How about a dry food with no grain or peas? I just learned that my lab is allergic to peas. I have been stumped for years and had switched her to Wellness Grain Free. That and most others have peas as a top 5 ingredient.
My Irish Setter has been licking for 2 years, last year was severe. I took him to a Dermatologist and spent at least $5000.00 on medication and procedures. He is allergic to almost everything, even human dander. I started him on the allergy injections, which did not help, the Dermatologist had prescribed many different antibiotics, we found one that controlled his itch, Clavamox, which is very expensive. He was on it for 6 months along with Atopica and his injections. He still licks. I took him off the Clavamox and injections he still is on the atopica and a plastic collar around his neck. My feelings are of quilt, I take the collar off when I can sit with him or when we are outside, some days he is not as itchy as others so I take off the collar. I clean his areas of irritation with alcohol or peroxide, then i apply women vaginal creme. This controls the infected area but does not stop it completely. My dogs infection is yeast based or fungal, from what the dermatologist said. I ordered the dynovite and I hope that it works. I’m ready for a miracle, my dog is very important to me. He rescued me when I was sadden from the death of my first Irish Setter. I just hope that Dynovite is a true solution. My dog eats Verus which is a grain free food. His symptoms are ear irritations, licky paws, inside portion of the legs, groin area and tail. I have not received the Dynovite as of yet ,but will start posting weekly results when my dog starts. I need encouragement from other dog owners. Michele
Hi Leslie
Would you consider making your Jack a homemade diet? If he has no food allergies or intolerances a homemade diet using chicken, beef, turkey, fish, pork and other meats would be beneficial for your pup. You would use lean meats, 10% fat or less. Lightly cook the meats. Add about 20% non-starchy pureed veggies and fruits. Occasionally add some organs and sardines.
Supplement with Omega 3 oils, digestive enzymes, probiotics and a vitamin mineral mix like Steve Brown’s See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mixes and you have the basics of an economical, highly nutritious, species appropriate low carb diet that would help your precious pup do the best he can!! Turmeric is an excellent supplement for dogs with cancer. Slight adjustments to the diet with fiber would depend on the needs of your dog.
This is not that hard to learn and there are plenty of people here to help you along the way! I wish you and your pup the BEST!!!
Its just that you say that when ur dog was 5months he was diagnosed with Dermodectic mange now he’s 1yr old, it should be all cleared up by now, unless the treatmant didnt work properly.. Big Dog Rescue rescues Dogs from pounds that have Mange & within 3 weeks you see a big improvement with their skin, you could send a msg to Mina at Big Dog Rescue on F/B & ask her what treatment she uses for the pound dogs that have had mange.. I know she just feeds them Royal Canin kibble as it gets donated to big dog rescue by R/C, so food doesnt seem to make a difference with mange as its mites that are living on the dogs body..
I’d have another skin scraping & see if the mites are still there….or maybe ur dog has another problem with his skin, I feed Patch vet prescription diet Eukanuba Intestinal cause he has Pancreatitis & IBD & that has corn in it & his skin cleared up when he was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal..weird I know corn is suppost to bad, I have also started a elimination diet 2 months ago & realised that sweet potatos & potato made him itch, then vet said that Patch has seasonal allergies from pollens grasses etc… & was put on an Anthistimine & hydrocortisone cream, I just use my cortisone cream, as soon as I see him starting to scratch, I put the cream on where he’s scratching if he hasnt had a bath within 7 days he has his bath & I have to leave his shampoo on for 10mins then rinse… its time consuming but in the end it all pays off when he’s itch free…not keeping me up at night licking & scratching…
Did you have a skin scrapping to see if it was mites or yeast infection, it should of went away if it was mites & treated properly be now, my friends white staffy was real bad, real red skin & hairless in the end, she was put on vet prescription diets that didnt help, in the end she was put on Holistic Select Adult health Anchovys Sardines & salmon meal this helped her & she looks beautiful know…Holistic Select have a grainfree puppy Anchovys Sardines & salmon meal but it has potatoes in it…. they have just released a new grainfree called ‘Deboned Turkey & Lentils recipe’ that has NO Potatoes..Its worth a try or the Adult Health Anchovys Sardines & salmon meal.. you have to also treat the outside..I bath Patch every 5-7 days with Medicated Malaseb shampoo & I use a hyrocortisone cream as I dont like medications.. The best is an elimination diet that way u’ll know what makes him scratch, he may not have food allergies, he may suffer from eviornment allergies, or flea allergies, have you googled ‘Atopic dematitis in dogs’..also keep a diary, write when he’s real itchy, what foods he was eating at the time & over the years u’ll start to see a pattern, patch has seasonal allergies worst summer & the end of summer Autumn..also he may need an Anthisimine Patch was put on Iramine 8mg tablets theyre a dog anthisimine not human..maybe find a new vet, I see one vet for Patches skin then the other vet for Patches tummy & bowel they are both in the same surgury but sometimes some vets specialise more in certain areas, well thats what Ive found, Sue’s better with Patches skin & Johnathan is excellent when it comes to Gastro & stomach problems..Give the Holistic Select a try http://www.holisticselect.com
ab1028. I’m wondering what food your feeding your miniature poodle. In my case I have three tiny toy dogs. Until I switched their food to a grain free, poultry free their ears were always matted. Typically the mats around and behind the ears is because they scratch their ears a lot when their ears are bothering them. I didn’t put it together for quite some time. It wasn’t until I was doing elimination diet because one of my girls has lots of allergies/intolerances to foods, and environment that the first thing I did was remove all poultry including any type of foul. Then I switched to grain free. After a while was when it dawned on me that because she was not scratching her ears anymore she no longer had the matted ears.
