[NectarMom]

I do know what to make of it other than my Shihtzu is now allergic to turkey protein. This has been an n going problem with her and the symptoms are she is constantly turning around looking at her rear end as if something is bothering her. She has thrown up once in the last couple of days and now I started cooking ground white turkey and adding in See spot live longer dinner mixes and she ate some at first and now she totally is refusing any and all food. We are on Turkey and egg kibble and have been for a while. She is my one who was hospitalized a few months back for Pancreatitis and what my vet thinks was Salmonella Bacteria. $1300 later and blood work and a lot of test sent off coming back nothing. Now shes acting the same way once again. It did get worse when I fed her the all white ground turkey so I am seriously thinking she has issues with turkey.

What is a protein that likely dogs are not going to have an allergic reaction to? I am talking intestinal allergic reaction. I have tried Rabbit and she does not like it and I have tried Chicken and same reaction as turkey so I am at a loss on what to feed since beef seems to be high on the list of allergic reactions. I need limited ingredient foods. This is really getting frustrating. Years ago I never had these issues with any dogs. Seriously what in the hell are they putting in foods these days?

[theBCnut]

Regarding bee pollen, if you can find a local source, it works better than commercial. Local will have the pollens from the specific stuff that is bothering your dog. If she is having contact allergies, instead of just rinsing her feet you might want to rinse the whole dog, or well up the legs and the belly, if it is contact to grass.

[SandyandMila]

For those who use bee pollen, which would you recommend? Currently I’ve been using quercetin, bromelain, krill oil, coconut oil, ACV and newly rooibus tea to aid Mila with her seasonal allergies, and I also clean her feet everyday day and tend to her hot spots but would like to try bee pollen. As soon as the nice weather hit along came allergy season. We were enjoying long walks in the evening once it was cool out but have been doing it less since her allergies have been getting worse. 🙁 Which bee pollen do you recommend, is it in glandular form, local? What would be the recommend dose for Mila (almost 16 months old and 50 lbs.)? Thanks in advance!

[pugmomsandy]

somebodysme,

Do you also give fish oil and coconut oil for allergies? A Pugvillager is having good success with her pug’s allergies with colostrum and quercetin.

[somebodysme]

We are doing good on Nature’s Variety the LID Turkey one so far. Horrible allergies before! If you notice also that the Nature’s Balance isn’t fish and sweet potato, it is SWEET POTATO and fish. I just can’t see how a diet mostly sweet potatoes is a good thing. The doctor recommended that but I just didn’t want that for my dog.

[jaxsmom]

We have a 6 month old lab mix puppy that has developed a poor appetite and weird eating habits within the last month. He was on blue buffalo lamb and oatmeal puppy food for a couple of months. One day he started getting diarrhea and was acting less energetic and wouldn’t really eat without much coaxing. So we took him to the vet and there were no issues. The vet recommended Prescription Diet food for digestive health and we tried that. He seemed to like that and we decided to slowly get him back on his old food and he would eat his old food when it was mixed with the Prescription Diet. We wanted to get off of that since the first ingredient is corn and get back to something more natural. We tried switching to the blue buffalo large breed puppy chicken and rice to see if he liked that flavor instead. But he really doesn’t have much interest in it and won’t eat it all of it. He will usually take a few kibbles and bring it to a rug and eat it there and then walk away for a bit. His stool is sometimes solid, sometimes loose and it varies how many times he goes in a day. He sometimes has gas too. He also itches his ears and paws a lot, so we are thinking he might have allergies. Does anyone have a suggestion for a dry food that is natural and in the same price range as blue buffalo? Should we get a large breed puppy food? We are considering Hollistic Select as an option.
Thanks for the help!

