[RescueDaneMom]

I have a 7.5yr old Dane. Luckily the only thing I have found that he is allergic to is mango and bee/wasp stings. My sister has a dog that we suspected had a chicken allergy but it turned out that it was flea allergies. From the research I did at the time, the best thing to do is put your dog on a limited ingredient diet such as Nature’s Variety Instinct grain-free, limited ingredient diet. It comes in turkey, lamb, duck, and rabbit. Because the TOTW formula you are currently feeding is lamb based, I would choose one of the other protein sources to try. I believe if it is truly food allergies you should start seeing some improvement in as little as a week but it can take 4-6 weeks for all the symptoms to completely clear up. Once all of the symptoms are gone, you can add one ingredient at a time and watch your dog’s reaction to see what she is allergic to. That’s my two cents. Hopefully someone else with more experience with allergy dogs will chime in. Good luck!

-Caroline

[AliScooter]

I have a 14 year old Jack Russel girl. Over the past few years she goes through bouts of sensitive stomach issues. She is currently eating Precise Lamb meal & rice sensicare. (I have another dog with food allergies, so I feed them both with this). My gir (Ali) can go for weeks with no stomach problems, then have a flare up for seemingly no reason. One vet told me that frequent small meals may help this so the stomach doesn’t build up too much acid. If I remember, I try to give her a small snack before bed so she doesn’t have an empty stomach over night… It seems to help some. I also wonder about the glucosamine that is in a lot of dog foods now a days. I know that I took a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement for awhile and developed terrible acid reflux. When I researched it, I found that reflux is a possible side effect. The reflux went away after I stopped taking the gluc/chon supplement. Anyway, it is something all the pooches with stomach problems now a days.

[InkedMarie]

For me, it’s not who likes what. I’ve had lots of dogs, usually three at a time. I’ve never had a dog not like a food except one dog, years ago, who wouldn’t eat a NV medallion. They eat any kibble, canned, raw and dehydrated in their bowl. All meds /supplements go in the food as well and all gets eaten. I personally think some people cause their dogs to be picky but that’s another topic.

Anyway, I have one dog with allergies, another with no teeth and the last can eat anything.

[cheryl461]

Have you had the thyroid checked? My dachshund was on generic Alegra daily with no relief. Her regular vet said she was “probably” allergic to the Burmuda grass. Her skin got so bad she got a staph infection! Then her orthopedic vet did a thyroid test and it was low. Once started on very inexpensive thyroid meds and she finally losing weight (huge issue for dachshunds!) and her skin is pink instead of dark and itchy-free!

[theBCnut]

When it comes to contact allergies, they usually make the dog itchy where they come in contact with it like itchy paws for a grass allergy. Unfortunately, itchy paws can also be any floor cleaners, fertilizers, herbicides, etc. It’s really hard to figure out the cause sometimes.

[Naturella]

Patty, thanks for the advice! I decided to stop furminating him anyway, because I want him to have his undercoat nice and thick since winter is coming, and he is small and skinny. It does help a lot with shedding and it says it is not supposed to hurt his skin, but we’ll see, maybe he won’t be itchy now that we won’t furminate him. I will also grab some coconut oil from Costco and give him that and see if it helps with his skin. I will monitor him for allergies though, and get his Trifexis dose adjusted when I take him to the vet next.

[peg]

I just read all the reports on the Full Moon Freeze-Dried Chicken Treats, but I use the ones that are not freeze-dried and they do not have Rosemary in them and if you call the 888-970-full telephone number, you do get an answer. My American White Eskimo loves them and gets one a day. I started using them because she is allergic to wheat/grain. Have used them for several months with no problem.

[theBCnut]

Skip the furminator, they can really irritate the skin on all dogs, but especially on thin coated breeds. You need to adjust the dose on the trifexis or he won’t be protected from heartworms. You can add about 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil to his food for the itchy skin. If he continues to be itchy all over then I would suspect allergies.