I guess I should actually answer your question on the hair detanglers. I’ve always had long haired dogs (I’m 65 so there have been quite a lot of them) and the detangled never ever worked for any of the mats. I tried a lot of different brands, followed the directions, etc.
They do make detangling combs and such and they seem to work pretty well. I comb all my dogs out probably every other day or so and none of them have mats behind the ears. My Maltese will occasionally have a mat somewhere on her body but that’s because I keep her hair long (show coat) and at 15 years old she still playing and running hard with the other two.
Leah12345. I don’t use the leave in conditioners. I’m not a fan of them. The dogs seem to attract more dirt for some reason. I bath my girls every 7 to 9 days and professionally groomed probably around every 6 weeks. Some times less. Depends on how my health is doing.
I have an American Bulldog who has many food allergies. Does anyone know of a good venison based dry dog food? Venison is one of the few meats he can eat that does not make him sick. Thank you.
I don’t use flea or tick products and I haven’t ever had a reason to but I do have a Chihuahua that is allergic to insect bites and I was wondered if this product would help her in any way or should I not bother? If she has a reaction I have to inject her with Benedryl but I worry when I am not home and if she has a reaction so I give her 1/2 a benedryl tablet every 12 hrs.
I’m also looking for a free of synthetic vitamins and minerals, grain free/good for sensitive dogs to allergies, and i can make it into a rotational dry kibble diet(cans are too expensive to feed to large dogs and i dont have the fridge space for a raw/home made diet). I recently heard of different studies (done with humans, not dogs so it might/not apply) where the researchers compared the health of people who took synthetic vitamins from pills and those that took their vitamins from their diet(vegetables, fruits, meats ect.). They found that those that took synthetic vitamins had higher occurrences of cancer than those who ate their naturally occurring vitamins in foods. Here are two sources where you can get this info from: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/selenium-vitamin-e-supplements-increase-decrease-prostate-cancer-risk-201402287059 , http://www.cancer.org/healthy/eathealthygetactive/acsguidelinesonnutritionphysicalactivityforcancerprevention/acs-guidelines-on-nutrition-and-physical-activity-for-cancer-prevention-diet-cancer-questions
“Can nutritional supplements lower cancer risk?
There is strong evidence that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods may reduce the risk of cancer. But there is no proof at this time that supplements can reduce cancer risk. Some high-dose supplements may actually increase cancer risk.”
so please help me find one >.< for my very special adopted senor furbabies.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by
Gloraidy R.
Hi. since ur cooking why dont you start an elminantion diet with meats, say u start with chicken, boil a chicken breast & just add say 1/4 cup with rice or whatever she has eaten before & hasnt scratched, you’ll know within 2-3 days if she’s allergic to the chicken if she starts scratching, then if the chicken goes good least she can have 1 meat in her diet…then after 1 month if you feel like trying another meat like Kangaroo..Kangaroo is very low in fat a very lean meat.excellent for pancreatitis,
Hello,
I have posted on other topics before, so forgive me if this background is a repeat for anyone. I have a rescued Shih Tzu that has developed allergies in the past year or so. The vet says they aren’t super serious as they only really cause red skin/crust under one armpit, but I know they are yeast-related so I have decided to start on Nusentia Probiotic AND Enzyme Miracle.
