[theBCnut]

Allergies are to specific protein sequences, so no, not necessarily. I have a dog that can’t have chicken muscle meat, but is just fine with chicken livers. Chicken fat should not have any of the chicken protein in it at all because of how they process it. I’m not saying that it is impossible for your dog to have a reaction, but it is highly unlikely.

[Angeldogs]

I would think that if he is allergic to chicken, that he would react to chicken fat, no?

[theBCnut]

Since dogs react to protein, chicken fat should not be a problem because the way they render it should make it pure chicken fat. Those foods might be worth a second look.

[Angeldogs]

I rescue deaf dogs of all breeds. Allergies are really common. I highly recommend finding a vet that sends allergy tests out to Spectrum Labs. The results include food proteins, carbs, grasses, trees, and other common household issues like dust, etc. It’s been very helpful for us. Just wish finding a kibble for the allergic dogs was as easy…..some of our dogs are raw fed so we can control the ingredients.

[Angeldogs]

Yep….have one big guy here that is allergic to peas, white potatoes, venison, chicken and turkey. Confirmed by allergy tests by Spectrum Labs, which I highly recommend if you are struggling with food issues and skin rashes.

You’d think that I’d have an easy time of finding him a kibble? Nope. I have been doing ingredients research on every brand of food that is relatively easy to find…..shocking! Just because it states sweet potatoes……well, I keep finding potato gluten or white potatoes on the same list of ingredients. Or LID foods that list lamb or beef as the protein source with chicken fat in them.

So far, after two days of reading ingredients on websites, I found ONE kibble: Canine Caviar Lamb and Pearl Millet.

I’m currently feeding him raw ground beef mixed with Sojos Grain Free, and being careful about treats, which are mostly raw beef bone treats.

Really frustrating that the names of the food indicate limited ingredients, but they are NOT.

[AReim]

I have an 11 yr. old American Eskimo with chronic acute pancreatitis. I’m beyond worried now as he is consistently losing more weight. He should be around 21 lbs and he is now at 15 lbs.

We have struggled with his condition for years and at this point I have no faith in what the vet recommends. I stumbled across this site this morning while researching solutions for my other dog – a very itchy mixed breed (I’ll deal with that is a separate post). There seems to be a lot of well informed people here and I am hoping someone may be able to help me.

After a severe attack several years ago, a full work up (labs, x-rays … the works) the vet informed me that his intestinal and stomach lining are “thicker than normal” and that it was likely a birth defect.

With that diagnosis, he was put on Hills Science WD canned formula. (Cerenia was also prescribed to treat the acute attacks.) We’ve tried other “vet recommended” foods but always end up back with the WD formula because he seems to tolerate it the best. I’ve even spoken with Hill’s Science “dieticians” but they are ALL CLUELESS (including the vet) as to what else might work better. The vet & dietician have always advised that hi-fat content is what will usually triggers the attacks but that is all they can tell me. They have never recommended grain-free or organic – or addressed potential food allergies as an aggravator.

All of his routine check-ups & labs show him to be otherwise healthy. His poop is usually normal. (However, we do have a poop eating problem and I sometimes wonder if it’s because he is SOOO hungry because he’s not getting enough nutrition.)

His attacks are episodic. Sometimes he is fine for weeks – other times we may have a couple of attacks in a week. His typical symptoms include any combination of: gurgling tummy, vomiting (sometimes bile, other times completely undigested food), abdominal pain (he won’t lie down for hours – I’ve had to hold him so he could sleep), and refusal to eat. On a rare occasions he’s had diarrhea and I’ve had to take him to the vet for an IV due to dehydration several times over the years.

Any help, advice, or recommendations that will help me get some weight back on him and help with the pancreatitis would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

[Duke The Boxer]

Hey patty im sorry to bother you but i have been looking at the list over and over and i cant decide what to get. I wanted to switch from chicken and turkey as that has been his last 2 foods and i believe he is allergic to turkey since his nose and feed are pink always. I was looking at the pet pantry buffalo and duck dog food. also i was looking at zignature trout meal and also i was looking at the earthborn meadow feast and costal catch. Can you please maybe recommend preferably a beef or fish based dog food? I would love you forever 😀 and this isnt specific to Patty anyone who is reading this and has a large breed dog please chime in what food you have used that isnt chicken based

[boxermum]

Can anyone suggest a better alternative to Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato & Fish dry food? My 1.5 yr old boxer has been on this food since he was a young puppy up until about a month ago when he suddenly decided he didn’t like it anymore and I stumbled across this site and saw it was only rated at a 3 anyway. I’d like to get him on a food that he both likes and is better for him, but I originally started him on it a year ago because it was the only food that wouldn’t give him diarrhea, and I’m discovering this is still an issue. I don’t know if the problem is a sensitive stomach or allergies. If it’s allergies, I haven’t been able to narrow it down to anything specific.