[Naturella]

Akari_32 (and everyone),

I am in the same boat – I am operating on a SUPER limited college student with no student loans (due to being an international student, I can only legally work only on campus, and only 20 hours/week, and I have them filled with my Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), which pays $730.00/month) budget, but I want to feed my Rat Terrier-Jack Russell-Chihuahua mix pup only 4-5 star dog food. So far so good – we scout deals on petflow.com, chewy.com, and amazon.com, as well as pet stores, and we have fed him Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy 11 lbs bag mixed with Vet’s Choice Holistic Health Extensions Original 4 lbs bag (got it for free at PetLand). When my boyfriend and I got him, he was about 4 months and 6 lbs, on Purina something (yuck), but we got him on Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy, which was recommended to us by the PetSmart associate in case of allergies in puppies, and then we put him on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy. Toward the end of that first bag, we noticed that his coat had gotten shiny. We kept him on it, and then I discovered this amazing website, and learned about dog food rotation, so we have purchased his next food – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free 11 lbs, and Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea 4 lbs, which we will mix and feed to him. Now he is about 7.5, almost 8 months, and he is about 11 lbs. Other foods I have on my list are Acana Regionals Grain Free (so expensive!), Back to Basics (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), Victor, Taste of the Wild, Orijen (so expensive!), Wellness Core, EVO (so expensive!), Innova Prime Grain Free, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Wysong Epigen 60 and Wysong Epigen 90 (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), and Timberwolf (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), as well as any of the Grain Free 4- and 5-star foods on this website. I also feed him all-natural chews and treats, such as bully sticks, ears, tracheas, gullet strips, fish skins, Himalayan Dog Chews, and homemade treats of berries, pumpkin, peanut butter, and yoghurt. These, I think, also contribute to his beautiful coat and good health. He also gets an average of 1 dental treat/week.

So, the bottom line is, I want to monitor this thread for more ideas on good places (online or offline) to buy affordable high-quality dog food 🙂 .

Also, since I got him, I have been putting in hours/week researching this website and others, and educating myself on dog food nutrition. I was wondering if anyone knows of any dog/pet nutrition classes in GA, USA. I would love to be certified in this area and maybe own my pet food store (that would sell good pet food) one day.

Also, another question – we have our pup on Trifexis, for 5-10 lbs dogs, and recently (this past week) he started itching and scratching a lot. His skin looks good, but I don’t know if he is developing an allergy to something, or it is because his Trifexis effect is wearing off faster now that he is about/over 11 lbs, and they only gave him the 5-10 lbs pill last time at the vet. I have also used the FURminator tool (borrowed from a friend, they are soo expensive) on him twice, once a week for about 10 min, and I bathe him (Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap – Almond, and oatmeal puppy conditioner) once every 2 weeks.

Thank you, all!

[Hganurs]

Hound dog mom… Please advise.
We have a 13 week multi generation labradoodle ( this is our 4th one, and our last 2 lived to be 15 years old till this year). We are mixing ( transitioning ) some leftover Life’s abundance puppy kibble given by breeder, and changing over to Kirklands puppy kibble ( we had never had an issue with our 2 that ate kirkland for 15 years). But naturally, we took him to puppy class at Petco and the mgr saw him licking his paw and said ‘ he has food allergies…, here you need to switch him to Merrick … Try the lamb…’ She was very knowledgable about staying away from foods that cause allergies ( corn, chicken , wheat). So we paid $50 for a 30lb bag of kibble !!!! We have not opened it because I’m JUST not convinced that we need to change food. He has a vet appt in a week and his treats for training adont have corn in them either. Side note is we are getting another doodle puppy in April so we need to keep the food the same since they will be eating together.
Thank you

[rogerharris]

I would like to suggest you that please bring a book of home made food for dog by that book you can make food by your own.By doing this you will be sure what’s going on to the food.

http://www.compundiapharmacy.com/

[Dfwgolden]

Neezerfan- He cleared his fecal nothing not even worms. He also shows NO symptoms of either illness other than frequent elimination and loose stools.

