterial skin infection and a yeast infection. It’s really sad that we have had him on what is considered one of the best nutritional supplements that is supposed to alleviate and cure these types of problems in dogs…. and also very sad that our allergist vet said it was a waste of money. I would not recommend this product to anyone, don’t waste your money. And to top it off, the 90 day money back guarantee is a joke. They do not want you to return product before 90 days because they say that ” you haven’t given it enough time to do the job” but then after you exceed the 90 days and it still isn’t working, they say they can’t offer refunds because the refund period has expired. So ridiculous! Not to mention their customer service is some of the worst I have ever experienced! Do yourself a favor and stay away from this product and their bullshit scam company!!!

[Happy Dog]

Yes the vet gave some anti-histamine pills. When its really bad, I give the dog 1 pill and he’s fine (& very sleepy). But once he’s off it, its scratchy-scratch.

I feel the same about the oatmeal shampoo. It worked great with my previous Chi (passed last year at 14yr), made her all fluffy and soft feeling, smells great!
On Happy (the JRT-CHI mix), it seems to have the opposite effect – makes his fur dry and smells more ‘dog’ after 1-2 days of the bath.

Just wondering:

Canned vs Kibble. Canned is better (thanks for the Mercola link to Dr Karen Becker). Would canned food be less likely to cause allergies although it may have a similar ingredient make up as the kibble? I have been feeding grain free kibble with the exception of the Acana & Lamb. Could it be possible that the way kibble is processed just isn’t very good on the whole for dog with allergies, regardless if it is grain free or grain inclusive?

And would an allergy to a certain protein mean the dog would be predisposed to be allergic to similar proteins for example:
Chicken -> Duck, Turkey (all birds?)
Beef -> Bison, Kangaroo, Lamb (all red meats?)

I ordered the Mercola Probiotics. Hopefully some probiotics would help.

[Dori]

Hi Serena. One of my dogs has a lot of food intolerances as well as environmental allergies. Definitely going grain free will help. Also try to avoid foods with corn, soy, white potatoes and too many peas. As far as the shampoo is concerned, notwithstanding the fact that oatmeal shampoos are typically recommended for itchy dry skin, my girl does much worse when shampooed with an oatmeal shampoo. I’ve tested this out with her. I use dog shampoos for sensitive dogs, usually soap free are more gentle.

[Happy Dog]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I did go to the Vet. The 1st vet ruled out any issues. Same with the 2nd vet. They felt it’s either food or environmental allergies or both.

You’re right, the lamb and apple has oats in it. I decided to stop the lamb kibble and get back on 6fish. The next time, will probably rotate on the canned formulas..at least I can just get a can to try instead of committing to a bag of kibble.

[Susan]

Hi, when I first rescued my boy he would have the gurgling Bowel, I took Patch to the vets & vet said it was Colitis & to put him on a low fat diet, so vet put Patch on the Eukanuba Intestinal this kibble has stopped the gurgling bowel & rumbling, its a low residue kibble that breaks up easily & the fat% is 10%..I also could hear his bowel from another room & he too would not eat when this was happening of a morning he’d only eat grass also I would make him a piece of dry toast with either honey thinly spread or a fish paste very thinly spread as soon as he’d have his toast the gurgling would stop..Try a kibble with a low fat% 10% or under also watch what you feed at night… I dont give Patch no treats, nothing at night after his Eukanuba Intestinal kibble, this has also helped him….Have you tried the Wellness Simple range Limited ingredients they have the Duck & oatmeal & fat is min-11% u’d have to email Wellpet & ask what the max fat% is, they have the Simple Healthy weight at 8% fat its Salmon & Peas formula Im not sure about the peas thats why I havent tried as peas would give more wind pain..Ive been introducing Patch to the Holistic Select Senior also made by Wellpet cause the fat is min-10% I emailed Holistic Select & they said that the max fat is 11.98%.this kibble is a Hydrolized kibble & breaks up real easy.. I found when Patch ate real hard kibble he’d get the noisey tummy/bowel, so what I do know if I try a new kibble I boil the jug I put about 2 kibbles in a class of boiled water, I count to 40 sec then I get 2 small teaspoons & I place 1 of the kibbles that was in the boiling water on one spoon then I get the other spoon & push down, a good kibble should crush easily, a hard kibble wont crush & sometimes flings away..thats why I put 2 kibbles in the water just in case this happens but the Holistic Select Senoir or any of the Holistic Select kibbles are nice & soft after being in water after 40sec as the protein is hydrolized better on their digestion, Ive been trying to work out Patches health now for 1 year & we have it just right at the moment with the Eukanuba Intestinal & the Holistic Select senior Chicken meal & rice I only mix the Holistic Select & Intestinal for his lunch meal at the moment, But he was just on the Holistic Select for about 7months before I found the Holistic Select Senior, I did try a few other brand kibbles but they were too hard to digest.. Good-Luck also watch the fat if you give any treats or meats I do boiled chicken breast & boiled pumkin for breakfast as the rice irritates Patches bowel I have also tried the Eukanuba FP as Patch has itchy skin & the fat% was 15% too high gave him the rumbling tummy/bowel then diarrhea, the Eukanuba Intestinal is for their tummy/bowel & for skin problems it cleared all his itchy skin up but at the end of summer he gets seasonal allergies from pollens & grasses & there’s nothing you can really do for that except put him in a plastic bubble & keep him looked up all summer Lol

[betsyofss]

Elizabeth, great question. I’ve got one of these too. Great suggestions as well.

My neighbor uses Honest Kitchen basic and mixes in cooked chicken. I’m trying to break her in but the mix is a little green for Hannah girl….. She also has allergies so the vet has her on single source protein.

We have two dogs so I’m trying to find something that will work well for both. Ranger’s issue is borderline obesity. He can and does eat anything.

Also trying to keep this side of $100 per month for the cat and dogs.

Let me know what works for yours!

[Akari_32]

Cindy, I give him honey for his allergies. It’s also good for itchiness. I just give him a little squirt. It’s 1 tablespoon twice a day for large dogs (50+ pounds), and he’s only 7 or 8 pounds. I don’t really put much science into it… Lol

[Shasta220]

I’m agreeing with Amy. Maybe try an elimination diet…if you’re switching Kibbles, try to make a list of identical and different ingredients and which kibble he did good or bad on.

There’s that possibility of environmental allergies as well. I think you can get allergy pills for dogs, so you might try that if you’re pretty sure it’s not food related. Try giving raw local honey daily, too. I know many people who swear by it for theirs and their dogs’ allergies.

Only way to see if the shampoo does it is by ditching it and seeing if that makes any difference. My lab is occasionally itchy, so I use a medicated shampoo (I can’t remember the name of mine, but Malaseb is very similar I think).

You also might try another shampoo: Shea Moisture African Black Soap shampoo. It’s not designed for dogs, but it is an organic shampoo that has ingredients to help dandruff and itching. I use it myself and we loooooove it. (You can prob find it online, but it’s usually at Walmart, Target, and Walgreens for about 10$)

Shampoos usually won’t fix a problem though, just mask it. Get a skin scraping done to make sure it isn’t something like mange. Best wishes and hopefully you can get through this!