[RescueDaneMom]

Yes, mix the PF into a paste and add it to the food with the pumpkin, probiotics, and enzymes. I don’t have any personal experience with parasites but I know it can take awhile for dogs GI tracts to recover from damage. It’s possible you just haven’t found the right food yet. Do you think he’s allergic to chicken? Was he scratching/biting/chewing when he was on the chicken-based foods? That’s good that he’s not doing it now.

[Brittany Mom]

I had a Brittany that was allergic to 26 different things. Among the foods he was allergic to were beef, pork, and lamb. He ate chicken, turkey and venison most of his life. He was also allergic to barley, tomatoes, soy, kelp, beets, and a number of grasses as well as dust, wool, and feathers. I don’t know how he could be allergic to feathers and be able to eat chicken, but poultry did not affect him. For chews, we used to get him ostrich and emu bones. He passed away at 10 1/2 years old from hemangio sarcoma.

[theBCnut]

That’s crazy!! Puppies start to eat solid food starting at about three weeks old. Mother dogs regurgitate already eaten food for them if softened food isn’t supplied by humans. By 6 to 8 weeks old they are ready to eat almost everything that an adult dog eats.

For dogs to allergic to meat in general they would have to be allergic to themselves and that would be fatal.

[omar zafar]

Actually it depends on dog breed, Some dogs are allergic to meat. And meat, pork, beef, chicken is not good for puppies, they only need liquid diet like milk and milk products.

[bkagel]

My mom also told me to contact Chewy and let them know she’s having an allergic reaction to that mix of dog food. Ask for a credit or an exchange. Do you think they will do that since it’s been a couple of months?

Since I brushed her out she’s not as itchy/scratchy. She has a double coat so I have to remember to try to brush her out more often. This is another reason to remember to brush her out on a schedule that is better than what I have now.

[OhBichonPlease]

I definitely think you should switch to higher-quality foods… for the picky eater especially – what little he will take down needs to be properly nutritious and high quality since he isn’t eating enough/well. I would transition slowly to minimize upset or selective eating of familiar kibbles and try fasting for a day with no treats or extras [I know it’s hard] before introducing small amounts of a new kibble. You can even try providing 2-4 different kibbles at a time – maybe something in the mix will appeal to your dog especially. You may want to look for a kibble that has a slightly higher fat content or salt as both of those are appealing and will encourage eating and may help get your picky eater to a better state of health. The different ingredients can help your dog adjust to new foods better and will only help/improve nutrient absorption and gut health provided there are no allergies/intolerances. Many local pet shops can provide free samples so you can try adding small amounts of new kibbles without spending much money. Adding some wet food or high quality meat toppers might also entice and encourage better eating habits. You may have to experiment, but tuna, salmon, plain cooked shredded meats, yogurt, canned pumpkin and other pantry items may help establish better habits and digestive health. Warmed peanut butter can also be drizzled over kibble instead of mixing and clumping it up in the bowl. Sometimes piles of food can be intimidating and food may need to be spread out more. Or your dog might not like her food bowl for some reason – try switching to a cereal bowl or a pie tie and see if that helps. Some dogs like to be sneaky eaters so hiding food in several places or the putting the dog bowl in unexpected places or outside might help. Feed your dogs separately [and maybe even at different times of the day], feed well [high quality kibbles and nutritious toppers/extras/treats] and congratulate, encourage and reward with enthusiastic praise every single time your picky eater takes a mouthful of food and actually swallows it.
You may also try making your own dog treats out of the above ingredients or buying canned food and instead of serving it at room temperature or warmed, try freezing it in ice cube trays giving those to your dog on a towel or an easily cleaned floor. Laying down a special mat or picking a quiet corner and acting like a mealtime is very special may also help her your picky dog more excited about dinner. Some dogs really like munching on frozen foods even when they won’t touch them at other temperatures.
When my picky eater isn’t eating I give her a little pepcid [we suspect semi-regular heartburn] and then act really excited about opening a can of high quality wet dog [or occasionally cat or puppy – vet’s recommendation for getting food in when nothing else works.] The smellier the better [canned green tripe works wonders but is best fed outside. I also had amazing luck with small cans of Weruva – it looks/smells like human-grade baby food and is expensive, but the quality is obvious and the food was eagerly consumed both wet and frozen].] I give her a little straight out of the can right off the spoon so she feels like it is human food and a nice treat and then drop some in a dish with kibble. I won’t mix it in anymore because too often she has shunned to food once she discovers the hidden kibbles and I don’t like throwing food out [the neighborhood cats have gotten very friendly since her leftovers get tossed on the pavement for them – I am sure it’s better than whatever they are fishing out of the trash, small birds, squirrels, etc]. But sometimes she will eat up the wet food in one section and then start eating mouthfuls of kibble afterward – progress!
When our girl is especially reticent about eating kibble we move her food into the room where we eat dinner and hang out in the evenings and sometimes have to pretend to eat kibble, hand feed her or toss pieces onto that evening’s dinner plate to get her to start eating. Once she realizes she is indeed hungry she usually goes back to her bowl and only needs encouragement to keep eating [Good girl! What a good dog you are for eating kibble! Good dogs eat their food!] every other bite. She still looks at us for encouragement while eating and I sometimes have to tap to bowl or shake it to remind her there is still food to be had.] I give her a half cup of food at a time and she never eats more than half at night and usually doesn’t empty her bowl entirely until the next afternoon. [She is slightly less than 15lbs and eats approx 300-400 calories a day in food and treats, as far as I can figure.]
I had never met a dog previously who didn’t like and look forward to dinner time, but our rescued Bichon needs to be coaxed and encouraged to eat almost every bite, every day.