He wont touch Earthborn and where I live it’s almost $80 a bag.
The vet stated that the Pumpkin and Yogurt was a great idea, so we are going to try that.

If that doesn’t work I will switch him to Pure Balance Dry and Canned and hope that helps.

[neezerfan]

Has he had a fecal test for Giardia and Coccidia? For some reason this is not always included in the “standard” test. Call your vet to make sure.

[theBCnut]

If his coat is fine and he isn’t itching, he doesn’t have a rancid grease smell, etc. then try a spoonful of pure canned pumpkin, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. If this does the trick, then he just needed a little help adjusting to the food. If it doesn’t help within a couple weeks, try something completely different like Earthborn Holistic Grain Free Great Plains Feast.

[Dfwgolden]

I have a 16 week old purebred Border Collie puppy out of working stock lines.
He’s an amazing pup in every way, intelligent, lively, loving, and very social.

However….

Ricky has since I got him had very loose stools. We have three other dogs two Golden Retrievers and a Chihuahua (Shh, don’t tell him I called him a dog!)
None of our other three ever had loose stools, Ricky also poops a lot!
Not like 4-5 times like some puppies do but like 8-10 times a day.

His potty training has been an extreme difficulty and is not progressing as it should.
We’ve tried changing foods and adding supplements.
He just has show no signs of improvement.

I am a big fan of the raw diet but am not currently able to feed that with my finances.
He is currently on Diamond Lamb and Rice Large breed puppy.
My other dogs eat Diamond with no problems what so ever, they have a nice shiny coat and have never been in better health.

What do I do about this? I just am all over the board here and don;t understand why he poops SO MUCH and why it is so loose.
He is 100% healthy (had a blood panel done and everything) he is on Revolution for fleas and HW.
He gets feed in the afternoon around 12:00pm and at night around 6:00pm
Then gets a small snack of food before I leave for school around 7:00am of so.

He is very active and shows know underlying issues what so ever. His coat is beautiful! No smelly breath, or itching ect.

I just am baffled.

[griam01]

Thank you all so much for your posts. We have gone through all of the ingredients and are currently trying Natural Balance Legume and Duck, but within the first meal, his ears swelled up and he dug at them continually. I continued for 2 more meals and then switched him back to Merrick Duck and Sweet potato and the ear swelling went down and he stopped digging them, but he still digs under his arms. Back to the drawing board.

[Samoan81]

My guess is the food…like chicken some dogs respond the same way to lamb. Lamb tends to cause skin allergies and yeasty ears…that’s my experience with it.
Protein levels are a bit low …whats the fat%…cal%—its also a Diamond Product..known for recalls. I would switch imo
Most important thing right now is for him not to gorge into food.
Remember fleas have a 28 day cycle…would use capstar to make sure. then a preventative.
Have you read up on satin balls for weight gain?
Have you tried bitter apple on his paws? Does he have chew toys accessible?

[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight? His stools are still really loose. Not remotely firm. They seem to be really grainy as well, and light in color.

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight?

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[Akari_32]

I found a great $2 off any Prosense pet product, so I decided to try the fish oil for Bentley’s suspected grass allergies (it’s not chicken, it’s not grains, so maybe grass?) and the senior vitamins for Haley’s weight (we can’t possibly shove anymore food down this dogs throat, as she just can’t physically eat much more than 5 cups).

Bentley’s been on the fish oil for a few months, and it does actually seem to help him some. We’ve also been wiping his paws and tummy off after being outdoors with a baby wipe, and trying to give him a weekly bath. And, which I haven’t tried yet, I found hot spot shampoo of the same brand on clearence for $3 (use the coupon and it’s only a buck :D).

Haley, at just 65 pounds of ideal weight, eats 4-5 cups a day. She’s maybe 2-3 pounds underweight, healthy otherwise. The vet had her on vitamins last year durring some medical treatment, but she’s since been off them. Pretty much boils down to her being old at this point, and not being able to metabolize food as efficiently. Shes been on these Prosense Senior vitamins for a few days and I do already see her gaining energy, at least.