[Jo Ingram]

I owned Oorang Airedales for 15 years and after losing both within a year and two weeks, I adopted a mixed breed german shepherd/border collie from a local pound last Fall. I named him Rain because it was raining when I picked him out and raining when I picked him up. The pound estimated his age at 0-6 months but I believe he’s alot older than that. I think he was at least a year old when I adopted him.
I fed my Dales “Taste of the Wild” and homemade treats but this boy suffered through terrible bouts of the runs when I tried their diet with him.
I backed off on the protein and tried him with Kibbles & Bits. It has so far cured the runs but he’s so hyper that I’m suspicious of the ingredients affecting his system. I’m thinking somewhat like a kid on a food that he’s allergic to. When I saw the ingredients and rating on this website I can see that I was correct to have concerns.
So, I need help trying to figure out what I can feed this poor kid without having another physical crisis but still see if I can help him calm him. The Airedales are rumoured to by hyper because of their terrier breeding, but believe me, they had NOTHING on this guy. Sometimes the way he just “goes off” would make an observer believe he’s totally insane. He’s not – he’s actually a great dog 90% of the time. I think I’m causing these meltdowns with what I’m feeding him. I bought a low price biscuit for him two weeks ago and within 36 hours he was completely out of control. That was when I realized I am causing the problem with his diet.
Please, has anyone some guidance or opinion that could help me?

[InkedMarie]

If by chance you have a dog with allergies, be careful what you buy. I’ve been told that the mixed tocopherols in some of them contain soy. I have an allergy boy who can’t have soy. I buy sockeye salmon oil from Vital Choice, more costly probably but it’s just salmon oil.

[rogerharris]

Here are top 10 wholesome dog treats you can make at home:

1.Dog Cookies: Include kiss me cookies, peanut butter cookies, pink delight paw print cookies, etc. that are specially made for puppies.

2.Pumpkin: You can use wheat cream or rolled oats with pumpkins. There is no need to cook first; you should bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F. This treat is made mostly for senior dogs.

3.Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Biscuits: This vegan diet is great for gluten intolerant dogs. You can use millet, almond, rice, corn or oat flour if your dog is allergic to wheat.

4.Apple Cinnamon Dog Biscuits: The treat is meant for dogs with arthritis and/or diabetes. This dish should be refrigerated overnight or for one and a half hours then baked for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

5.Oatmeal Bark Bites: This treat is good for dogs with pancreatic or liver disease since it has low animal protein and fat.

6.Veggies Treat: The treat contains low levels of phosphorous and fat. This is restricted for diets that curb liver and kidney diseases. When cooking, include vegetables like zucchini and sweet potatoes which are low in phosphorous.

7.Crispy Yam Doggie Snacks: Bake slices of sweet potato and make the dish sweet, salty, crunchy or spicy.

8.Vegetarian Muffins: Include ingredients for vegetarian diets like apples, carrots, wheat flour, molasses, oats, etc.

9.Beef Dog Treat: These biscuits are meant for dogs that love meat.

10.Chicken Dog Biscuits: To make the treat, you have to use organic low sodium chicken broth that is organic.

These and other dog meals are easy to make and the ingredients are readily available. These recipes are a great way to offer wholesome treats to your dogs unlike the commercial foods in the market which cause kidney complications. Make your dog treats from 100% natural and organic ingredients.

[BlondieMIA]

Ive been searching the web for some numbers, just out of curiosity I suppose, of what the best selling dog foods on the market are. I mean, we all agree that there are many dog foods that are on our personal do not buy list; whether it be because our dogs may not like the food, or because we do not like whats in the food, then theres the dog foods that people say they buy, but the real truth lies in the actual sales of these foods. I started searching for top dog food sales for the most recent year & I can’t seem to find anything definitive. I was looking for quantity as well as top sales. For example, Yum Yum Food sold 10,000 pounds of dry dog food or 2000 bags of dry dog food (I wouldn’t know how the companies break down their “quantity” sales). Then also Yuck Yuck Food sales were at $1.2 million. (both dog food names are just made up). Does any one know how to collect this data or find it? Any help would be appreciated.

Why did I start to search for dog food sales?
Well, I have 5 dogs. I love them all dearly, but dog food prices have really seemed to sky rocket. Back when I only had 3 dogs, they all ate “good” dog food. (Taste of the Wild). I actually switched from Eukenuba (excuse my spelling) because my oldest, Nikita, started to develop skin problems & allergies. Then when the youngest 2 we rescued joined the family, I was feeding them all Taste of the wild. But the $60 something plus tax with everything else, my 2 trips a week to the pet store was exceeding easily $300…$1200 a month just in food, treats ect. (edible items) So, I started buying both Taste of the wild and some less expensive food. My thoughts were to feed Nikita TOTW, & feed the others a mix of both. But of course they all want what the other has & lets face it, sometimes you just want Mc Donalds.