My question is that since his skin is already infected, I am clearly going to use these at the higher doseage suggested and not just a maintenance dose. I know any results could take weeks to see. In the meantime, I have also read that plain Kefir and coconut oil are great Probiotics as well. Would it be ok to also give him one or both of these in smaller doses? I certainly do not want to overdose him, but from what I have read, “overdosing,” per say, is not super likely.
Anyway, I would just love some suggestions/ideas/other things I can use to help my poor guy feel better. I already bathe him in the Malaseb shampoo and have Zymox drops for his infrequent ear infections. I try ACV in his water when I can, but he realllllllllly hates it so it isn’t a real option for me.
Thanks!
She can’t be allergic to every kind of meat. Maybe you should try narrowing down what type she is allergic to. Chicken and beef allergies are extrmely common.
I feed my Rotty the BB Freedom and she does good on it, actually she does best on it, when I have switched her I end up going back, less stomach issues. I use BB Basics in rotation for my Bostons, one with allergies, and they all do good on it too. Never had any issues and will continue to use
Colitis and a severe allergie to fish. As for the bones, my vet said that fish bones are very dangerous and could have caused her intestines to tear.
Hi Robert,
First, how awesome you adopted them together! They must be thrilled to have stayed together.
I have to say, I agree with Marie and Sandy. I’m not a fan of Natural Balance. For those who need it as a last resort due to intolerance allergy issues, it’s a different matter. The product is owned by Dell Monte. They’ve been know to have some QC issues; for example, some limited ingredient product have been found to have proteins other than those listed. Not good if you’re feeding a dog with food allergies.
Since you’re not aware of any intolerance issues, you have lots of great choices. In addition to those Sandy mentioned, I’d also add that Canine Caviar has tiny kibble. And, Wellness, is a great product, made in-house at WellPet, and they have lots of both grain inclusive and grain free options for toy and small breed dogs.
Zignature
Grain and Potato free! My 3 year old Goldendoodle is allergic to grains, potatoes and apples along with beef, lamb, venison, and bison. Hard to find a good dog food that does:t have potatoes and apples!
Also Wild Calling canned wet food. 96% meat!
Please let me know if these 2 brands could be considered.
Thank you,
Rachel
Thanks for your great tips! I’ve checked into Darwin’s and a afew others but as much as I like Brewer, I don’t know if his monthly food bill should exceed the monthly payment on a new Lexus. That being said, I’d still like the best for him and feel I could do raw from my kitchen and fill in with Nutrisca or Orijen( for vitamins, minerals and probiotics) but in some of the “expert research” I’ve found they say feeding both is not beneficial. Something about time in digestion being different. Sometimes all of this information is overwhelming..I grew up with farm dogs and fed them whatever; they lived long and don’t remember them ever being sick. Are all of these health issues, with our canine friends, recent? Both of my last 2 dogs have had very sensitive digestive systems and allergies.
My dog recently had another bout of vomiting/diarrhea (both at the same time this time) so I decided to take the plunge and have her tested for allergies. Her results came back and her food choices are super limited, as she tested borderline to potatoes, beets, and peas (among the more common beef, wheat, etc). Thankfully, the only protein she was definitely allergic to was pork.
My question is, should I follow the food recommendations given to me or can I fudge a little with the peas/potatoes/beets? The options given to me were AvoDerm, Pinnacle, and California Naturals, along with prescription diets. I would probably go with the Pinnacle if I had to, but I really don’t want to go with any of them. The other choice I have is Honest Kitchen Thrive, but I was really hoping to get a kibble for cost/convenience.
Any suggestions? Any other foods that don’t include peas/potatoes/beets that other people are feeding? I could also live with a mix of the HK and Pinnacle, using the kibble as treats or something I suppose.
Amy, here is an excerpt from Dr. Tim’s Website:
“Why Dr. Tim’s?
Our chicken meal is antibiotic free with no added hormones.
Dogs and cats flourish on meat based proteins; our proteins are 87% animal derived.
Our omega 3 fatty acids are mainly of ocean fish origin; ocean-derived omega 3 fatty acids are more effective with dogs and cats than plant-derived omega 3 fatty acids.
Dr. Tim’s protein, fat and carbohydrate ingredients are of North American origin – always.
Our starch digestibility is 95%.
Low ash proteins assure the highest grade of protein is used to benefit your pet.
Externally applied probiotics and prebiotics in the diet help your pet’s gastro-intestinal tract healthy – the start of your pet’s immune system.
Kinesis All Life Stages and Pursuit Active Dog formulas are appropriate for large breed puppies and large breed adult dogs.
