[Hound Dog Mom]

I’ve never used DE for fleas but a few times a year I’ll mix a tablespoon in with my dogs’ meals for a few weeks to help prevent intestinal parasites. For fleas I use natural oil based topicals or sprays and Earth Animal’s herbal tincture. Unfortunately though, if you dog is already infested with fleas you may need to use a chemical preventative just to get rid of them. The pills are more effective than the topicals and I know many vets feel they’re safer – if I recall correctly I believe Dr. Becker recommends Comfortis for dogs with flea allergies. Personally, I’d give one dose of Comfortis and treat the household (VERY important to rid the environment as well) and once the fleas are gone start on a chemical free regimen the next month. Natural products can be very effective for preventing flea infestations but not very effective for getting rid of an infestation that’s already occurred.

[Marvins mom]

We were feeding them/him 4Health from Tractor Supply and mix it up with another grain free from, i think the same company – Diamond Naturals – though i know as a dog food, they’ve had their troubles in the past. AND i don’t think the grain free dog food is completely necessary, being seasonal.
All in all, it seems to be helping him and with seasonal allergies, as there’s alot going on in him. So with him reacting for only a few weeks vs several months….i am excited!

[Marvins mom]

I have to mention the best help i’ve had for my dog in the 8years that i’ve owned him. It’s – if I may mention a brand name – the Dinovites product out of Kentucky. All the years that he’s itched and scratched off all of his hair, having the itchy red, watery eyes for months on end – it’s the only thing that has helped him have some amount of relief. For years we’ve tried the extra fish/oils, grain free dog food, probiotics, benedryl, steroids, vet visits…..and NOTHING…i mean nothing helped him. Sadly he looked like a chemotherapy patient?!?!? Since taking the Dinovites this year, starting in May he was three months free of his irritations. Sadly come Aug. he burst into red inflamed skin and sad eyes, also lost wieght again. I thought – OH NO, not again! BUT IT ONLY LASTED FOR 6 WEEKS… vs the 5-6 months of misery!So, i bathed him every other day with a soothing bath shampoo and continued with the Dinovites and he is now been itch free again since the last 2 weeks! it is now Oct. 1st. I have to say that seasonal allergies are the worst to treat and this IS the only remedy i will continue to use year long for him to be happy in the later years of his life! He is now 8 — i only wish i had known about this product years ago and saved him the misery!!!!!!!! I am hoping that come next May it doesn’t start again and holds off til at least Aug. or doesn’t come at all….we’ll see! It’s worth the invest ment for us!!!!!!!!

[Pugsonraw]

I took my two pugs that have seasonal allergies off their daily Benadryl dosage. They are normally quite itchy year round despite eating a raw diet daily, immune supplements, super greens, anchovy and sardine oil, coconut oil, probiotics and digestive enzymes… etc. I really check out all products and ingredients before giving them anything new.

Decided to try to Skin-eze for them, not really expecting to get any major results and it seems to be working. They have been on it for about a week and definitely less itchy than when taking Benadryl.

I was looking to see if any of the ingredients are harmful. It appears they are all natural, but wanted to get some opinions.

Here is the link…. http://www.allergicpet.com/products/skin_eze.

[sparkysgirl]

So i am planning on making a homemade dog treat business. These would be wheat-free, corn-free, low-glucose, lactose-free, gluten-free, and soy-free. The ingredients will all be human grade products and all different flavors. What do you guys think of it? Also all the ingredients used will be listed and customized if allergies are a problem.

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[theBCnut]

Hi Scyllarus

As an example of how specific allergies/intolerances can be, my dog can’t have chicken meat, but does great with chicken liver. One of the ladies that posts on the reviews all the time has one that can have chicken meat, but can’t handle the bone. Your dog may not be able to handle bison, but the only way to know is to try it.

[Cyndi]

Thanks so much Patty! I was hoping to avoid the elimination diet but I may have to do that. BUT after reading your second post, I think I need to really check her good for fleas. Bailey HAS been scratching her neck and back end area. She does her legs too, but also her neck and back end. She doesn’t have thinning hair at all, I’ve checked for that as well & she doesn’t have soft stools. I check her for fleas all the time, but maybe that’s what it is. I’ll check her tomorrow and go over her from head to toe. I really hate fleas, but I’m kind of hoping that’s what it ends up being (never thought I’d say that) and not have to go thru an elimination diet (especially considering I have a big order from Hare-Today coming on Tues, lol!)

and thank you also, PrincessPiper. That ran thru my head too, that she could be allergic to grass. She does lay in the grass all the time.