Now, I am aware of whats in certain foods and whats better for my dogs to eat. If I were able to, I would feed them the best of the best. If someone asks me what I feed my dogs, to be honest, my answer may vary depending on whose asking. The only one I know Im 100% truthful with all of the time is our vet. It seems dog food brands are becoming a “human” category. If I were to meet a person with a LV purse & a yorkie in it, Im most likely to say that all my dogs eat the best foods. Why? Im not sure, but I feel if I were to say for example, Pedigree, you might as well tell the woman you live under a bridge. The conversation would most likely end quickly & she would run in the opposite direction. (yes extreme, but just so you get the point.) Does buying Pedigree make you poor, cheap, uneducated about dog food or d. all of the above?

So that being said, Im curious to see quantity sales numbers vs revenue. How many people are actually buying quality dog food? How many pounds of dog food did pedigree sell vs taste of the wild or blue? I bet blues $$ numbers are up there, but Im assuming pedigree exceeds most in quantity (lbs).

Whats your perception of the top brands sold? Food for thought… Thanks in advance to all that can help me get this solved. 🙂

[somebodysme]

Huuummmm…I wonder how that millet would be with the allergies or yeast problems? The reasoning behind using millet sounds valid…more logical than potatoes which a wild dog(wolf) would never ever eat…would they?

[alsmomma]

I’ve been buying my beagle this brand of treats because they’re made in the USA and are 100% human grade treats. My beagle LOVES these treats! However, we’ve been noticing for several weeks now that she’s been vomiting a yellow foam (sometimes it’s white or brown foam). The ingredients of these treats (as listed on the package) are chicken and rosemary. I’m wondering if this is the cause of her vomiting, maybe an allergic reaction or something? Two or three times I didn’t give them to her and we don’t think she vomited but there’s almost no way to know for sure. Can anyone weigh in on this? If not the treats, what else could be causing the vomiting?

[somebodysme]

As far as the astaxanthin that you suggested, do you just buy it for people usage? What mg pill do you buy? I give her a product called PB8 for a probiotic one pill each day. Human dosage is 2 per day.

See I just KNEW that her demodex had come back judging by her appearance but the vet didn’t see any sign of demodex and suggested from her appearance that she is suffering from allergies and most likely from her food. So we’ve been on Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch that did not seem to agree either and she was eating grass like she was possessed…HA! Her scratching was coming back and her ears were bugging her too. I bought a small bag of Nature’s Variety LID Turkey and have been giving her this for a couple days and the grass eating and slightly soft stole has already gone away. Luckily she is able to switch foods without any problems.

[somebodysme]

Laughing about the Beneful comment Cyndi…my dog has been through several expensive dog foods trying to find one that’s not causing allergies and my husband says to me yesterday “what about that Beneful dog food that’s supposed to be so good?” HAHA! UGH! 🙁

[somebodysme]

Long story short…my dog’s paws became infected after an allergic reaction to road salt over the winter. I tried everything to heal them up but ended up having to get a shot of anti-biotics and then a round of pills. Before that she had also been on antibiotics for UTI and demodex. So she’s been on lots of antibiotics and she’s only 15 months old. Her feet are healing up but there’s still a bit of dry scaly spots on them….I do not want to see them blossom back out into infection and swelling. UGH!

She also has some sort of allergies causing itching, red ears and watering eyes. She was tested for demodex but three scrapings came back negative.

My question after the brief history of her is: What supplements can I give her to help boost her immune system to counteract all the negativity of those antibiotics in her system. I’m giving her echinacea, vitamin C, B complex, A, E and cod liver oil. Also a human grade probiotic. Good? Bad? She is now on NV LID Turkey for her diet. A small amount of canned to give the pills with.