To ensure safety, each batch is tested for salmonella and not released until a confirmed, negative result.”
If you visit the website, you can learn about all individual ingredients as well, and see how they apply to the dog’s nutritional needs. Also, he uses a lot of meat meals, but they are much richer in protein than is fresh meat alone. And not everything is dried – the chicken liver and porcine plasma are not dried, and a lot of the vegetables aren’t either. Plus what HoundDogMom said about their customer service.
I have fed Dr. Tim’s Kinesis grain Free in my rotation and I am pretty happy with it. I would feed it again, or even the Momentum or Pursuit formulas as they are meat-heavy regardless that they have grains, and luckily for me, I don’t think my little guy is allergic to grains, as his diet has always been about 75-80% or more grain-free, mixed with a grain-inclusive kibble and he has done fine.
So it really is up to you. It is a good, affordable 5-star kibble in my opinion.
I would go with Ziwipeak air dried or canned. My dog has allergies, too, and she does really well on this and it is on the Editor’s Choice list. You can also use an antibacterial rinse on your dog or use it as a foot soak. It’s 1 gallon water, 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup of peroxide. Don’t get it near the dogs eyes and don’t rinse it off. Never use an oatmeal bath or shampoo if you think your dog is itchy because of yeast. It will feed the yeast and make it worse. Don’t feed any starches at all like grains, potatoes or even peas. Don’t feed any sugar, either. I also started my dog on a steroid that is made from plants that is completely safe and natural. You can use Only Natural Pet Stores Immune Balance or buy the human grade plant steroid called Moducare. The only thing that helped my dog was steroids from the vet and I needed to get her off them and all of this is working. Good luck!
My Cassy is on Diamond Naturals currently. She’s gone through horrible allergies before, and is itch-free now that I’ve finally been able to get rid of corn/wheat/soy.
She still has really bad dandruff – no itching, just flakes. It’s sometimes off and on, too. I’ve given her coconut and fish oil (sardine/anchovy), but it didn’t really seem to help.
So I finally found some GF food (Pure Balance salmon) for about $1/lb, and I’m trying it to see if she is possibly slightly reactive to all grains (or maybe chicken, for that matter. Doubt the chicken tho as she’s been on lamb formula w same results).
My question is how long would it take (estimated) for her flaky skin to go away if it /is/ a grain allergy?
Hi Betsy, this is kind of related to your food energetics topic as well.
I had noticed once that Liesl was stretching out on the wood floor, like REALLY stretching, and sticking her face under the ottoman, only going outside when she had to, and always staying in the shade… etc (not too a scary alarming rate, just more than she should have been) and that was on a lamb rotation. She also felt warmer than usual-and nothing really wrong with her according to the vet.
I did some research and found some articles about the yin/yang foods with warming and cooling. The next bag I picked up after reading this was duck based-one I normally use anyway (Fromms game bird) and that seemed to reduce the problem. This was last summer. I tried Lamb again in the winter, and the issue was drastically better. So while I don’t know a ton about the Chinese healing properties and such, this one seemed to make sense. So while I don’t know if everything about that is true-with some of the allergies and whatnot- the lamb warming definitely seemed to make a difference with her, but not with Willoughby or Dani. I am not sure why it seemed to have a different effect on Liesl, but for the next few months, I’ll be avoiding lamb foods
Venison falls under the same category, but I haven’t tested a venison based food, and am reluctant to until winter again.
I don’t use those types of dental chews but I hope anyone reading, who uses them, pays attention to ingredients, if you have a dog with sensitivities/allergies. I know people who only look at their dogs food; have to pay attention to everything that goes in their mouths.