[theBCnut]

Allergies are rare and true allergies are more commonly due to environmental factors than food. Food intolerances are a different matter though. You can usually get an idea if it is an environmental problem versus a food problem by where the dog is itching. Environmental allergies are usually contact allergies and the dog will experience itchy skin in the specific areas where the contact occurs, like feet with a grass allergy, or stomach for something the dog lies down on. Fleas hang out around the neck and tail. Food allergies/ intolerances tend to be a more generalized reaction, itching all over, soft stools, vomitting, eye discharge, ear irritation.

[PrincessPiper]

I’ve heard that most allergies are not caused by food but by environmental. I have a friend that has a Shih tzu and she would cry while biting at her legs. They tried everything and after many visits to the vet they have finally determined that she is allergic to grass. She asks to have her feet washed whenever she comes in from outside now.

[theBCnut]

To start with, I would just choose one of those protein sources and feed just it for a couple weeks. If it is the problem then when you increase the amount of it that you are feeding, the itchiness should increase too. Sometimes when the symptoms are mild, it takes longer to figure out what is causing it, especially if the symptoms are mild enough that you aren’t even sure if you are looking for a food allergy. It isn’t going to matter if you unbalance her diet short term, so don’t worry about that for now. I would start with just the beef and See Spot and see if you eliminate symptoms, then go to the whole carcass rabbit and maybe add a leafy green to it, but not much else. Since chicken is most likely, I would save it for last.

Once I finally got Micah symptom free for a bit, I can tell really fast if he has gotten something he is sensitive to. His skin gets hot and turns pink even before the itching begins. Bailey may have something environmental going on, since you say the itching isn’t constant. With a food allergy, I expect you to notice thinning hair, especially on a short haired dog.

[Cyndi]

Thanks somebodysme, but I can’t really say when her itching really started. It’s been atleast a month, if not more and I haven’t really introduced anything new. The rabbit is the newest, but it’s even been a while for that. That’s why I wouldn’t even know where to start. I guess I could start with the last thing I introduced her to and work backwards. & I doubt it’s her shampoo. I use an all natural shampoo and I’ve been using it for months. I’m wondering if it IS environmental. It’s been, with the exception of the last 2 weeks, very warm and humid, and she has been spending alot more time outside just laying around.

I know how relieved you were to finally figure out your dog’s allergies to peas. Bailey doesn’t itch and scratch all that much, that’s why I really didn’t give it much thought when it started. Figured she just had a plain old “itch” and was scratching it.

[somebodysme]

OH man, reading that is making my head spin! HAHA! I’ve been dealing with allergies since I adopted my dog back in Dec! I wouldn’t know where to start because any of that could be an issue. So you cannot think of anything new you just started? I’d try and figure out what’s the latest addition and stop that and see if it helps. It could be environmental too, shampoo? My dog will show signs immediately if she’s allergic to something.

[Cyndi]

I have a question for any raw feeder that would like to help. I have had Bailey on raw for just about 5 months now. I give her raw garlic and use different flea sprays, Mercola’s being one of them, so I’m 99% sure she doesn’t have fleas. I check her all the time too. It’s been maybe over a month now, not sure, but she’s been scratching and biting at herself and licking her front legs. The leg licking is like frantic leg licking for like 5-10 seconds and then she’s done and goes about her business. The itching and scratching isn’t constantly and just about every time she does it, I check her over and I find nothing. So, I’m thinking she maybe allergic to something she eats. In the mornings I give her the ground beef, ground tripe and ground organs for 2 or 3 days and do whole carcass ground rabbit for 2 or 3 days, with either sardines or eggs or veggie blend baby food alternated & right now I’m using the See Spot Live Longer mix on the beef days. For dinners I rotate between a chicken back/feet/heart/gizzards/liver or turkey neck/gizzards or a large rabbit piece & a rabbit head.

So, I know how a typical “elimination diet” goes, but I’m wondering if I just cut out something from her diet for a while, if that would work? & what should I start with? Is chicken the likely culprit here? I wish I could pinpoint when her itching and biting started, but I have no clue. Any help, as usual, is greatly appreciated!

[somebodysme]

You know, since I’ve taken up all the deer antlers and a plain white hard bone she’d been gnawing at…she is finally getting all healed up with no new odd flare ups! Yesterday she didn’t lick her feet at all.

If she is in fact allergic to bones (aren’t antlers the same make up as a bone?) and not the chemicals…is there an ingredient in dog food that I should avoid? Like “meal”? The girl at petco mentioned that I should probably avoid anything labels as “meal” but shesh, what does that leave me with? Not much. Does like “lamb meal” mean they’ve ground up bones too? If so, that could be a possible explanation for the other foods that she couldn’t eat before as they all contains a sort of “meal” in them. The NB potato and rabbit just says rabbit and not rabbit meal. When she was on the old food, Pro Plan it had some poultry by product meal but she didn’t have the same rash on that stuff. I guess the chicken bones would be different than a large animal bone? I’m just thinking out loud here…HAHAHA!