[rypke1]

Our dog has always had a gorgeous coat, no skin issues at all anywhere on his body. He got tired of the dog food we had been giving him so we switched him to Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Bison. He now has eruptions of these red oozing bumps on his elbows and the area around his muzzle is red and very irritated looking. I’m sure it’s probably an allergic reaction to something in the food as it has happened only since feeding him this. Has anyone else had such a reaction from this food? I’m of course switching him back to what he’s always been on immediately and I’ll just spice it up with some added meat to get him to want it again. Just makes me sick that I’ve done this to him and caused this reaction. Any input about this is appreciated. Thank you…love this forum Rypke

[somebodysme]

That sounds about right Patty. Plus if the dog is getting upset stomach, that really doesn’t mean an allergy but a food intolerance. Like for instance, pinto beans make me sick but that doesn’t mean that I’m allergic to pinto beans…but rather that I cannot digest them. So digestive enzymes would be in order.

[somebodysme]

I’ve read good things about Canine Caviar too, no one near me sells it though. I agree with Sandy, start with a LID and go from there. I recently tried Earthborn Holistic’s Coastal Catch but after two weeks I didn’t see any change at all with my dogs allergies…am trying NV LID now. Unless you get allergy tests done, it’s just trial and error. I’ve even heard that the allergy test isn’t really all the great either…any opinions on that subject? $300 isn’t all that bad if it tells us accurately what to feed our dogs!

[paige-s]

I just wanted to start a thread to tell everyone about Canine Caviar 🙂

Its very similar to a raw diet but in kibble form. There is many options to choose from aswell.
Grain free has 3 options – venison, duck, herring (all are single protein, no potatoe)
Lamb and pearl millet
Chicken and pearl millet
Special Needs
Puppy grain free

The special needs diet can replace almost all Science diets from a-z from the vets office. Personally i have my girl who has a liver disease on it and is doing better then ever.
Its great food for diabetics, sensitive stomachs, dogs who throw up alot, colitis, ibs, kidney problems, pancreas problems, and more.

the food has a proper alkaline level and pH level as well. i have seen this food do fantastic things for dogs (i work with clients directly helping choose dog foods and nutritional based questions).
For any dog with allergies this food i great because there is no grain, no potato, and no chicken in 3 of its options.
For dogs with sensitive stomachs, colitis, ibs, any tummy problems, the entire line has pre and probiotics in the food too, as well as peppermint to help calm the stomach. Check the food out for yourself and put your dog on it and you will see amazing results.. !!

[muddy little mutt]

Okay thanks :)..I really think it’s environmental because she had a flare up after playing around outside. She has dry skin in the winter but no itching. I’ve been changing up her food so I don’t think it’s a food allergy.

[pugmomsandy]

Does she itch all year? Can it also be in part to a food intolerance? You can try Herbsmith’s AllerQi, a tablet with stinging nettle (sometimes it’s with quercetin) and also feeding a food with a “cool” meat like duck. A paw rinse (water and vinegar) before coming inside the house. Also coconut oil – 1 teaspoon a day – may help with allergies.

[muddy little mutt]

My vet believes that my dog has seasonal allergies. She scratches her neck and ears. And chews on her rear paws. He said 1000 mg for my 20 lb dog, since that’Can is the standard human dosage. What else can I do to help her with the itchiness?

[Cavalierluvr]

What type of issue is you dog having? I originally thought my 4 year old Cavalier was allergic to Chicken and/or dairy products. He would get an upset stomach and would always want to go out and eat grass so that he could vomit, not his food, but mostly bile. I would switch brands (I was using Fromm Gold) to Canidae Lamb and Rice. It would make a difference for a while and then it would start all over again. Switching a recipe would help occasionally until this past Spring and nothing I did seemed to help. The vet checked him out and found that he had quite a bit of yeast in his stool. Grain-Free foods didn’t really seem to help him, so the Vet recommended a probiotic. He had Purina Forti-Flora in stock, but after 2 weeks it wasn’t making a difference. I went on a forum here and someone recommended Mercola Complete Probiotic for Pets. What a difference this product has made! I saw immediate relief. It’s hard enough trying to get your pet to switch to a new dog food if his original recipe has already been changed. I would highly recommend giving the probiotic a try! Good Luck!