How do you know its food allergies?? You sure they dont have Enviornment allergies, My boy gets itchy red paws & itchy skin & he has enviornment allergies, only 1-5% of dogs will have true food allergies, Im reading a book at the moment & its rare for dogs to have food allergies, Dr Rob Zammit writes, the number of dogs that really have a food allergy is fewer than the number of dogs diagnosed with the condition, far too often, if a dog has a non-seasonal propensity to scratch it is diagnosed as having a food allergy without proper testing..the only way you’ll know if its food is you must do an elimination diet, A reasonable elimination diet is cooked rice & lamb, no snacking inbetween meals,.In the case of true food allergy improvement will be seen after 7 days with the dogs skin looking normal by the end of 3 weeks. If ur dogs improve on an elimination diet it could be useful to include additives such as polyunsaturated oil, omega oils & other natural oils found in various herbs, the critical thing is to add only 1 additive at a time. The best starting point is omega oils add this a the recommended dose for aleast 6 weeks , if there’s no deterioration in symtoms then add another additive can be given if the lamb & rice is working then the next additive should be in the form of raw bone, these must be sheep origin, so use mutton flaps, lamb necks or brisketbones from sheep again no other additives must be given for another 6 weeks. You may want to pick another meat, but only use the raw meaty bones from that animal….also bathing should be done weekly with a good oatmeal base shampoo too keep the oils in the skin, if ur using all those product they are not working maybe its a time for a change with products, I use Malaseb medicated shampoo & I saw an improvement within 3 weeks, skin started growing back also Blackmores has a excellent dog range called Paw (Pure Animal wellbeing) I also uses the Paw Nutriderm replenishing conditioner this can be left on the skin moisturising the skin weekly… The basis of the diet could become a good quality super premium dry food as long as the ingredients are similar to those used during the elimnation diet…
I’d love to hear from others who subscribe to Traditional Chinese Veterinarian Medicine (TCVM) theories, in particular, Food Energetics.
Has anyone used either a warming or cooling food, or a food to transform phlegm or drain dampness with success?
I’d love to hear your story!
Here’s a great article from Dogs Naturally Magazine:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/allergies-food-energetics/
And, a great Food Energetics chart from Herbsmith:
http://www.herbsmithinc.com/Home/Education/foodcharts/default.asp
If this food is helping, then certainly stick with it. If not, then possibly try an elimination diet….not always are allergy tests accurate. Try to do a super simple home made diet, or stay with the food (making sure she has no more allergic reactions), then add chicken for a week or two. Then try rice, or potatoes, or any other suspect allergen food. It’s time consuming, but well worth it.
Most of the time, for allergy prone dogs, home made and raw diets do the best anyway. It’d also be better since you could know exactly what goes in her bowl, no more looking at the ingredient list!
About the treats, I am disappointed with natural balance treats since they add molasses (sugar)…. Try some home made treats (keeping em simple….fruits, veggies, meat, and coconut flour or something if necessary. Bake in the oven for about an hour until nice n dried)
I am looking for a 5 star (or as close to) quality Grain Free and Potato Free dog food in both kibble and wet dog food for my 12 year old JRT @ 13 lbs, 11 year old CHI @ 6 lbs. and 9 year old Yorkie @ 7 lbs. – They all have terrible itchy and dry skin, licking paws and pink irritated belly skin – Where my pups are concerned no price is to high for their well being. I know I am over the top and love them like my children ( crazy dog lady here!)
They currently eat Artemis Small Breed Adult Dog food. Two of the 3 are on benedryl with every meal – Will not give them the predisone, only helps when they are on it.
I give them the Coco Therapy coconut chips, fruit and veggie crunch treats. At dinner in their food they get cosequin plus MSM, as well as brewers yeast and garlic tablets, Dr. Mercola krill oil. In their Poland Springs water (have never had tap water, as I live in NYC) I put 1 tsp.of Bragg Organic/unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
I bathe them monthlywith Dr. Mercola Peppermint Shampooand also use the same conditioner, both are recommeded by Dr. Mercola for skin problems. I have even tried no conditioner at all and only using 1/2 water and 1/2 Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar with no rinsing. This all started about 18 months ago.
Please. . . . any help or information would be greatly appreciated !!!! Thank you all . . .
I rotate within brands and then also rotate different brands. I feel that if you stay with one brand and one protein you are opening your dog to allergic reactions! I no longer transition as they are “used” to getting different foods..I like the idea that they are also able to experience different foods! I also added my own cooked items to the food ..fish and beef and goose..Venison if the family have hunted any.
I have French Bulldogs.
When you had ur girl allergy tested what sought of test did she have, did she have the test like us humans have where they mark a part on ur back & tape sections & its left on the back for 2 days then when you go back you can see what made the skin real red & irritated.
I read that you work but maybe ur better to cook small meals & freezing about 2 weeks worth then slowly adding a new food every 2 weeks an elimantion diet cause thats alot of things to be allergic to..We are getting a animal Dermatoligist in 2 months & I’m having my boy tested but Ive heard that the blood test is a waste of money, I want him to have the human allergy test done.
Frank-
I think most of the 4 and 5 star foods are dye free. Also, there is a video that was posted today on allergies on the review side of this site under off topic discussions. It’s pretty informative. It talks a little about ear infections you might want to check it out. It’s posted by USA Dog Treats.