Regular feeding, for all three of the dogs, consists of 8-9 cups of dry food mixed with a 13 oz can of wet food, and usually an egg thrown in, as well. This is obviously divided up in appropriate amounts for each dog. The whole feeding routine has been made up specifically for Haley, as straight dry food really upsets her stomach, in an indigestible sort of way. Even if it’s just moistened with some water, it helps her tremendously. Poor girls got tummy troubles lol

I was wondering about these senior vitamins: they seem really high in calcium, which I’ve heard mixed things about for older dogs. I’ll get exact numbers in the morning, as I’m in bed now, but it’s several times higher than the adult formula. I want to say its 4-5% though.

This brand is only available at WalMart (locally, at least) from what I’ve seen. Not that I really have much problem with that. I don’t particularly like WalMart, but I’ll do what I have to.

Also, side note while were here, and I feel it’ll be brought up at some point– you guys know those powder Centrum probiotics for people? Would something like that he beneficial in Haley’s case? Doesn’t have to be that brand or kind, either. Anything along those lines. Just know I’m not made of money 😉

[GizmoMom]

These are some of the foods that don’t have the ingredients you wanted to avoid.
/dog-food-reviews/ziwipeak-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/natures-variety-instinct-dog-food-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/hound-gatos-dog-food/

[Sully’sMom]

So, Pattyvaughn, a followup question:

If I switch to Earthborn Great Plains in an effort to figure out allergies, how do I handle treats, bones, chews, etc? We usually give quite a variety of treats when we’re training, sort of like a trail mix variety so he never knows what he’s getting. I only give top shelf, high quality, made in US treats, but still….there’s quite a mix!

[aimee]

Allergy testing is considered totally unreliable for food allergies, so you may have other options available to you. The only way to diagnose a food allergy is by dietary trials.

Here is information on how to do a dietary trial. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499

[aimee]

Hi weezerweeks,

I found this site which may be helpful, you can look up explanations for various changes in the blood and urine tests. http://www.2ndchance.info/dxme.htm

It looks like high neutrophils can be from stress/ excitement, inflammation, or infection.

It says increased basophils are not common and can be seen with allergies, parasites.

Regarding the protein in the urine I found this on that site “High specific gravity (very concentrated urine) makes small amounts of protein leakage appear greater than they really are. The opposite is also true; protein of any amount in very dilute urine is a more worrisome finding than the same amount in a concentrated urine sample.”

I found this article on diagnosing thyroid disease, but it is pretty technical.

http://www.idexx.com/pubwebresources/pdf/en_us/smallanimal/snap/t4/sah-thyroid-roundtable.pdf

It sounds like if the T4 is normal it means the dog doesn’t have a thyroid problem but if it is low it means other tests should be done to confirm if there really is a thyroid problem. According to this article if your dog is sick it can lower the thyroid hormone making the dog look like it has a thyroid problem when it doesn’t. “Euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) refers to a condition in which dogs have a nonthyroidal illness (NTI) that suppresses the concentration of circulating thyroid hormones.”

Hope your dog gets well soon.

[theBCnut]

Can I suggest you get a couple books on making homemade dog food and make your own? That way you can be in complete control of what goes in to it.

[InkedMarie]

If you go to the Dog Food Ingredients forum, there’s a stickie at the top with grain and white potato free foods. Might be a starting point.

[griam01]

Hi all,

Thank you in advance for your help. I am out of my mind trying to find dog food that my dog is not allergic to. He is two years old and has always been itchy, some times worse than others. I have been feeding him Merrick Grain free Duck and sweet potato and he likes it..but only if I mix in moist food with it. So I bought several of the grain free varieties and he would finally eat. Well, the itchiness never went away full. I finally had him allergy tested by a test from Glacier Peaks Hollistics. It came back with a large list of items he is allergic to.