[NectarMom]

We feed Hare Todays ground rabbit mixture in the morning and in the evening we feed Brothers Turkey and Egg. We have been back on Turkey and egg kibble for approx 8 weeks since our bout with Pancreatitis and now We have been feeding 1/2 Raw and 1/2 kibble a day and my dogs are more itchy than ever. I am wondering if it is the carrot in the kibble because carrot has natural sugars in it and sugar feeds yeast as in result causing sugar to feed on the yeast so I am wondering since the ingredients are similar in the Turkey and egg as Natures Variety Instinct but NV has no carrot added , I would switch to the NV Rabbit LID. Yes once again considering a food switch because it is not atopic allergies, for them to smell yeasty it is food allergy. I kept going back to turkey and egg because I was told it takes 6-8 months to rid their systems of Candida but after doing a ton of reading up on it and asking another legit source it should only take 3-4 months at most. Any thoughts?

[somebodysme]

I found the Nutrisca recommended on a website that was all about yeast in dogs because that is what I believed my dog was suffering from. This might be something to try. When I was at the petfood store, a lady overheard me talking to the manager about my dog’s issues and she had to come up to me carrying a bag of Nutrisca and told me it was the greatest food EVER! She said her dog had so many skin problems and she researched until she thought her eyes were going to come out of her head and decided on Nutrisca and she said she has all her friends buying it too. She told me all her dog’s skin problems went away.

Don’t forget about stuff like raw hides too. Those and others can cause allergies too.

[somebodysme]

You haven’t mentioned if the Orijen is the chicken formula? This could be the problem if it’s chicken allergies because it will have more chicken than an el cheapo junk dog food. That is what happened for my dog, I thought that grain free was the answer so chose a grain free chicken and that’s when she really got bad.

In my case, the paws would not heal up without an antibiotic…I had literally been treating them for months…with daily betadine soaks and they just would not heal up. They’d appear to be getting better then they would get worse and bleed…over and over until we’d had enough. Her feet were covered with pustules though. It doesn’t sound as if your dog is as severe as my girl was.

You can buy a good probiotic for humans to give them…what enzymes would you suggest patty?

[somebodysme]

That yellow discharge could be infection and that smells nasty too. It really to me sounds like food allergies. The allergies start at the feet. I saw it explained why but of course I can’t remember now…like that’s where dogs sweat so that’s where the toxins come out? I actually had two vets tell me it was most likely food allergies and to try something without grains and without chicken. My vet had to give her an antibiotic shot for the infection in her paws…it was that bad. To me it smelled like stinky cheese…kind of like cheetoes or parmesan cheese which I thought was yeast. I just think it’s best to go at least to the vet so they can tell you if it’s yeast or not and if there’s infection…it won’t heal up without antibiotic. At least if it’s not yeast, you won’t have that to worry with. My vet suggested a venison or duck limited ingredient food and also said that fish would be ok too. If it’s yeast…one of the few dry kibbles I’ve seen that is supposed to be ok for yeast is Nutrisca. I would definitely stay away from chicken until you figure it out. My dogs symptoms were swollen infected paws, itching bald spots in various places on her body, watering eyes, pink inside to ears with some brown discharge and itching in them, just a whole lot of scratching going on all over but mostly the paws. She was having to wear a cone because she was chewing her paws. I really wasted a lot of time trying to self diagnose because believe me I am so anti-doctor it’s ridiculous. HA! If the vet tells you it’s food allergies, you do not have to buy their dog food! When I made a face at the suggestion of IAMS RX…my vet suggested a venison or duck grain free food of my liking…HAHAHA! But she had to have a shot to clear the paw infection! Believe me, I am kicking myself for not taking her to the vet sooner! It would have saved us both a lot of pain and suffering!

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks for your input. I know a lot of people say yeast smells like corn chips. I looked into the flea dermatitis online and I’m thinking it could be that more so than yeast now. Especially since my American Bulldog is showing the same signs and he has never (knock on wood) had allergies to any food, even when I ignorantly fed them Purina. I didn’t put them on any flea medications because I couldn’t afford what I used to use (Trifexis) and I guess maybe the fleas were left to bother them too long and it caused a reaction. They never had fleas until primarily outside dogs came to live at my house for a few months and I think they got fleas from them. I’m just afraid if I go to the vet she will want to put at least my Saint on some kind of medication, plus having to pay a fee just to have them looked at. I know that sounds horrible, but any chance I can avoid a trip to the vet I will do it lol. I figured that by at least supplementing their kibble with raw will be enough to clear up the issues they have.