Good luck, keep experimenting with higher-quality foods and ingredients and don’t give up!

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi BlueEyedGirl-

First, if you want to upload a picture as your avatar you need to go to gravatar.com. You can also add a picture to a post using photobucket. Copy and paste the image link into your post and it should show up.

Now onto the food…Wellness Core Puppy is a great food, but it is a BIG step up from Hill’s. To play it safe, you might want to gradually step up the quality food. You could start with Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy. Nutrisource has a reputation of being an easy food to switch to. Then you could transition to Wellness Core. 3-4 foods in a rotation is good. That would be my minimum. If your dog doesn’t have intolerances or allergies then you could find many foods to keep switching through.

Because you don’t know if she is a large breed or not, I would play it safe and feed large breed puppy appropriate food. Feeding lower calcium won’t hurt a small/medium breed dog. In my opinion, it’d be better to err on the side of caution.

I think that the amount of calcium that they get from treats is pretty negligible. However, if you are very concerned, I think dehydrated/freeze-dried tripe would be a good choice. Tripe has balanced Ca/P and I believe it is lower in calcium than some other treats. Freeze-dried liver may also be good.

There are more knowledgeable members on here that can give you more feedback and correct me if I’m wrong. I hope this was helpful to you. Have fun getting ready for your pup. It’s so exciting getting ready to bring a new dog home. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

I don’t know what his allergies are exactly, but from what I’ve read Nutrisource grain frees may be a good fit. The gf lamb and their seafood select don’t have potatoes at all, I believe. Check ’em out here nutrisourcedogfood.com.

[PippaY]

Hi all,

My 18lb Welsh Terrier has a mild-moderate case of Protein Losing Enteropathy.

Our Vet specialist has recommended a Purina HA diet that’s made of “hydrolyzed protein”. Unfortunately I’m wary of anything made by Purina and hydrolyzed protein sounds horribly processed. So I’m looking for suggestions.

I’ve read that MCT oil (for humans) can help. Not sure how much to give her..

What about kibble and/or raw food? Brands and types would be appreciated if you’ve had success with any.

I switched her from Purina Pro Plan sensitive stomach (salmon) variety to Orijen’s Fish formula and “Primal”‘s raw lamb wet food. Her spirits are good. She’s eating well and she doesn’t seem to be losing weight around the middle..though I suspect that she might be losing muscle mass.

Other things to note:
She’s allergic to chicken and starts to itch just looking at it. Not sure about turkey or duck.

Thank you!!

[RVPets]

We have a 7 year old German Shepherd and we have been struggling to control a systemic yeast infection for the past 9 months. Our old vet (I do mean old now) kept putting him on antibiotics, saying it was not yeast, but never doing a skin scrap. Our new vet checked first and immediately told us it was yeast. He wants him on a no carbohydrate/lo. starch diet and has suggested a more holistic approach to controling the problem. We are very pleased with the results so far. He’s grown back most of his hair and his odor has diminshed considerably.

We add Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar (with the “Mother”) to his drinking water and we wipe him down with a vinegar and water mixture (50/50) and we are cleaning his ears with the same solution daily. We have hi on a partial raw diet that we have been adding a high quality dog food too (about half raw half dog food).

My problem is that we are having a hard time finding a food that he can eat due to food allergies. Has anyone tried Canidae Grain-Free Pure Elements for dogs? It does not have anything on his “don’t eat” list, but I’m not too sure about having sweet potatoes in the top 5 list of ingredients.

Has anyone else tried this with a “yeasty dog”? Did it help or make it worse? We are trying very hard to find a solution, but we simply cannot feed an all raw diet right now.

This is a list of ingrediants:
Lamb, turkey meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, peas, chicken fat, menhaden fish meal, potatoes, suncured alfalfa, natural flavor, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), choline chloride, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, mixed tocopherols (a natural source of
vitamin E)

[Dog Warrior]

has any one ever tried this product on how to make homemade recipes, I am actually thinking of getting it to help me prepare more recipes for my little cutie. i don’t know whether to buy it or not. but i need something my she’ll love very well.. what do you guys think? should i get it? @somebodysme can you help me out here.. anybody??