Chronic ear problems can be the manifestation of food allergies. Wheat, corn and soy are the top allergens in dog foods. Dogs that are fed a grain-free diet will show immediate relief when grains are removed, if food sensitivity is the problem.
Hey! I am looking for a little help. I recently had my 4 year old Boston Terrier allergy tested. I just got the results back and am having a very difficult time finding an appropriate food for her so I’m hoping others can help!
Her list of food allergies include
-chicken
-turkey
-peas
-carrots
-eggs
-barley
-tomato
-rice
-soybean
-corn
-white potato
Does anyone here know of any foods that don’t include these ingredients? I am having no luck with any of our local pet stores. It has been suggested I try a raw diet for her but I am hoping to avoid this! I work 12 hour shift work and have to take her to a “sitter” while I work so a dry food would be best.
My vet suggested “Iams Veterinary Diet Skin and Coat Plus KO”. I haven’t heard many positive reviews on Iams or this food so I am unsure.
I have just transitioned her to Nature’s Variety Instinct Lamb Meal. This one is free of all her allergens with the exception of peas. Peas are the third ingredient on the list. I had no idea she was allergic to peas and I had never noticed a reaction to them before. I would really like to keep her on a 4-5 star food.
Thank you in advance for any help!!
Stainless steel are suppost to be best, sturdy, long lasting & dish washer safe. Ceramic bowls are dish washer safe & can use boiling water to kill germs but they can crack & break & have micro cracks that can be a breeding ground for bacteria, Plastic bowls some dog & cats can be allergic to, dogs can chew their bowls, the plastic scratches & even with regular washing they can breed bacteria…I just human ceramic bowls for Patch, if I see any cracks I throw away.
So I guess she’s going to get Remicin for her right ear and I also bought Benadryl in case she’s having allergies.
Gotcha. I will feed my dogs the same too one day unless the next one has any specific issues. I just looked at Farmina and really like their GF fish and lamb formulas – I am sad that the wild boar one has chicken as a supplement – you know, in case a dog is allergic to chicken, they can’t have the wild boar either. But anyway – that one is kind of expensive, so I will feed it one day when I can afford it, lol.
And great job on the supplements! Bruno gets just about the same too, and he loves his veggies too!
You could maybe check out Victor – locally, I find the 40-lb bags of grain-inclusive for $38.99 – so, about $1/lb when you apply tax and stuff. And it’s a decent food. Online it seems to be more than $1/lb though, which is odd, but oh well. I am lucky to live close to 2 pet boutiques, and Petland, Petco, and Petsmart, AND Costco are all within 15min of me… The pet boutiques have better deals on sales though, it seems. I may ask them to see if they can get me the Farmina for less… I will look for a coupon for it too! 😀
My dog was having her anal glands expressed every few months. Along with anal gland problems, she had allergies. I never connected the two until I read an article in Dogs Naturally magazine. I finally found out that she was allergic to chicken and since removing chicken from her diet her anal gland problems are gone. It has been 8 months since she had them expressed.
If your dog has severe allergies with watery eyes, sneezing, constant scratching where the skin is broken and oozing, etc., I have a tip for you! After multiple vet visits, hundreds of dollars, many trips to the pet store trying limited ingredient diets as well as a significant amount of online research, I found Answers fermented Goat Milk. Evidently fermented goats milk, unlike pasteurized cows milk, contains many vitamins, probiotics, minerals, omega fats, etc. that are preserved with the centuries old fermenting process. Even the Bible describes goats milk as “white blood” meaning its the elixir of life. Answers Goats milk is sold in locally owned natural pet stores (the answers website provides you with a list of stores sold throughout each state) in quart sized milk-like containers and is sold frozen. I buy 4 or so at a time and throw 3 in the freezer while defrosting 1 in the fridge given that it last about 2 or so weeks. To make a long story short within 2 days my little guy was scratching noticeably less and within 5 days his scratching is almost non-existent. I can’t believe it; it all disappeared right before my very eyes. My vet told me the allergies was caused by something he was eating however, it appears that his allergies were caused by something he wasn’t eating meaning he must have had some type of vitamin or mineral deficiency. My research on goats milk led me to learn that many US studies conducted in the 1960’s determined that human consumption of fermented goats milk cured many diseases and has even been shown to reduce tumors in both humans and animals. The Answers website contains much information on the milk so go ahead and learn about the many diseases it will eliminate or reduce. If your beloved pet is battling cancer or other diseases such as kidney disease, stomach irritations/diseases, etc. try the goats milk.
I hope this helps especially since allergy season is upon us. Let me know if the milk works for your pet.