[somebodysme]

After having been through all the self diagnosis and then taking my dog to the vet to get correct diagnosis…please don’t just assume it’s yeast because I thought my dog was yeasty and the vet told me “OH no…yeast smells a certain way and I don’t smell any yeast on her”…but to me I thought it was yeast I was smelling. They also get stinky from skin irritation which could just be from a food allergy which is what my dog has, most likely the chicken but I’m in the process of figuring that out. Anyway…my point is to take your dog to the vet and see if it really is yeast. I can’t remember what it’s called but their skin produces a secretion that stinks when they have irritated skin from allergies.

[NectarMom]

I feed Raw in the morning and kibble in the evening and my dogs do fine that way. If your dog is yeasty then he would need to stay away from what Marie stated above but also any veggies and fruits in a kibble that may contain sugar, Sugar feeds yeast and even in very very small amounts if it is in the kibble you are using then that is why your dog is yeasty and not because of fleas even though he could also be allergic to fleas and then he could have flea dermatitis.

[somebodysme]

What about chicken fat? Do we not need to be concerned about chicken fat if our dogs are allergic to chicken? Does it not affect them? I’m in the same boat needing chicken and grain free.

[winifred]

My comment on DinoVite: do not purchase this supplement without speaking with your vet first. My dog has had skin problems for the past few years, and my vet treats her with prednisone and other allergy medications. I feed her very high quality food. My husband heard Dinovite advertised on the radio and we decided to try it. After 2 days of giving her the supplement according to the instructions on the box, she had a horrible allergic reaction. Her eyes swelled up and she developed hives all over her body. She vomited repeatedly. We had to treat her with Benadryl and Prednisone to control the inflammation. The company is refunding my money, but none of my shipping charges. Not only do I have to pay to ship the product back to them for my refund, but they won’t credit my original shipping charges. The representative on the phone expressed no concern about my situation. I would never purchase from this company again.

[AnnieluvsPoms]

thank you hound dog mom and pugmomsandy. i wish i knew why it started in the first place. 2 of our dogs are fine and Loki just can’t seem to get his stools back to normal. I don’t know what it is. He was on this prescription stuff that’s made by purina (from the vet) but that didn’t seem to help get his stools back to normal. Now I’m only feeding him boiled chicken and rice. I’m worried about him not getting enough nutrients though with just feeding him boiled chicken and rice. I decided to go with Holistic Select for digestive health as the dry food I am going to try once his stools improve (hoping they improve!). He was seen by the vet and other things were ruled out; however, he has not been tested for allergies.

[NectarMom]

GiGi watching everyone else eat and wanting theirs….My sweet baby. Shes my baby that is allergic to insect bites and they are deadly to her 🙁

[frenchielove]

Hi…I will soon be the mom of a French Bulldog. She turns 8 weeks in several days. I’ve heard so many things about grain-free foods, among other things, and I’m so confused!! I want to give my Frenchie the best food possible, especially since this breed is prone to skin issues/allergies. Any suggestions??? Thank you so much!!!

[Bongo Buddy]

Have to respectfully disagree, as Pudge Bear had way more energy after getting his annual cut. But Bongo doesn’t need a cut, his fur is just normal thickness & the heat doesn’t slow him down. So for me, it’s situational.situated

[NectarMom]

Double coated dogs are meant to have their fur to protect them from the sun. Shaving their fur off just exposes them to other things. After shaving a double coated dog several time you will notice his fur will not ever grow back properly. I try to tell people ahead of time at work but they never listen and feel they should shave the dog due to him or her walking around panting constantly but that is normal and how dogs release heat. shedding is also the reason why people do it so why not get a non shedding breed and leave dogs how mother nature intended them to be since they were born like that?

[Bongo Buddy]

Hi Mylo,
You said he’s not outside much, but does he swim at all? My last dog, Pudge Bear a golden, suffered thru 3 summers of hot spots. Once he got his summer puppy cut he never got another hot spot. His undercoat took so long to dry that it resulted in hot spots. My current golden Bongo at 3 just got his 1st hot spot; his coat isn’t as thick so no summer cut yet.

[theBCnut]

Wow, she does have a lot going on. How long has she been on thyroid medication. Low thyroid causes a LOT of the issues you are seeing. Digestion, constipation/diarrhea, dry skin, weight gain are all thyroid symptoms.