Lamb
Tuna
Trout
Cod
Asparagus
Beet
Potato
Spinach
Sweet Potato
Yam
Tomato
Turnip
Canola Oil
Sesame Oil
Pineapple
Rice Milk
Corn
Brown Rice
White Rice
Peanut
Sesame Seed
Lentil Bean
Nutra Sweet
Chicken Egg

I have been scouring dog food to find something that doesn’t include the above and cannot find anything. I am hoping to find someplace that I can try and return the food that he doesn’t like. He is extremely picky and will only eat the food if he likes it. He has gone over a day without eating and sticking his nose up. His stomach will be growling and he is obviously hungry, but won’t eat the food if he doesn’t like it.

Any help you can provide I would truly appreciate it!!!!

Thank you!!

[Marissa]

I would definitely suggest breaking his daily food ration into multiple meals. This should help with the hunger. I would also suggest switching foods every 3-4 months. He might be getting bored or frustrated getting the same thing all the time. Merrick Grain Free foods are great and they have a wide variety of protein sources, so you can feed the Buffalo for 3-4 months, then turkey, then fish, then pork, and keep his meals interesting. They also have great canned foods available. As far as price goes, it’s not too far off from Blue Buffalo. I think they’re priced pretty similarly. I can buy a 25lb bag of my Merrick for around $52, and that lasts my 2 dogs about 5-6 weeks. I think I’d pay the same amount for a 25-30lb bag of BB, but I prefer it and think it’s worth the price difference to be able to switch the protein sources since one of my dogs is prone to allergies.

[robertdee]

In my opinion a good pre and pro biotic supplement is a must. I use Bionic Biotic from Pooch & Mutt (UK company, but they have now started selling in US through http://www.bestdogremedies.com )

I have learned that most of the common health problems and conditions that our dogs suffer from are usually caused by sensitive digestive systems and allergic reactions. Itching, poor coat, runny stools.. You name it. It is all caused by poor nutrient absorption and with the supplementation of pre and pro biotic supplement you will be able to minimise the risk of such conditions.

Bella had really poor coat and itchy skin a couple of years ago. I have put her on Bionic Biotic and in about two months her coat was back to normal. Two years later I still use the stuff and Bella is looking and feeling great.

[somebodysme]

mam2cavs, what you think it is about the TOTW Pacific Stream that is not affecting your allergy dog like other foods? My dog has been allergic to everything that she’s eaten since Dog Chow which she was NOT allergic to! There is something in the high end foods that she does not tolerate. Her allergies are skin not digestive. So I’m curious, have to figured out what TOTW does not have in it?

Edit to add: I just went and checked the ingredient label and I see that this food is one of the few higher end foods that doesn’t contain even one of the following items: Flax seed, beet pulp, rosemary extract. These are items that I am questioning to be the root cause of my dog’s allergy.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by somebodysme.

[somebodysme]

Interesting about the GI inflammation causing her to be allergic. I had not read, or most likely don’t remember reading that before but that makes a lot of sense.

I’d never dreamed it would be such a monumental task to feed a dog? And with her, the more highly regarded food that I buy for her, the worse she does on it. She is a rescue and according to the rescue group, she was fed dog chow at her foster home. Honestly, when he got her she was beautiful and had absolutely no rashes at all. They brought her here with a bag of Pro Plan and it’s been down hill ever since. I’ve tried Blue Buffalo, Simply Nourish grain free, Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch, Avoderm Trout, Avoderm Duck the rotating menu on both those, Nature’s Variety LID Turkey (digestion was an issue with this one) then I bought Natural Balance which she did the best on until the last bag which smelled totally different than the rest of the bags of NB and now she began to scratch like mad! So here we are, on to the next “high quality” dog food. Though NB isn’t that great, it was so limited in ingredients that it was working and her feet were just about healed up. I suppose now that Del Monte took over, they have changed something. I’m going to write then and ask if the ingredients have changed, the label is exactly the same as all the rest. She isn’t allowed to have anything else but her food now. She cannot even gnaw a bone. This is just insane!