So, I have two dogs. My female is a 12 year old Old English Sheepdog and my male is a 4 year old Dachshund/Terrier mix. I have noticed that my OES has been pretty picky with what she eats lately. She was normally on anything with Lamb and I wasn’t really paying too much attention to whether or not her food was grain free despite her constant itching and chewing of her paws throughout the years. She was constantly getting yeast infections in her ears but my vet never told me to change her diet. I recently decided to switch up her diet on my own to various reactions. I tried Zignature’s Lamb formula and she seemed to like it but wouldn’t touch it after a month of eating it. Then I moved her onto Earthborne Holistic Meadow Feast, which she had a HORRIBLE allergic reaction to. I am not sure what in that mix caused the reaction (eye swelling, lethargy, fever, vomiting, etc) but I wondered if it might have been the Tapioca? I am not sure though. Since that experience I put her on California Natural’s Kangaroo formula but she would only eat it if I put about 1/4th cup of warm water in it…this is something I had never done before but thought I would try after reading that someone else did that with their dog’s food…this caused ANOTHER problem with my dog…she didn’t chew the food with it being watered down but instead decided to just slurp it up and then wound up with food stuck in her esophagus. This ended my watering down of the food.
Since THAT I have put her on Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear and at first she seemed to go CRAZY for it but her love for it has cooled and now I have started mixing canned food with her dry food which she goes nuts for. However, I am not sure how much to give her? I normally let my dogs have a full bowl every day since I have grazers but the canned food has become scheduled at night. Before that, she will not touch the dry food. Should I be concerned about this? She has the dry food out to eat but she isn’t eating it unless the canned is mixed it. Buying both grain free canned and such an expensive grain free dry for her is a little much for my budget. Should I try a new less expensive grain-free? I was thinking of moving over to Fromm’s to see if she would like their Beef recipe or maybe the pork? I don’t know if those are ok for senior dogs though? Someone I know mentioned that I should watch the form of protein she is getting since she is older now but they didn’t say WHAT protein to go for. Is there truth in that??
Of course, my main concern is that she is getting enough food. Is it ok that she is just eating one big meal a day but not touching her dry food the rest of the day??
You said that ur dogs itch none stop, you must start with an elimination diet, I started one about 1 month ago as my boy has Pancreatitis & enviornment allergies we dont know if he has food allergies that’s why I’d say the vet suggested an elimination diet, The vet said the first month just feed boil chicken but I knew my boy could eat boil chicken so I added cooked pumkin, then when I saw he wasnt scratching or rubbing his tummy on my beautiful white rug the next week I added sweet potato within 2 days Patch was rubbing on my carpet so I stopped the sweet potato & know he cant have sweet potato or a kibble with sweet potato…. then I added pasta another NO it made him itch then I read dogs with skin problems like yeast & bacteria shouldnt eat carbohydrates, potatos, sweet potatos etc, then I added half a boiled egg & he’s been good, Im thinking of adding broccoli next.. Im reading Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD she has help me understand alot of things & this group its a easy book to read & very easy recipes, she explains what foods aren’t good & what foods are good for certain illness, like Skin problems & what causes ur dog to itch, Pancreatitis Diabetes, Gastro problems, feeding senior dogs, getting a pup onto raw etc, she has cooked recipes & what supplements to add.. in the elimination diet you cannot give any treats nothing, just that one food for 2 weeks then 2 foods so on.. you must cook all vegetables so they are fully cooked, she even suggest to pulped vegetables as dogs digestive system weren’t meant to eat vegies, here’s one of her recipes for Skin allergies a Low Glycemic regular fats Diet..this is for a 50 pound dog to be divide into two or more smaller meals per day.
8 ounces 1 cup regular fat ground beef
2 ounces 1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
4 ounces 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
4 ounces 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
4 ounces 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Serve meat cooked or raw combined with cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt if serving meat cooked wait until meat & eggs have cooled before stirring in the yogurt…..
What I do is I cook once a fornight & freeze everything except the egg then put in fridge the night before to thaw for next day…
I just noticed your Mastiff is a year and a half – he should be about full-grown, but I have heard that large and giant breed dogs take longer to mature than small-medium breeds, so I would certainly advise you to make sure the food is at least an All Life Stages food (which all of the ones I recommended (except NutriSource – not sure about that one) are). At least for a little while longer – just to make sure he is getting appropriate nutrients if he is still growing and altogether too.