[somebodysme]

My dog does have a rope toy with a hard ball on it. I noticed that she kept pulling at the strings so I cut them all off. Mostly she gnaws the ball which is a good thing because it’s hard like a nylabone (kind of) and it cleans her teeth since she can’t have any bones or antlers anymore since I realized she’s allergic to them 🙁

But she doesn’t get to chew on anything unless I’m right there but still even at that, they are quick to tear something up! Her teeth are like little razors!

[theBCnut]

/forums/topic/dinovite/
Sheesh, I had a hard time finding this. I’ve used DinoVite with good results before and I will use it again. I did not just add it to kibble, however, I made their Yeast Starvation Diet. I don’t think it is some kind of miracle food that will cure food allergies or anything like that, so if your dog is having problems with it’s food, a change of food is in order.

[somebodysme]

I have some frozen turkey necks that I stashed after we started on the LID foods. I’ve reached the point of trying new things and have been 0% successful so far! GAH! First the bone and now the antler. She actually had some deer antlers which I’m now thinking that were the cause of her occasional flare ups. I told me husband that I’m actually GLAD that she reacted so bad to that antler because(it opened my eyes) I had not for one second suspected that the deer antlers she’d been chewing could possibly have been the cause for her occasional flare ups but now I’m pretty sure that’s it. I know it wasn’t the cause all along because she’s only had the deer antlers for a couple months.

Have any of you ever heard of a dog being allergic to antlers? She chewed quite a bit of “marrow” out of it and by the evening, she had hives and a large raised welt above her tail. The hives were all over her back. Then she also had a huge blood filled pustule on the bottom of her foot. The good thing about her not having any treats or anything is that I can say 100% that the antler was the cause because she gets nothing else.

[ninpiggy]

I have a 2.5 year old blue American pit bull terrier. She’s a rescue dog that spent most of her life being used as a breeder. My girl is spayed and happy now. We adopted her on valentines day (coincidence I swear) earlier this year. I think she finally knows she’s home and has flourished to be one happy dog.

We’ve had problems with her health from the start. Scabs, scratching, rashes, fur falling out when adopted. Problem continued. I had her on nutrish (because it went to a pit bull charity) but that made her worse. Several rounds of prednisone, antibiotics, some crazy immune suppressant drug and nothing helped (except the prednisone but it would only work until about 4 days after the meds stopped). I spent over $1000 in vet care in 1.5 months and as a community mental health therapist that makes less than $30K year, I sat in my vets office crying because I was afraid I’d have to return her to the shelter. I guess the vet took some pity on me and prescribed Luna a medicated shampoo. That, along with avoderm salmon and sweet potatoes was a miracle. Two weeks and she had occasional rashes that would clear up with hydrocortisone cream.

She still has problems with yeast despite the shampoo and I was wondering if the avocados and sweet potatoes were contributing to this. Does anyone know of any dog food that is poultry free, grain free, soy free, white and sweet potato free? She does best with fish but is good with beef. I don’t think she’s allergic to peas and I’ve never given her tapioca so that’s unknown.

I’m not rich by any means either so I can’t afford anything that is over $65/15 lb bag. Avoderm seems to be an okay price for us but if there’s anything cheaper that’d be awesome. Cooking Luna’s food isn’t really an option for me due to time constraints and financial. It would be most convenient to find a pre-mixed bag. I suppose I could supplement it if I had to.

Any help is appreciated.

[jctwitty]

I have a female Wheaton she came down with allergies after she was fixed .
any suggestions on food, allergies to salmon rice potatoes peas lamb venison really hard to find anything with out one of these

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[somebodysme]

I know that it can be a pain, but you may just have to have different foods for different dogs. If the zig and fromm work for the dog with allergies then consider yourself extremely lucky and now find a food, maybe the fromm by itself for the dobbie pup to reduce the poo. I wouldn’t worry too much about the pooing a lot other than if it continues then change to something else. When I worry is vomiting and runs and rashes. Most likely it just has too much indigestible vegetables and fruits for his system. Be glad he’s not getting sick!

I can’t help on the rotating as I’m doing good to find only one food that my dog has not been allergic to so far…besides Purina Pro Plan which I really don’t want to go back to! But I can use the Purina as a base of operation and since she was not allergic to it I can safely assume that chicken is fine for her!

[mfulton7]

That’s what’s my husband and I are thinking. None if our puppies ever pooed this much. Its insane! I was always leary about the chicken but I will have to remember that. Weve been sticking to fish based foods because I thought those were better for allergies. Also when can I start rotating bags of food? My 2 other dogs are used to it but with the puppy being so young will it hurt her tummy if I start now? Also how often is it recommeded to rotate? Weekly, monthly? Should I mix foods? I’ve read about people doing that too.