I have my suspicions about certain ingredients but I can’t really know until I find something that doesn’t have them.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by somebodysme.

[Sallynova]

Seriously, do yourself a favor and consider an all natural, organic, grain free food. We use Dogs For The Earth Dehydrated Organic Dog Food. I actually talked to the owner of this company who is an animal nutritionist and I will never switch foods again. Many, many health issues are cause by improper nutrition like skin sores, loss of hair, GI issues, itchy paws, goopy eyes – I was amazed at all the problems proper nutrition can solve – all my neighbors and friends have switched to this food and we have all been so happy. You should read their web about all the ingredients they use. We get our food delivered every 2 weeks and we get their treats too. I can’t remember all the stuff in it but everything is organic 100% and it’s all based an the exact nutritional requirements dogs need. It’s perfect – once you try it you’ll never switch back to anything because that’s what happened to all of us.

[Sallynova]

Dogs For The Earth Dehydrated Dog Food – if you buy the large bad and break off bits of the biscuits for treats. My dogs love this stuff and so do all my friends dogs and it is super healthy. They have I think 4 flavors and a couple different treats and my dogs go crazy any time they see their food packets. I know it’s all organic and they use human grade food and its grain free and its super healthy. I wish more people knew about this food because it has helped a lot of dogs with allergies and skin problems too. Best thing is to look on their site http://www.dogsfortheearth.com there’s so much information and it is owned by an animal nutritionist and they ship it everywhere. You can get it on amazon too but we get regular deliveries every 2 weeks. We love this food and try to tell everyone. I think your Little Bichon will love it too!

[ellgee]

Dr. Vickie, thanks for your most informative and delightful post.

I am definitely going to put your suggestions into action ASAP. I cannot imagine how itchy and yucky he feels. But he is worth the work.

[Dr. Vickie]

Skin is a reflection of what is going on inside of his gut, except his guts look and feel worse!
Feed him wild caught pacific bone in canned pink salmon from your supermarket, organic egg whites, no grains, no starch (carrots and peas are starches folks) or sugar for that matter (my guess is that he is not preparing to race the Iditarod, at least not soon 😉 ) If he is playful and active and not overweight you can add some organic canned plain pumpkin for energy. Cooked organic green beans, all other kinds of organic greens are great too and very important, plain greek yogurt. Sprinkle a high end holistic dry food or wet along with for added nutritional support that uses wild salmon only as a protein base and no grains. To give him some variety if he needs or wants it, you can try grass fed beef/bison/buffalo but I would keep it to salmon until you are sure he is stable before I would add these food items. Some starch in the formula is “ok” but less is more. One fish oil capsule one-two times per day for at least three months then cut back. There is such a thing as too much omega 3 over time. (Note, flax is far to weak of an omega 3 source for him right now. It is helpful once the omega 3:6 ratio has been fixed and that takes up to one year in my experience).
Treats? SOME banana, cut apples, berries of all kinds. Frozen or cooked green beans are safe too and nothing ever got fat off of green beans. EVENTUALLY, other grass fed animal protein choices will be back on his plate but for now, no!
His WORST food choices will be lamb even if it slept in the lap of Jesus it will cause issues; grass fed corn fed it does not matter. Corn fed critters, mainstream beef, CHICKEN and all parts. Even your buddies 6 point buck he shot yesterday is suspect for your dog ( been baited for months with corn feeders ).
It’s note easy, or cheap but it will work I promise.
Give him a pat for me!