Also, as far as kibble size is concerned (in case your Chiwinnie(s) need small kibble), all of the foods I mentioned are with a manageable kibble, especially Victor – theirs is pretty small – and then Earthborn and NutriSource (I have fed a couple samples of it) were about the same size, a bit bigger than Victor, and Dr. Tim’s was the “biggest”, but my then-about 10-lb terrier mix had no problems with it. So the Chiwinnie(s) should be ok with either one of these foods if you choose to feed one of them. Plus, rotation is always good, so you can well go through them all – allergies permitting, of course! 🙂
Once you determine the allergy source, you can look into affordable foods – some of the more popular ones around here are Earthborn Holistic Grain Free; Victor Grain Free (make sure to check out their sales right now if you can’t find it locally – but the Ultra Professional is mid-400s in kcal/cup); and NutriSource (NOT affordable where I am, but others report it is pretty affordable for them. Dr. Tim’s is another high-cal, affordable food, but they mostly use chicken if I am not mistaken, which is what your dogs MAY (or may not) be allergic to. I think Victor use chicken meal in some formulas, but they have a few beef&pork ones and a salmon one. Earthborn are really cool, because they give you what the label says – seafood (for the Coastal Catch), buffalo and lamb (for the Great Plains Feast), lamb (for Meadows something), and chicken (for Primitive Natural). They do use a lot of peas though. So yeah, I definitely think you should do an elimination diet to find the allergy source(s), and then look for foods that do not contain those ingredients among the ones listed and others.
Pick a food that’s high in calories to keep feeding amounts (and usually costs, too!) down. My 130 pound rott mix only eats about 3.5 cups (less than half of what most foods say he should eat).
The highest calorie foods I can think of off the top of my head are the NutriSource foods. Super Performance is 529 a cup, I think, and others are all in the mid to high 400’s per cup. They are decently priced too . Around here, the 30 pound bags go for about $50-60 for the grain free.
I would find a protein source they’ve never had before and start there when pin-pointing allergies. Bison is becoming a popular choice these days, as are beef and salmon. Finding allergies does suck. I’ve got one that I’ve decided is allergic to pollen after a year a half of having him on every protein and carbohydrate mix I can find.
Try to compare ingredients and do an elimination diet. Maybe it’s a protein, potato, legume, etc. Allergies are such a bummer to deal with. 🙁
Hi!
I have an English Mastiff that is a year and a half and a rescued Chiweenie that is about 5. I want to feed them the best food that I can but I get so limited with certain protein levels and of course the cost! My mastiff eats a lot! We first fed Kirkland nature domain but I believe they had allergies to that. Switched to Canidae Pure but it is so expensive for the amount I need. Considering Nutro Ultra. I add Tripett to all their kibble.
Does anyone out there have a similar experience or suggestion?? Thank you!
Food allergy tests are expensive and give both false negative and false positive responses, so they really are not better than doing your own food trial.
Hi Aquarianqt
I don’t know. What I do know is that every dog I know of who had food intolerances was fed the same thing long term. That doesn’t mean that feeding everything only short term will prevent allergies though.
Actually, Micah was only 8 weeks old when I got him and was already showing symptoms, but he had several different issues that likely contributed to his food issues.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
theBCnut.
Dogs with gastric upsets should be on high protein medium fat with limited carbohyrdrates & fiber. I prefer grounded white rice, brown rice has more fiber as it has bran in it, I dont use potatoes as my boy has allergies, Potates are no goods for yeast problems, also Ive found kibbles with potatos or sweet potatos are more hard, even when Ive sook them in water after 1 min they are still real hard, no good for digesting. Oatmeal & rice are easier to digest….I feed my boy a low residue kibble that breaks up very easy. When I add water the kibble is soft within 3 sec, then I drain the water out..I give boiled chicken, pumkin & half boil egg mashed up for breakfast giving his tummy a rest, then his kibble for dinner..his kibble is chicken turkey & grounded rice..
My neighbor has a Yorkshire Terrier who is 18 years old and is allergic it nearly everything.
Dogs can have bad allergies to the proteins as well as grains and sometimes even potatoes. If you are worried about your dog having allergies to something just ask your vet for a food allergy test for your dog and that will tell you if he has any allergies at all.
out of curiosity, do you believe that is true BC? the allergies comment, ive heard it as well, but haven’t ever noticed it myself so not sure if its a myth or not
Variety is considered better than lack of variety. All proteins have a different amino acid profile, so feeding variety helps to ensure that your dog has the optimum balance of amino acids. Also, some believe that dogs are less likely to develop allergies and intolerances if they are not constantly exposed to the same ingredients.