[somebodysme]

OH, chicken could be a trigger for some dogs. My dog that seems like she’s allergic to everything does not seem to be allergic to chicken but beef seems to have a horrible reaction.

[mfulton7]

Also is chicken a trigger for allergies?

[mfulton7]

I have a 7 week old doberman pup who is currently on zignature trout & salmon. She has been pooin a lot and she been on it for a week. No diarrhea these are normal stools, no parasites etc she just poos 6-10 times a day. Shes eating a total of 2 cups a day sometimes a little less. I feed her 3 times a day. I also have 2 other small dogs. One of them may have allergies not completely sure though. She cannot eat totw wild it makes her vomit horribly. The 2 dogs have been on natural balance lid, zig, nutrisource. Is there a dog food that would be good for all 3 of my dogs? I like fromm but the price of the grain free is on the pricey side. What about nutritionals? I know it doesn’t say grain free BUT it does say no wheat, corn, soy does this mean its similar to grain free? Other brands I’ve been looking into are merrick, wellness core, halo, castor & pollux ultramix, avoderm, natures variety prairie, whole earth. Would any of those work for a dobie, shihtzu mix and a chihuahua?

[Pitonos]

Hi Pattyvaughn!

Thanks! In Portugal I have a real problem about dog food, there aren’t too much brands on the market and the really good ones are too (TOO) expensive, compared to prices outside Portugal… (Acana here costs almost 90€ for 12kg…) I tried Taste of The Wild, but he made a food allergie to the protein…
I was thinking to change for Diamond Nutra Professional, but the reviews aren’t that good…
What do you recomend? Maintain Bento Kronen and add some meat (-raw or cooked- chicken, turkey or beef??) or change to Diamond Nutra Professional?

Thank you for your patiente and for all your advices!!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by Pitonos.

[somebodysme]

Honestly…I wish that a best food could be recommended but it will depend on each individual dog and I really hate to say that. Since Zig is just really not working for your puppy, I’d take him off. So how much are you feeding him, did you mean 2 cups for the entire day or 2 cups three times? If you are feeding 2 cups three times then that is entirely way too much food. My 50 lb dog only got 2 cups a day on zig. I’m assuming you meant that you feed three times with a total of 2 cups for the whole day…right? It seems like, my dog was going about 5 times a day on that food which is kind of a lot. I think it’s got too much “fluff”. HA!

I see Fromm being recommended a LOT! People really do like it. Honestly, it is trial and error. What I thought would be a wonderful after researching until I was blue in the face, ended up totally not working for my dog that turned out to be highly allergic to peas. She is on a potato and rabbit diet right now that’s doing pretty good. She will need to find a better food eventually though so the whole trial and error deal will begin yet again. Unfortunately the whole grain free diet isn’t the answer for her because of allergies.

I’d say that of the brands that you mentioned, they all have their fans and non-fans. They are all high rated foods.

Have you posted in the large breed puppy thread yet? Aren’t you the same poster from the review section that asked and I mentioned the large breed puppy thread? I seem to recognize your name now. That thread should keep you busy reading for a few days! HAHA! I think it’s 30 something pages by now!

[HabanaJoe]

How disgusting. In that amount of time, you could be feeding your dog or kitty something that could be hazardous to them, that they may be allergic to, or something similar to “meat by products”.

[somebodysme]

When I bought the bone, I thought it would be harmless…HA! I wouldn’t have thought it was chew down that fast. She has another large hard white bone that she’s been chewing on for many months. She doesn’t get enough off of it to do any harm as far as allergies. She has a basket full of assorted sizes of antlers but she only wants the split ones. I don’t see any reaction to antlers either, she doesn’t really get anything off of them either. Her favorite thing to chew is a rawhide but she can’t have those since we figured out she reacts to them. It just seems like, everything that she enjoys chewing is bad for her. Bully sticks are gone in a minute with her. What I’m after is teeth cleaning.

[konamisan]

Hi Dr. Mike,

I’ve been feeding both my JRT & Yorkie raw food for two years now and have only had a problem with feeding the JRT chicken & turkey because she has SEVERE ALLERGIES to it. I’ve tried several brands i.e.;, Bravo, Darwin’s, Steve’s, Stella & Chewy’s, Vital, & lastly Nature’s variety Instinct.

I’ve fed them rabbit, venison, pheasant & lamb.

I recently tried the Variety Instinct Beef!!! BAD CHOICE!.

I started the beef this past Sunday Sept 15th, 2013. I purchased the Patties & the Raw Kibble Bites. I would give them the patty in the evening & the raw bites in the morning.

3 days into the feeding, I noticed that after my Xena the JRT started throwing up about 15 minutes after she ate this food. If she drank any water, she would throw it up too.