[somebodysme]

Yes, with the help of her rescue, we figured out what she can eat. She is now perfectly fine. Once she stopped eating all these supposedly 4 and 5 stars foods and got on a food that had no allergens (to her) then she just healed right up and is doing fantastic. Just because a food is rated 5 star at this place doesn’t mean it’s going to be the fix all for an allergy dog. She is extremely allergic to rice and peas and lord only knows what else…but not allergic to what the people here will tell us are common allergens…for my dog she apparently is not allergic to “common allergens”. I no longer look to DFA for assistance when it comes to dog food. She’ll eat this(horrible terrible sickening food) until it no longer works or until hell freezes over…whichever comes first…HA!

[shawnapage]

WOW! im new on the forum and i hope your poor dog is feeling better since it is 3 months later…but if not… I have found that my local RESCUE groups..(not pounds) have a HUGE knowledge of everything that can go wrong with a dog.The rescue i got my dog from has a forum on her website.She also tells in detail how she is handling different things that are going on with some of her rescued dogs with health problems.(For example she just rescued an entire litter of pups with mange.They were so compromised healthwise that she could not give them the regular demodex (not sure of exact name) dip that they give mange infected dogs.She had experience and treated them in several holistic ways until they were strong enough to receive the strong stuff.) Maybe a local rescue would have some tried and true fixes for you! Good luck!

[cherikeeusa]

I will be getting my large-breed puppy in about a month. My pup is a Goldendoodle, a Golden Retriever/Standard Poodle mix; they are well known to have a propensity toward grain allergies. I would like to provide a rotational diet for him, adding homemade meals (Sojo balanced) as well as grain-free, white potato-free dry foods topped with canned foods, sardines, etc. Can anybody help me with what sort of time-table for changing up his meals should be? Also, I’ve seen someplace that pork is a definite no-no, and chicken has a fairly high risk of allergy. True? Or…? In addition, any suggestions you might have for which brands I should start with would be very helpful. A full dietary plan would rock since I know next to nothing! LOL! I know…newbies suck right?!

[Jeancar]

My vet is suggesting a food trial for my 5 yr old cocker spaniel. He has unidentified allergies(chews his feet, and “goobery” eyes). We’ve tried several allergy meds, and he is presently eating “GO” salmon. He recently had crystals in his urine, so he’s taking a supplement for stone prevention. He will have to stop taking supplements during the food trial. He also has a sensitive stomach, he takes Pepcid to control acid production. Are there any foods that deal with more than one problem?

She has suggested Hill DD potato venison. She feels the protein level is low enough to avoid bladder stones. This sounds reasonable to me, just interested if anyone else has the same issues, and possible feedback.

[theBCnut]

Congratulations!!

[mfulton7]

Since I switched my pup off of EB Coastal Catch she is doing great! She’s on the meadowfeast formula. I’m assuming the issue was with fish and not the peas. I’m also happy to report they transitioned just fine. So now I can start rotating foods 🙂 I’m so thankful for everyone’s help its truly appreciated!

[theBCnut]

I’ve got to imagine canned food with peas is much less pea heavy than a pea heavy kibble.

[Mom2Cavs]

Believe it or not, I think peas might actually be the culprit with Laverne’s issues. I am feeding TOTW Pacific Stream. It doesn’t have peas, or flaxseed. I initially thought maybe flaxseed was the problem, but I’m giving them Missing Link (more for Lucy’s benefit) now and Laverne is fine with it. It has flaxseed as one of the first ingredients. Every other food she has reacted to, even NV LIDs, have peas in them! I don’t know for sure, of course. But, here’s the rub with it, though……I give canned foods and many of those have peas as an ingredient!! Sometimes, though, her stools are still better than others. Maybe they’re the best when she gets pea free canned food, too. I’ll have to pay closer attention from now on. I’ll let everyone know. Hmm….

[gmcbogger38]

Sorry. I started off with ACANA (not potato free) from Nutro and that is when I started seeing issues. Thinking it was yeast, I then switched them to a grain free and potato free food. I have tried several high quality brands, and even raw, but nothing is helping. So, I wondered if the ACANA with potato could have triggered allergies and if that would even be possible? I then wondered if switching them back to a grain inclusive food would help, since they did fine before with grains. I mean my ultimate question is this: is it possible that some dogs do better on grain inclusive foods? It just seems like everyone says grains are bad.

[mercman]

I have a 12 week old GSD female puppy. I was feeding her Nutro Natural Choice Large puppy breed chicken/whole brown rice/oatmeal food. She was doing a lot of scratching I was concerned about possible food allergies and went to my local feed store. They recommended Infinia Zenfood Grainfree Salmon and Sweet potato even though it is not specifically a large breed puppy kibble. This recommendation was based on a 1.2% calcium level and on being a Grainfree kibble. Is this the right choice. Incidentally the itching may have been due to over-bathing.