[Dr. Vickie]

The inherent problem with allergies is that the body allows it in the first place. Food, pollen, carpet cleaner, the baby as a source, in my experience, is a red herring. The GI is inflamed and that inflammation is what can allow the gut to over react to, well, you name it. Get rid of the pro-imflammatories in the diet and environment, as best you can, and they should be able to handle benign substance exposures. How to? I tell my clients to start, avoid processed oils (corn oil, canola, vegetable, low grade olive…) and animal protein sources that are fed grain, especially corn fed diets themselves aka “corn fed critters”; Cornfed beef, chickens, lamb, duck, fish (yes salmon too)…. The reduction in omega 6’s alone will improve most allergy issues. Add a wild caught source of omega 3’s to the reduction of omega 6’s and anywhere from 3 days to three weeks your allergy issues will be greatly reduced if not mostly gone.
I recently sold my successful holistic practice and I only prescribed antibiotics or steroids once for skin allergies (dog had maggots living under over 40% of its skin HELLO!!!) and only for a short time.
This is a great site! Cudos for it and all of you who are pursuing answers for your pet!
p.s. it applies to your health too! 😉

[ellgee]

Good to know. Thank you.

Came home tonight and no poop, but he vomited mucus 3 or 4 times and was eating grass outside.

I’m yanking the chicken. I made him a mixture of ground beef, rice and a little pumpkin which he ate completely. It seems to have settled his tummy as he is finally laying down sleeping and not asking to go out.

[InkedMarie]

Yes, just Aqualuk and it was Zyrtek, not Benadryl

[InkedMarie]

Pretty sure just Aqualuk.

[ellgee]

I have my fingers crossed! We, too, have tried so many foods including pre-made raw (Darwin’s). It is almost a joke with my husband. But I KNOW one day I will be able to say _________ changed Dudley’s life! LOL!

Does your friend feed just the Aqualuk or does she rotate with other foods?

[InkedMarie]

Glad you ordered the Aqualuk. Give it a month then update. I’m hoping it’ll help. My friend tried so many dry foods, then pre made raw but this food finally worked.

[ellgee]

Oh I have been thinking it was the food for the past several years which is why he has been quite a few different things. He has just had the skin issues every single year despite the food changes. It runs in cycles. I will take him off the chicken because that’s been at the back of my mind as a problem. And he is currently on Benadryl daily.

When you say hypoallergenic is there a particular brand? I do want to rotate his diet. I also ordered the Annamaet Aqualuk today.

[Mom2Cavs]

My first thought is always the food. Why don’t you think it’s that? Anyway, chicken can be a high allergen for some dogs, not all. I have one that does soooo much better without poultry in her diet. I just think it’s the easiest and “cheapest” thing to change first. I agree with InkedMarie above, put your dog on a different protein, possibly something hypoallergenic and perhaps try the benedryl, too.

[InkedMarie]

I have a friend with a frenchie that had horrible paws, red & raw. Vet prescribed Benadryl and she put him on Annamaet Aqualuk and what a difference!

[ellgee]

This is my first post although I have been an avid reader of DFA for a long time.

I am at my wit’s end with my French Bulldog’s allergies. I do have an appointment with a vet allergist/dermatologist on 11/1, but I just don’t want him suffering until then.

He has been on several 4 to 5 star foods over the years and is currently on Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost (chicken) which I add some of the raw bites (duck) too. Yesterday I came home to soft stinky poop in the house! He hasn’t had an accident since he was a pup! I know he must have GI issues because we have to wipe his bottom after every poo and this isn’t anything new.

His skin is very red with crusty spots, he is losing tons of his hair. I am bathing him twice a week with Douxo chlorhexadine shampoo. Last time I took him to the vet, he told me that in looking over Dudley’s records, this happens at the same time every year leading us to believe these are environmental allergies. And due to a weakened immune system, he gets these skin infections and staph. Last go round, he was on antibiotics and steroids. I do NOT want to use steroids long term if I can help it. He is on a daily Benadryl which doesn’t do much as far as I can tell.

I was reading on the Supplement Forum and my head is spinning. So much information.

My question is since we don’t believe it to be food related (but who knows???) should I try to boost his immune system? Should I feed him an elimination diet?

Help!