Well here we are Saturday September 21st, and she has refused to eat either the patty or the raw beef bites as well. My Zeus, the Yorkie was refusing to touch it too. They both have diarrhea, Only my JRT is still vomiting she isn’t even keeping the water down.

She went to poo this morning and alarming to see, that she had BLOOD in her STOOLS!!! She is refusing to eat anything.

I called the Petco Store where I purchased this food & spoke to the Manager.

He suggested that I bring in the UPC Labels and to generate a written report to the Nature’s Variety Instinct Corp.

I contacted my Vet and He suggested I give her some boiled Chicken & Rice & some Pedialyte. My Vet also suggested that since I can’t afford to bring her to him to check her, he said ” Maybe you should consider giving one of your dogs up for adoption cause you certainly can’t afford the two to take care of them in a case like this”

I have never had an issue as this one to make my Xena soooooo sick. I know that she has not ingested anything other than this BEEF product.

I still want to feed them Raw. HELP WHAT DO I DO Dr. Mike & knowledgeable dog owners.

I also have them on Dr. Becker’s Liver & Kidney Support, Digestive Enzymes & the Spirugreen Super Food for Dogs.

Sincerely for My (Zeus 7 yr. old male & neutered & (Xena 6 yr. old Female & Neutered)

I’ve had Zeus since he was 3 months old & Xena since she was 6 weeks old.

Thank You ,

Konamisan

[waltersmum]

I purchased a bag of Nutrisource to mix in with what I’m currently using for a few days so she doesn’t get an upset stomach. I used to blend a variety of meats, vegetables and fruit for the first few years when we were home in Australia but since living here in Florida for the past 4 years have give the dogs only dry food as we travel a bit now and it is easier to store. Also better for their teeth as small dogs often have teeth problems. Willow at 8 and Yogi at 7 both have excellent pearly white teeth. I also buy calf hooves for them to chew as they can’t chew off bits to get caught in their little throats.

[Mom2Cavs]

I agree with sandy. Walmart carries Freshpet. They have different varieties like rolled that you have to slice off, cups with gravy, and a bagged food that’s shaped like kibble but soft and meaty. This seems like it would be a great solution for your dog. I have used the bag kind as a kibble topper once and my dogs loved it. I used to feed it to my cat, and still do sometimes, but I like variety and the bagged kind only comes in chicken flavor, I believe. Petco carries Vital, which is made by the same company but is grain free, versus Freshpet which I believe has rice or some whole grain in it. Both would be much, much better than what you’ve been using, imho. My local Kroger also carries it. I also believe the Freshpet is less expensive. Go to their website and check them out. Google either Fresh Pet, or Vital Pet….something should come up. 🙂

[somebodysme]

OH I’ve been going insane trying to get a handle on my dog’s allergies. I have heard a lot of people really like the Nutrisca. I had a lady overheard me talking to the manager at the pet shop telling him about my dog’s issues and she came up to me with a bag of Nutrisca in her arms and was saying how this food saved her dog and that she’d gotten friends to change too and their dogs are improved. I can’t use it because of the peas though. I’m pretty sure the pea allergy is pretty rare though but is it what it is. Rare or not, it’s her issue I have to work around. It is extremely limiting on the high end 5 star foods as most of them include peas as a main carb source.

I’m pretty sure that if she seems better, they suggest to give a food 6 weeks. It’s hard to do though when you don’t see that the food has healed them yet! I keep hearing that flare ups are normal. I keep telling myself this, my dog has only been 3 weeks on the food that she is on. I want to give it a fair shake but I want her WELL!!!!!!!! It was drastic the immediate improvement from Nature’s Variety LID Turkey to the NB rabbit formula. Within 2 days I could see the rashes just fading away. Then the improvement slowed down. ACK!

I have also heard a lot of good things about Zymox, it’s supposed to be very gentle and natural and good for yeast. I’m using a RX shampoo right now that’s working. Sebozole is what I’m using now. There’s a hot spot shampoo at walmart they sell that’s very gentle too, brand name is Pro-Sense. Don’t use an oatmeal shampoo if you are dealing with yeast, it helps feed the yeast.

[Lara]

Karma is on Nutrisca Lamb and Chickpea for about 4 weeks now. I wanted her off any kind of potato…white or sweet. That was the common ingredient in the previous dog foods. I have kept her on the Gentle Digest probiotic and the Claritin and Benadryl. And seems to do well on them.
I have added Dr Mercola’s Spirugreen and she does ok.
I truly believe not only am I dealing with food but environmental allergies as well
Karma definately does not like digestive enzymes. Vomits every time.
The vet even changed her heartworm med to Revolution from Heartguard

I had to get her off Rachel Ray because her stools were liquid and yellow….and she seemed constantly hungry
I was wondering about Zymox shampoo and the rinse? Wondering if I should give that a try….any thoughts?