My male GSD (5YOA) is eating Costco’s Kirkland Salmon and sweet potato, BTW. I did see this listed in HoundDog Mom’s acceptable large breed puppy food list. Would this be an appropriate choice for my puppy too?

[CattleCait]

Both of my dogs are showing signs of having allergies. They were previously on Diamond Naturals, I learned later that it wasn’t a very good food so I tried Pioneer GF Chicken. They wouldn’t eat it, so I returned that and have been making them home-cooked meals of chicken and veggies because we raise chickens, but they’re still having allergy symptoms.

I guess what I’m asking is – how long will it take for the “yuck” to be out of their system? It’s only been a week or so off of Diamond Naturals, so I’m assuming the grain could still be affecting them? How long should I wait?

If removing the grain doesn’t work, then I’m going assume that it’s the chicken and I’ll try the Pioneer GF Pork or Whitefish, but I don’t want to eliminate more than one ingredient at a time in case the chicken is in fact alright and they’re still reacting to the Diamond.

[Akari_32]

She’s prob’ly about 60 pounds, Patty. I can weigh her if you’d like.

The apple cider vinegar didn’t appear to have any goopies in the bottom, so I’m glad I didn’t get it. Think maybe I could get it at WalMart?

How much roughly does kefir cost, and how big are the bottles?

Is there anything I can give Bentley to help with his grass allergies? The poor guy can’t live on itch cream, baby wipes and medicated shampoo for the rest of his life lol

[Akari_32]

I bought some vitamins (got paid $3 for $60 worth a vitamins, whoop whoop! Making money and buyin’ good stuff! :D) and I was wondering if any of these (besides the fish oil, obviously) would be beneficial for the dogs. Here they are:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/359C7140-088D-4093-A747-4E3BEB5377C9-157-000000AC6B1E1E90_zpscefb10e1.jpg

Mainly Haley I’m more concerned about things like vitamins with. She’s old and doesn’t keep weight on, but is otherwise healthy and active. I just have to feed her as much as 130 pound Dweezle gets. Her ideal weight would be about 65 pounds, and I guess her to weigh 60-ish. I can get an exact weight if you want me to. She’s not that bad, but she is a little thin. She’ll be 11 in January. She’s got a slight limp in after vigorous activity or after up after being down for an extended period (goes bewteen all four legs). I’ve had her on ProSence vitamins and so far they seen to be helping her get her weight back up and she seems a little more peppy.

Dweezle is good weight and healthy, just old, pretty old for his size actually. He’s 10 in march. Not at all active, just a big furry lump :p Family history of hip problems, but he so far seems to have avoided that, thankfully. His sister has hip dysplasia, and they had to do something like cutting the tendons in both legs…? I dunno.

Bentley is our young little maniac. Just turned 1 in August. Super active, drives us all nuts. Grass allergies cause him to chew his feet and hind legs, but otherwise healthy. He’s been on ProSence fish oil for several months and getting the hair on his backs legs back. Being so small, grass gets him all over, poor dude lol

[theBCnut]

The short answer is no, not necessarily. Allergies and intolerances to food are very specific. As an example, one of my dogs is intolerant of chicken muscle meat, but not chicken liver. I didn’t bother to test it too much so I don’t know if he could handle white meat but not dark or dark but not white, and I don’t know if he reacts to chicken bones, because I can’t get every last speck of meat off a raw bone, and I really didn’t care that much. I avoid chicken with him but he does get a food with chicken liver in it, and it happens to be the food that he does best on. However, there are dogs that are allergic/intolerant to chicken, duck, turkey, etc so they say the are allergic to all poultry, but if they never ate a titmouse or a kingfisher, they can’t be allergic to them. They can only have allergies/intolerances to things they have been exposed to. BTW, they can have exposure in utero too, I imagine.

[FreeholdHound]

This is a copy (couldn’t get the link) of report that was posted on a Greyhound FB page earlier.

ATLANTA —

Grieving animal lovers across the country are coming forward blaming a popular pet drug for killing their dogs. Channel 2 Action News has uncovered several cases in Metro Atlanta.

“It’s like a piece of your heart is being torn out,” said dog owner Beth Timms from Gainesville.

Her dog, Gizmo, died after taking Trifexis. The once-a-month pill made by Elanco is a combination pill for heartworm, parasites and flea prevention. Elanco is the animal health division of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.

Gizmo was a healthy 12-year-old mixed-breed. Shortly after taking Trifexis for the first time, she suffered lethargy, vertigo, seizures and a 106-degree temperature.

“We had to let her go. We had to have her put to sleep,” Timms said. “I killed my dog.”