Do you have any idea what she is actually intolerant of? Avoiding ingredients because other dogs are allergic to them won’t help yours. Allergies can be to any protein, the only reason those particular ingredients are common allergens is because they are common ingredients.

[Josiesmom]

I’ve spent about 2 hours reading dozens and dozens of reviews and q&a on this site. None seem to fit my situation so I’m posting it. Please forgive me if I missed a thread. My dog Josie is a 4 year old terrier mix. She’s a rescue so, that’s all we know. While I don’t have a lot of money, I would and have spend just about anything to get and keep her healthy.
She seems to have major diet, digestive, allergy issues. I don’t say I’ve tried “everything”. I surely haven’t. The short and skinny is, allergies have always been an issue. Flaky coat, itchy ears, scooting, ugh. Always with the scooting!! Anyway always been an issue. Then she got a hold of an ibuprofen bottle a year after I got her (I know, I’ll never forgive myself. I was gone 15 minutes and she got it off the table). She almost died, went to the ER, etc but all tests after that were normal and they said she was “fine and would have no long term damage”. Well I call bs on that. She has been a ridiculously finicky eater ever since. One day it’s fine, next day it’s not. If she doesn’t eat for 12 hours or more she’s throwing up bile everywhere. Not to mention her stools. She either strains to go and it’s tiny, it is super loose and smelly, completely loose, can’t go at all, I mean, it’s awful. You’ve never seen someone so excited when their dog has a normal stool. I’m jumping around the backyard, “good girl!” as if she controls it.
She’s recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism so she’s on meds for that and now her left elbow is making a popping noise when she walks sometimes. Oh, and she’s overweight at least 5 lbs. The vet is so fed up bc we have wormed her twice, blood work, xrays, etc. Nothing. He says she’s fine. She’s not fine. I spend you can’t imagine how much time trying to get her to eat (so she won’t vomit) and coming home to let her out bc her her bm are so inconsistent. I can list all food she’s been on over the years but that would make this post too long. Currently, she is on (and refusing to eat) NVI LID LAMB.She was on the turkey, hated that too. I top it with with NVI canned. Hates that for the most part. Gave in and started topping it with NVI raw bites. Tried to pick out the raw and eventually refused it too. Stella and Chewys freeze dried she likes but will spend an enormous amount of time picking it out of her kibble. Even moistened I don’t think that’s enough moisture and due to cost, I’d really like to use kibble as a base. NV is not the issue issue don’t think but I don’t know. She did worse on other foods but I’m happy to switch her again. Considered Brothers but their use of turkey, beef etc concerns me since these are known allergens.
What a mess. And poor Josie. I’m a vegetarian and really don’t want to do full raw unless I have to. (Plus, she seems to have little interest in raw.) Sorry the post is so long. Thanks…

[pugmomsandy]

Some of the hard core raw feeders in my group avoid chicken during the summer months. They say it really helps with allergies/itchiness. They will feed duck instead as it is suppose to be a cooling meat. Although some sources say it is neutral or damp, I’m not knowledgeable on the Chinese theory of warm/neutral/cool meats). Not sure if this will help with the ear infections.

[Mylo]

http://www.congoraw.com/products.html
Complete Dinners consisting of Meat, Bone, Organ and a Vegetable/Fruit Blend which is comprised of organic celery, blueberries, romaine lettuce, radicchio, banana and parsley.

He doesn’t stay outside a lot and he’s brushed everyday, the problems are in his inner back legs, not much hair there, it’s very fine.
I wonder if adding fish oil will help.
He’s getting heartworm/flea pills.

thanks for your comments, appreciate them

[theBCnut]

The best way to find out is to cut it and the chicken out altogether until you are seeing no signs and then feed him duck a few days in a row, watching for any signs. As far as allergies go, duck and chicken are very different, but he could be reactive to both.

[NectarMom]

Hot spots are not caused from diet. It can be caused from fleas and also double coated dogs are prone to hot spots if you do not keep the under coat brushed out. Does he stay outside a lot?

What is Congo Dinners? Whatelse is in it besides the proteins listed above?

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by NectarMom.