I will be looking into that saliva test

Thankyou charlie and sombodysme. You both have helped me out so much and thanks for not making me feel like the only one dealing with this….sometimes I feel like my vet thinks I’m crazy because I want to try to fix the issue not put a “band-aid” on it!

[somebodysme]

How long has she been on Nutrisca? It will take a while on a new food for the crud to get out of their system. I’ve been dealing with an allergy dog too. Your story sounds a lot like mine and my dog started off in a low end type food Pro Plan and I wanted a better food so bought Blue Buffalo and then all he(( broke loose. I kept trying new food changing the proteins and she just got worse and worse with rashes and red ears and raw paws etc. We are on NB potato and rabbit for three weeks now and things are improving but not perfect yet. She also will break out suddenly out of the blue. I’m telling myself it is what they call a “healing crisis”. Supposedly that’s all normal. I will tell you that she looks better now than she has since I switched her off Pro Plan. I’m assuming you took her off the Rachel Ray stuff because you wanted healthier? Or was she having problems on that? On Pro Plan, my dog was scratching a little but had a watering eye and that was pretty much all. Then we finally realized that all the foods she was allergic to had only one common ingredient and it is PEAS. I know she is allergic to other things too though like rawhide and cow bones.

I would suggest that you give her only one food until you find that it is OK. I would also suggest to not give any of those supplements you mentioned because right now you have no idea what she’s allergic to. My dog reacted badly to spirulina! If she has yeast then keep the probiotic. Then once you know the food is OK, add ONE new supplement at a time until you know it’s OK and no reaction. Any of these things can cause problems for a sensitive dog. She could easily be allergic to salmon oil or coconut oil or that glucosamine. Honestly the only thing that I can give my dog without it causing a problem, that I have tried, is her human grade probiotic.

If your dog was NOT allergic to the Rachel Ray food then look at the ingredients and try and find a better quality food with the same basic ingredients. Like if it has chicken then you know that chicken was not the issue. What I have learned from having a dog with allergies is that you can’t just say “oh that food has 5 stars it great for my dog”. It just doesn’t work like that. These dogs have a whole new set of rules when it comes to what to feed.

[charlie]

I am so sorry to hear about Karma!!!

There are saliva allergy tests now that claim to be more accurate than blood or skin tests. I would immediately try to do the saliva test to see if you can get a better idea on what Karma might be allergic to.

This a link to the saliva test developed by Dr Jean Dodds who is also a canine thyroid expert.

Please give Karma a hug from me!

[GSDsForever]

yellowdaisy,

I think HK is an excellent company, with quality foods and high standards (including safety). The formulas are pretty gentle and I’ve never known dogs to have trouble with it, especially sensitive/touchy stomach dogs. I like the Zeal formula best (which many sensitive dogs do well on when they can’t on other foods), then the Embark. Zeal is HK’s highest protein and uses a very high quality source, though the fat is very, very low — which some dogs do best with and others need to add back.

The only negatives I encounter with HK are that some formulas are grain inclusive (when owners don’t want that), some dogs aren’t crazy about the soupy texture, and high cost . . . esp. grain free Zeal & Embark. I would like to see, at their higher price point, their base ingredients be organic (like Stella & Chewy’s) when it’s a known heavily pesticide contaminated ingredient or preference for less contaminated fruits/veggies/greens chosen when organic isn’t feasable/prohibitively expensive — kind of like how I shop at the grocery store. But they are still very clean, high quality foods and I would feed them + highly recommend the brand.

In Nutrisource/Pure Vita’s defense, I really don’t think that their food can be blamed for tumors. Something triggers cancer to start in the body and that can be many complex factors, usually involving toxins as insults to the body and the immune system + some genetics. From there, we do know from research that cancer feeds selectively off sugars/simple carbs and need an acidic environment to be active . . . but that’s after the cancer has taken hold. Certain breeds (and their mixes) currently have very high incidences of cancer, like Goldens or Bernese Mountain Dogs; or there is a breed specific cancer like hemangiosarcoma. Some stats show more than half of all dogs and cats now die of cancer.

Pure Vita does pretty clean sourcing, for example using more expensive wild caught fish exclusively (protecting against toxins like PCBs in farmed salmon) and imposes a good bit of safety testing and quality standards. Many dogs seem to do really well on the food, esp. those with allergies/sensitivities or needing a bland diet and limited ingredient diet.

At the same time, virtually all commercial pet foods have significant contamination with bacterial toxins (enterotoxins, endotoxins, cytotoxins, etc.), from the meat, processing and handling, sanitation issues, storage, heat or lack of heat processing, moisture spoilage (like aflatoxins, etc in grains), lack of freshness, rancidity of fats/oils, etc. (You can read more about this in texts like UC Davis Vet School’s/DVM Strombeck’s Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets, chapter 3 on commercial pet foods/food safety & preparation.)