Timms emailed consumer investigator Jim Strickland after finding a Facebook page titled “Trifexis Kills Dogs.”

Owners from all over the country have posted on the page, blaming the drug for their dogs’ deaths.

The Facebook page led Strickland to a home in Sandy Springs, where a dog bowl still sits empty in the corner. The dog who once used it was a puppy named Bishop.

“He died. For no reason, no warning,” said Bishop’s owner Jenny Schmitt.

Bishop was a 16-week-old Vizsla, which is a Hungarian hunting dog. He was one of seven in a litter born in June from an American Kennel Club Grand Champion.

Three of Bishop’s litter mates are thriving in Florida. A fourth is a healthy puppy living Buckhead. None of them has ever had Trifexis.

Bishop and the other two litter mates, named Tucker and Jade, each received their one and only dose of Trifexis in September. Bishop and Jade died within three weeks. Tucker died in six days. Veterinarians ruled they all died of heart inflammation.

“I think Eli Lillly and Elanco need to ask the broader question, ‘Does this drug even need to be on the market?'” Schmitt said.

Elanco is headquartered outside of Indianapolis. Strickland went there to speak with one of Elanco’s top veterinarians. Dr. Stephen Connell insisted Trfiexis is safe. He said he gives it to his own dogs.

Connell said Elanco has dispensed 50 million doses since Trifexis hit the market less than three years ago.

“We don’t like the fact that it has killed any dogs. But with any pharmaceutical product, we understand that the very rare sensitivities, allergic events — those types of things are going to happen,” Connell said.

Elanco’s spokesman later said Connell didn’t mean to say the company doesn’t like that Trifexis killed any dogs, but rather the company doesn’t like hearing reports of any deaths.

Strickland got the numbers on reports about Trifexis made to the Food and Drug Administration. The latest figures are as of April 2013.

Pet owners have filed 2200 reports of the drug causing their dogs to vomit. There are 600 cases of lethargy, and 31 reports of dog deaths. That’s about one per month since the drug hit the market.

The warning on the Trifexis box states mild side effects. Connell admitted to Strickland that the company has gotten reports of dogs suffering seizures, but Elanco has found no link to any dog deaths.

A University of Georgia Veterinary School pathology report on Bishop’s death stated a bacterial infection likely caused the dog’s heart failure. It ruled his symptoms were not typical of drug toxicity.

Trifexis contains two drugs, spinosad and milbemycin.

“The spinosad is from the United States. The milbemycin is sourced from China” said Connell.

He added their Chinese supplier has had multiple inspections and is a non-issue.

He also addressed the deaths of the puppies.

“It is our opinion that there are other factors involved in this case,” Connel said.

Bishop’s owner doesn’t believe that.

“The three puppies that all died within the same week, all had Trifexis, all around the same time,” Schmitt said. “It’s a heck of a coincidence.”

[Parr]

Pattyvaughn,

Thank you so much for letting me know the protein was based on the dry matter rather than the guaranteed analysis. I went back to the websites but not all of them show the dry matter information. I hate to ask, but can you tell me the formula to determine that result? You did such a good job on the calcium calculation! : ) Seriously, I love the detail you share! You are extremely helpful to everyone! Especially since I am new to this site this last week, I’ve had several questions. You have been very patient and helped me sort through all this information. Thank you so much! It is so much to take in, But I am trying.

Mfulton,

I think you may be talking about the list of “pea-free” food that was on another thread, “Dog Food Ingredients”, under the question, “Anyone’s dog allergic to Peas?”. I happened to be reading that one too so I’ve copied it here for you. I hope this is what you were looking for.

pugmomsandy wrote:

Grandma Lucy’s and The Honest Kitchen have some pea free foods. Also Great Life grain free/Pioneer Naturals. Here’s some pea free foods I had written down last year. I’m not sure if they’re still pea free:
Timberwolf
TOTW Pacific Stream (canola)
EVO red meats
EVO turkey & chicken
Pinnacle Peak (quinoa)
Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance
Natures Logic – millet, no potato
Great Life
Canine Caviar
I and Love and You by OnlyNaturalPet.com

[pegripley]