[Sully’sMom]

So, Pattyvaughn, a followup question:

If I switch to Earthborn Great Plains in an effort to figure out allergies, how do I handle treats, bones, chews, etc? We usually give quite a variety of treats when we’re training, sort of like a trail mix variety so he never knows what he’s getting. I only give top shelf, high quality, made in US treats, but still….there’s quite a mix!

[cockerspanielmom]

I just wanted any recommendations you have.

I have a 15.5 year old cocker spaniel, mostly healthy.
We added a 10 month cocker spaniel puppy after losing our 13 year old earlier in the year.

We also have two additional cockers living with my mother in law while we have our house built. a 13 year old tri girl with bladder stones eating a prescription diet WD or CD and a cancer surviving 13 year old buff boy with an enlarged heart but otherwise healthy.

So we fed everyone WD for the past 7+ years due to the one dog who required it. With the puppy in the house, that’s not ideal so our vet suggested a senior formula for the two boys and a puppy formula for the new baby.

We’ve tried Blue Buffalo, it’s our first choice. The puppy really needs grain free.
They don’t like BB and will barely eat it. We tried some samples of Merrick and they love it but the protein is just too high. We’ve also tried Natural Balance Fish and Potato and Ideal Balance Fish/Potato.

Ideal Balance is only rated a 3 (bleh) but they ate it best. Merrick replied that we should try Castor and Pollux as a lower protein option to Merrick.

I just feel a bit lost because they don’t seem to like any of the foods we are trying yet. We want them to love the food, want to eat it, and it still be healthy. I’ve never had such picky dogs before and the puppy needs that grain free due to possible allergies and it’s just a mess.

[Sully’sMom]

Pattyvaughn, a few pages back you made a comment about ‘dogs who were on Purina avoid chicken and all grains like the plague’ May I ask you to elaborate? My lab is now 15 mos old. When we got him at 7 weeks, the breeder was feeding him Purina Puppy Chow (!). We kept him on if for only a couple of weeks more, than transitioned to Fromm Large Breed Gold Puppy. Now we’re on a rotation: we went from the Fromm LB Gold Puppy, to Fromm GF Surf and Turf and now we’re on a bag of Merrick GF Beef. I believe he has allergies. He is itchy all the time, and biting and chewing himself. Trying to decide what to rotate to next. Earthborn? Nature’s Variety Rabbit (could only get it when on sale)?

Curious why you mentioned about Purina and chicken and grains….

Thank you!

[somebodysme]

NO she is definitely allergic to the antler and the bone! She had a severe reaction just right after she ate them with hives! She was given benadryl and was ok the next day. She is on an elimination diet and doesn’t eat anything besides her food so when he gets something like a bone and has a reaction that night I know it’s the bone or antler. I was talking to vet a few days ago at a pet event and told her my dog was allergic to an antler and she did not find that to be at all unusual.

I do want to have her tested for the allergies. She was given treatment for parasites back in January then tested two months later and was negative. I suppose she could have them again? She does SO LOVE the cat poo! GAH! Which also doesn’t help with the allergies.

[michaelfl80]

As to your exact question, I was told by a vet who specializes in dog allergies that some intestinal parasite infections can cause allergy type reactions in dogs. In fact, when I took my dog in, they gave me an anti-parasitic medication to give him for a few days without even testing for parasites (it’s easier/less expensive to give the treatment and see if the symptoms go away than it is to test). In my case, this didn’t work, but it might in yours.

On another note, my guess is that your dog likely isn’t allergic to all the things you mentioned (bones, antler, etc.) but is much more likely to be suffering from an environmental allergen (pollen, dust mites, grass, etc.). The only way to find this out is to take your dog to a vet that can test for a reaction to environmental allergens. It’s very much the same as how they test people for allergies – they have to shave off some of the hair, then they prick the skin in a bunch of small spots with various possible allergens. If your dog is allergic, there will be a skin reaction in the corresponding spot.

Basically, you’re going to go crazy if you keep trying to guess. I strongly recommend heading to the nearest vet that can do a skin test for allergic response – even if that means driving a long distance.