Nevertheless, I do think homemade diets (balanced) using a wide variety of fresh foods in rotation, cleanly sourced (wild fish, grass fed & free range, organic), are best. So I think you are on the right track. Good luck!

[muggle11]

I have a 13 year old Jack Russell Terrier with some skin allergies. Several years ago we switched her to a lamb and rice food and that seemed to help with the itching. She has put on a few pounds and is getting older, so I would like to switch her to a senior food. I have not been able to find one that contains lamb and rice. The pet store recommended Blue Buffalo, which does not seem to be a favorite from the comments I see on the site. Thanks.

[waltersmum]

Many thanks for your replies. I’ll investigate your recommendations and possibly buy small bags of each to trial.

[GSDsForever]

Once you get the weight under control, (Nutrisource) Pure Vita Grain Free Salmon & Sweet Potato might be an excellent choice. It is a very bland, limited ingredient formula (and without the ingredients you mention) with moderate fat from a good company. Many sensitive dogs do well on it.

I’d also recommend trying Timberwolf Organic’s Ocean Blue Classic formula (potatoes listed are sweet potatoes, not white), also an excellent tried and true formula many allergic and sensitive dogs have done extremely well on, though it has more fruits/seeds/herbs base ingredients than the Pure Vita GF formula. So if your dog is super, super sensitive and can’t tolerate much, I’d recommend taking baby steps with the Pure Vita GF first.

[GSDsForever]

I would think that most high quality, non vegetarian dog foods will not contain soy or navy bean (this one would be a rare ingredient even in vegetarian kibble!).

For lowfat foods, I would look through DFA’s list of lowfat foods, particularly the grain free ones. For dry foods without white potato, InkedMArie has posted here in forums a list of grain-free and white potato free foods and I would cross check it.

High carb foods, more than high protein/fat foods, show in studies to put more weight on dogs. So I would keep that in mind. But even among the reduced carb/higher protein grain free foods, there are some that are low fat. Two that come to mind are Honest Kitchen’s Zeal and Wellness Core’s reduced fat formula.

[Lara]

I have a chocolate Lab that has had numerous issues. I rescued her off of Craigslist in Oct. The person I got Karma from had her on Rachel Ray Noutrish. I switched her to Blue Buffalo Freedom for puppies (grain free) It all started in December with a big ear infection to both ears and small, red bumps on her abdomen last December. Diagnosis: chicken allergy. Switched to Natural Balance Potato and Fish with tuna and salt-free peas which she did fine on…for awhile. I noticed increased itchiness..she scratched and bit everywhere…no fleas. She also developed a UTI with struvite crystals so I switched to NB Potato and Rabbit. My vet suggested Hill’s Prescription for the crystals and UTI which I refused. The vet also states to stop giving her tuna and peas as the peas may have contributed to the pH problem. My baby has had 2 back to back UTI’s one with the crystals and one without. During the 2nd UTI I switched to Nutrisca Lamb and Chickpea (grain and potato free) and canned Lamb from Wellness as a topper (only in a.m.) She seems to be doing better although she still itches and bites her paws but it appears to go in spurts….. I’m wondering if it is enviromental allergies and not food. She has some eye goobers but I started using Ark Naturals Eyes So Bright and that has helped tremendously. She also was very flaking but that has almost gone away since starting her on Nutrisca. She is on Claritin/Benadryl/probiotic/salmon oil/liquid glucosamine and sometimes coconut oil. She is also on a cranberry extract for a urine pH of 9.
I have started to notice she is losing fur on the tips of her ears (just started last week). She has no ear infection that I can see. I had been cleaning 3x per week because they began to smell…now I am down to 1x per week
I use Richard’s Organics Incredible Skin Spray for the itchy areas and any hotspots. I also at times will rub in coconut oil
She has little red bumps on her belly which come and go….literally they are there in the morning and sometimes almost gone by night (could be the benadryl/claritin combo)
I have tried digestive enzymes twice (different brands) and she has vomited with both…not sure she can tolerate them…I’ve started slowly both times
I have to bring her back in for a re-check of her urine to see if the pH is down
Every dog food she has been on she has liked….she is not a picky eater (she even eats pills as if they were a treat)
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated and sorry it is long

[waltersmum]

One of my two Griffons is highly allergic. She has been through the desensitizing process and is currently on two different pills morning and night which is not ideal. She had a major flair up of unknown origin recently and lost a lot of hair and weight. I am trying to find a suitable dry food that does not have potato, soy or navy bean that will also not make her put on weight. Her nick name is Tubby which stands for tub of lard so we are constantly battling to keep her trim. She is currently 8.5lb which is just at the low end of ideal. Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Mom2Cavs]