Shawna, I’ve read a number of posts and you seem amazing. I lost my Scottish Terrier, Charlie, to Cancer a year ago this September, he was only 8 years old. We had NO idea he even had it.. Within a few days I couldn’t stand it anymore for myself and my mini-Schnauzer so we got another puppy. She is also a mini-schnauzer. I took her to get spayed in December 2012 and we found out she has Kidney Disease. Since then her #’s have continued to increase and she’s now 16 months old and her BUN is off of the chart, the vets machines can’t read it. It’s over 130, her Creatinine is 4.0 (high end is 1.8) and a few other things are now showing also like decreased red blood cell count = 3.2 and normal range is 5.5-8.5.
I have been feeding her boiled chicken thighs and baked sweet potatoes. I am currently giving her a phosphorus binder and also Renadyl. The Renadyl is supposed to flush the toxins out through her stool rather than making her kidneys process it and work harder.
The odd thing is. Bella has never shown any real symptoms other than the #’s. I had no problem potty training her, she is crate trained and has no accidents. she doesn’t urinate anymore than our other Schnauzer does. We also had an ultrasound done and her kidney’s are slightly smaller than normal but nothing major small and no other abnormalities faound. Now she does love her water but it’s not like she sits next to the bowl and drinks it dry. She usually drinks a lot in the morning or when she first comes out of her crate and then will get little sips the rest of the day. My vet and I are both astonished and very grateful that she isn’t showing any symptoms.
Anyway, now that you know my story I am really trying to find something to prolong her life and also make sure it’s a good quality of life at the same time. It breaks my heart to think her life is going to be cut short.. You seem like you have a good handle on this. Can you please give me any advice..
I took her yesterday for her check up and have done nothing by cry since yesterday. I’m usually a positive person but this is just breaking my heart.
Peg

[plavoie]

Hello, I have a 9 month old Bernese mtn dog and have just realized that his hot spots are probably more of a yeast issue. I had brought him to the vet about the sore red pimples and what appeared to be a hot spot. The vet put him on Keflex and prednisone. He also gave him drops for a possible ear infection since Ozzie kept shaking his head and scratching at his ear. The sores cleared up for a short time but are coming back and he is still shaking his head. I was feeding him From grain free game recipe and had just started a new rotation of Merrick grain free duck and sweet potato. And the sores on his belly look so much worse! I dont know what to do. I feel like if i go to the vet , he will just put him back on steroids 🙁 That will just fix the problem for now. I though duck was a good choice for allergies? Is duck or sweet potato the problem re yeast? He had problem with diarrhea in the past and was fed boiled chicken and no problem with chicken. any ideas? So lost and feeling so bad for my dog. We supplement every morning with probiotics and coconut oil. Although , I think we have only been giving him about 1 tsp and he weighs close to 100 lbs. I will increase that.

[theBCnut]

No, the NB isn’t still working for her dog. She is feeding Purina Dog Chow now and quite happy with it.

[mfulton7]

I’m curious if the NB is still working for your pup? I’m pretty sure my pup is allergic to peas. So I am now searching for the pea free foods also. Any other advice is welcome also 🙂

[theBCnut]

Allergies get worse with every exposure until you start seeing hives, facial swelling, breathing difficulty, and anaphylaxsis. A lot of vets will lump them all into the same category, but they are slightly different. They still need to be prevented the same, by figuring out what causes the issue and avoiding it. Chicken, beef, grain, potato, eggs are most common, but any ingredient that has protein in it can be the problem.

I figured out that my dog is intolerant to chicken and many grains pretty quickly, but just found out a couple weeks ago that he also can’t handle tomato.

[mfulton7]

Okay so this isn’t allergies its more than likely a food intolerance. I did notice that the earthborn holistic amd zignature are both pea based. I wonder if that is the trigger. If not maybe fish? Would you happen to know what the most common dog food intolerances are?
I do have a probiotic for her/them but I will definitely check into getting the enzyme as well. Thanks!

[theBCnut]

My dog with intolerances had them from the day I got him at 8 weeks old, so I have to assume he had them before that. True allergies usually develop later, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case with intolerances. Take the ingredient list with you to the store and try to find a food that is very different, different proteins and different carbs. Also, get him on digestive enzymes, they help with the gas, and a good multistrain probiotic, they help heal the gut, which is where a lot of these issues start and get worse and worse. If you want a recommendation for those, Swanson’s has a couple of probiotics that are good, Dr Stephen Langer’s and Soil Based Organisms. Their Premium Digestive Enzyme is good too. Mercola has excellent of both, but they cost a bit more.

Keep ingredient lists of any food he has with notes about how he does on them. You can compare ingredient lists and start to figure out what it is he reacts to, so you will know what to avoid in the future.

[mfulton7]

I have been feeding my pups Earthborn Hollistic Coastal Catch for about 4 weeks or so now. I have the Doberman pup (14wks), shihpoo pup (9 mth), and Chihuahua (2 yr). Since the dogs have been on it the dobie and shihpoo have really bad room clearing gas and the dobie has loose stools every other day or so. Another food they’ve been on was the Zignature Trout and the dobie had loose stools with that also. Should I try another food or another flavor of the Earthborn Hollistic? Weve also been noticing the dobie seems itchy a lot. Bites at her paws, scratches her backside Im thinking she scratched so much she caused scabbing on the backs of her front legs. I was thinking most dogs don’t develop allergies until theyre older? I know that the fawn dobies are more prone to skin issues so maybe that is causing it?