[theBCnut]

It could be due to an imbalance in the raw. It might need fish oil added to it and if you aren’t feeding some tripe, I would add probiotics too. You’re dog could be sensitive to one of those protein sources. Chicken is a commonly allergenic food. Try putting him on just one protein source for a month and see how he does, then switch him to another and so on until you know if it is a particular one he is having a problem with.

[Mylo]

I have a 4yr old Shiloh shep, he’s on the raw diet for over 6 months now, he loves it, i love it as his teeth are white etc etc. He’s got, it looks like hot spots. I had him on EVO before and he never had hot spots. Vet says it’s his diet, he’s against raw diet. I’m thinking of switching him back to EVO but i love the raw diet and benefits of it. Vet gave me pills and it cleared up but came back and i’m not paying $150 for pills all the time. Think i should switch back? He’s eating Congo dinners – chicken, duck, lamb, rabbit. Also eating duck necks, duck feet and lamb necks.
Thoughts?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi panda –

I agree with NectarMom – allergy tests are not accurate. I think they’re just a waste of money, they often give false “positives.” If you really want to find out if a food is causing the reaction you should perform an elimination diet. If you’re interested in feeding raw that’s great because elimination diets are much easier to do with homemade foods than commercial foods like kibble (due to the inclusion of so many ingredients). What you would do is feed your dog a novel protein and novel carbohydrate (something your dog has never eaten before) for at least two months. Once the symptoms clear up (which they should if the issues are food related) you would gradually start introducing new ingredients one at a time and carefully monitoring your dog’s reaction to each ingredient. This way you can pick up on what ingredients elicit the allergic response. There’s a lot of information about elimination diets online and your vet may be able to walk you through the process.

I hadn’t heard of “Mrs. Meady’s” so I just checked out the website. It looks like they offer quality products but you’re going to need to research prior to feeding a “food” such as that. They aren’t balanced foods (just different organ meats and RMBs, some vegetables) and you’re going to need to be knowledgeable about your dog’s nutritional requirements to create a balanced diet from items such as these. There will be some supplementation necessary when not feeding a pre-balanced raw food. Dogaware.com is a great online resource and “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown is a great book for beginners.

Good Luck! 🙂

[DieselJunki]

I have noticed my 7 month old dog doing the same thing. It is so disheartening because I’ve fed what I thought to be good kibble, then switched to THK. I’ve noticed him chewing/licking his paw and you can tell because the redness of his skin sticks out like a sore thumb underneath his white short hair. I will be switching to raw here in a few weeks, got the freezer all stocked for a months supply. Hopefully it will help the issue, although I’m sure it could be worse, it’s just his white hair brings out the tiniest of skin irritations. Will definitely have to get some duck instead of chicken once he gets accustomed to the beef he will be on.

Just remember raw isn’t a cure all overnight type of thing, so don’t be disappointed if things don’t improve drastically over a week, but it is the best thing you can do for your animal.

I’ve never tested for allergies before but perhaps you could call your vet for a quote? Honestly I think you’d spend more money on different bags of food trying to figure out exactly what ingredients he’s isn’t good with.

[pugmomsandy]

Some folks in my raw feeding group do not feed chicken during the summertime. Instead they feed duck (a cooling meat) and this helps with itching/allergies. Also they have reccommended Herbsmith Clear Aller-Qi over herbal allergy products by Seven Forests and Tibetan Natural Healing.

[panda]

Hi Everyone,

Its been a while since my last post. I wanted to update. I want to thank everyone’s support and well wishes.
Bailey our 7yo male yellow lab (as soon as I figure out how to add a pic I will) is still licking. We started with Royal Canin Lab years ago. Last year he developed paw licking, got worse last fall and this spring. Changed to grain free Nat Bal sweet potato/fish. Still licked, not as much. To save $ changed to Costco fish meal/sweet potato. Same result no change. He’s still licking. I’m not sure the food had a lot to do with the licking. Our vet prescribed vanectyl-p. That seems to help, he licks less. Called our vet to ask about a ‘shot’ and am waiting to hear back. I’m trying to find a solution that does not involve testing for allergies, which could be $$$$$. In the mean time I’m trying to do a little research on raw. Seems like raw might be the way to do. Have a pamphlet on Mrs. Meadys which brought me here. I’m anxious to hear what the forum has to say.