As you all may remember, I’ve been battling things with Laverne. She would have anal gland issues and goopy eyes, she would lick her forearm and scratch her back sides. Sometimes she would lick her back knee?…I guess that would be what it’s called lol. She would scoot only sometimes. Her stool would be loose to full blown diarrhea at times, except when we tried NV LIDs…then she was too constipated (they all were) and the other symptoms were still there. Finally, one of her breeders told me that her brother and mother could never have poultry! So….I’ve been working on getting poultry out of the house. We have tried Zignature, still didn’t do the trick (maybe I didn’t give it long enough). We then went on Holistic Select grain free. Things were a little better. Now, I also top with canned food (and something tells me sometimes it may be the canned that’s causing the problem). I’ve narrowed the canned down to a few kinds whereas I was using quite a lot of different kinds before. Things were a little better, still not where I would like, though. In there as well I used some Natural Balance I had in the dog closet to see if it would be better than the Hol. Sel. I had the Lamb & Rice and the Swt. Pot. & Fish. Things were even a little better. I used to like N.B. but am leary of it now..bummer. When I finished with the N.B. I transitioned in a small bag of Acana Lamb (from the dog closet, of course!) This is what they are on now. We’re only on the first day with only Acana Lamb & Apple as the kibble, but so far so good. I’ve stopped treats for the time being, as well. I’ve been using the kibble, which they all readily take (even picky Lucy…don’t know how long this will last). Today I gave Acana topped with Wellness 95% Salmon for breakfast and only dry Acana for dinner. I think that’s my plan….kibble and can for breakfast and dry for dinner. They also get part of their dry right before bedtime as a snack. It’s really too soon to tell but today has been fine with this arrangement. I pray it keeps on working….I like Acana and maybe eventually I can use other flavors, like Ranchlands. I’ll keep y’all posted. Please keep us in your thoughts.

Oh, I wanted to mention that I did order some Big Dog Natural in beef. While the dogs all loved it very much, it really did a number on Laverne’s bowels!! Too, too much for her so…..we will not be using it in the future.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[theBCnut]

When it comes to allergies, you go with what works first and worry about quality after. First you have to just find one food that works.

[somebodysme]

Ya know bandb, my dog does have some eye boogers (HA!) and I bet you are right, it’s most likely caused by the potatoes. I think for now we’ll “bask in the glory” too! HAHA! It’s a very small issue compared to before.

[BlackandBlue]

Ooh nasty anal gland problems (thank goodness my dog hasn’t gone there). For now I’m going to “bask in the glory” (thx Freeholdhound for that quote) of Wellness Whitefish & Sweet Potatoes. Never thought I’d say that about a 3 1/2 star dog food. Cause I can’t tell you how many food trials I’ve done with my dog, including raw medallions, dehydrated, and homemade. And you’re right Somebodysme, peas could be a problem for my dog and food with peas will be avoided.
At the vet, they suggested my dog go back on Royal Canine Potato and Whitefish veterinary diet. Yes, my dog did OK on it, except for really goopey eyes that disgusted my kids (caused by white potatoes). So, I refused the food and found the Wellness Whitefish. Anyway, there’s some Royal Canine Veterinary Diets that are only available in Canada that may work for my dog. Such as the RC Catfish kibble. I don’t know why they don’t sell that in the US? (Sorry I’m stooping so low as to be seeking out Royal Canine dog food but I’m in ear infection fallout.)

[somebodysme]

Patty, it would just seep out when she was sleeping. We’d be sitting around watching TV and she would be asleep on her blanket and all of a sudden the air would fill with that nasty dead fish odor.

OH and she is also allergic to beef rawhide and beef chew bones they sell packaged up like the Red Barn bones.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by somebodysme.

[theBCnut]

Anal gland problems are another allergy symptom, problably the one I hate the worst.

[somebodysme]

blackandblue, the NV LID has PEAS right after the tapioca so don’t dismiss it’s the peas. The symptoms of pea allergy with my dog are: red ears, watering eyes (mostly just one eye), hairless dime to quarter sized rash with pustules on her back and one large one on her tail, red/raw underside of her neck, red rash all over her chest, irritated genitals, completely raw paws with bloody pustules, scratching of her sides and thinning of the hair on the sides from scratching, pimples on her chin, irritated elbows, gnawing on knees. That’s about it, I think…UGH!

Natural Balance potato and rabbit is the only food, so far, that has worked for her…and it’s basically a bag of potatoes but I don’t know what else to do…she has to eat and she loves the food and it seems to very much agree with her. Not only are her allergy symptoms going away, she also has a very regular digestion and no anal gland problems like she had on the others.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by somebodysme.

[FreeholdHound]

I tried to try NV when I got a sample pack – Harry refused to go anywhere near the bowl- that was a cheap -n- easy food trial LOL