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, my Cavalier that has allergies has anal gland issues as one of her symptoms. She can’t have poultry, at least chicken, but just to be safe I’m staying away from all poultry. I am using grain free, poultry free dry and canned foods. I also make sure any supplements or treats don’t contain offending ingredients. Since I’ve done this her symptoms are gone.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[theBCnut]

He is allergic/intolerant to at least one of the ingredients in DinOvite. Please don’t give it to him anymore. Keep the ingredient list and if you ever start seeing symptoms like this again, start comparing ingredients and maybe you will be able to figure out what you should keep him away from. Since he was already very itchy, you might want to compare DinOvite to your current dog food and see if you might have been doubling up on something that he is reacting to. Then consider changing foods to something that has completely different protein and carb sources.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by theBCnut.

[Bentley]

My daughters GS pup weighs 93 pounds, full of energy, shiny coat, firm poops…but a couple weeks ago when I was babysitting him I notice a nasty smell, checked his hinney and it was blood tinged black discharge. A trip to the vet where they expressed his glands and put medicine in them, then again 3 days later….and again today there was dark blood in one sac. They say this is unusual for large dogs. I can’t figure it out, he has been on Nutrisource puppy which has chicken in it, thinking he is allergic to chicken I am slowly switching him to Annamet option now and giving him pumkin and digestive enzymes with probitics. His brother who is the same age does not have this problem. Does anyone have some tips or insite on how to help this poor guy out on my end? These GS’s are farm dogs so they eat everything! Thanks!

[VegetarianDog]

I have two vegetarian dogs, both relatively healthy. One has food allergies to animal protein and now that she’s solidly in her teens she has a bit of arthritis and some hearing loss. The other is blind from glaucoma she had before I adopted her and has had reflux for at least a couple years longer than we’ve had her (I was a humane society employee and my shelter had fostered her through heartworm treatments for a couple months with another employee when she first arrived there, then adopted her out to a home that we had to confiscate her from a year and a half or so later. Then I fell in love with her while working on rehabilitating her and wound up adopting her, so we know what she was like the first time she came through the shelter, but still have no idea about the first several years of her life). Aside from those specific issues, they’re in excellent health. When we first adopted our allergic girl, we tried all the atypical meat and carb sourced foods out there (duck and potato, venison and pea, etc). She reacted to everything, even plain fish. Her allergies are bad enough that when my brother was letting her lick out his empty individual serving yogurt cup, the teeny tiny amount of gelatin the yogurt he had contained was enough to cause her to have a flare up. Because of that, we switched to a vegetarian diet as soon as we found one that worked for her. She still craves meat 9 years later, but she just can’t have it even with twice daily antihistamines. An accidental mouthful of cat food is enough to cause a $300 vet trip for anibiitics, special shampoo, powerful antihistamjnes, and steroids and land her in an ecollar for a month because when she has a flare up, she’ll scratch and chew every inch of herself bald and keep right on chewing and scratching, crying as she’s doing it because she’s already gone through the skin. For us, vegetarian food is not a choice, it’s a necessity. Our other dog is vegetarian as well because the allergic dog will eat meat-poop if she can (thank god for top entry kitty litterboxes since cats are obligate carnivores) and flare up from that and even though we try to clean up as soon as poop happens, missing even one piece a month isn’t a risk we can take.

It would be amazing if there were more spaces where people with vegetarian or vegan dogs could go to exchange information about which of the vegetarian options are healthiest. You either won’t change their minds about the ethics or it’s a medical requirement for their dog, so isn’t it better to quit judging people and help them make the best possible choice within the parameters they’re working with?

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by VegetarianDog. Reason: Edited for clarity

[Akari_32]

Thankfully I ruled out all food allergies with Bentley (thought it was chicken, then grain, and now we are certain it’s grass or something else growing in the yard), so I’m open to just about anything food wise. He likes red meats best, but eats anything other than fish no problem (and he’ll eat the fish, he just ain’t happy about it LOL). He esspetially seems to love the chewy bits of lamb in the Purina One… Yuck! The other dogs don’t care what it is, if it’s even slightly etable, they’ll eat it (this also includes the occational dead animal in the yard, and plants the little brats unpot if I don’t keep an eye on them -_-). My nonpicky dogs make choosing a food easy :3

[BRT]

Thanks for the tips. Looking to switch to Regal Venison. Will pick up some kefir this weekend. How much should I give them? They are both around 18 lbs.

My dog that’s currently having the issues has always had tummy issues and skin allergies. I feel like there’s something going on with him at least once a year. He’s 8 years old.

My other little guy is our 2 year old rescue. Healthy as can be. 🙂

Thanks!

[DogManDan]

wow i have never seen a dog with so many list of allergies to food, the poor pup 🙁 maybe something else is causing the problem? have you asked for a 2nd opinion from another vet? how is she now? i hope you find the best ingredient for her