[Pitlove]

DogFoodie nailed it on the head! Switching dog foods is worthless if you are switching to a food that still contains whatever your dog is intolerant to! LID diets would be a good place to start in ruling out what your dog can’t handle. My vet told me to do an elimination diet for 12 weeks for my dog because shes convinced he has both seasonal and food allergies. (I personally believe its just seasonal). Consider that he could also have environmental allergies if you are noticing that he has the issues with scratching all year round even when you feed a food with a novel protein.

Oh I should note I also have a AmStaff and they are very prone to yeast and skin issues. My dog gets yeast infections under his nail beds and in his ears. I’ll be ordering Wysong Epigen 90 as soon as my current food he’s on is almost out to try to manage his yeast. It’s unlike any other dry kibble on the market as it is (dry matter basis) 70% protein, 18% fat and 4% carbs! And completely starch free!

Edit– Brothers Complete makes a “hypoallergenic” dog food as well however just like with most of these types of food including Wysong the price tag is hefty.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.

[Karen S]

Susan….thanks for the link! Great site! I haven’t fed her nutrisource dog food for 6 weeks…..they started putting flax seed in it and she is allergic to it. California Natural has flax seed in it except for the lamb and rice one. I am beginning to think she has an intolerance to the lamb so I found a chicken based dog food without flax seed or potato (both allergies and hard to find!). So far, adding it to the cooked chicken and rice is working. I had not thought about a low residue diet so I appreciate your thoughts on this. Would certainly explain why the pumpkin made her worse. Thanks again!

[DogFoodie]

The most top of the line super premium food will be worthless if your dog is intolerant to one or more ingredients it contains.

You need to figure out what’s causing the problem and eliminate it. Keep in mind that dogs can be intolerant of much more than animal protein or grain and that true allergies are extremely rare. For example, my dog is intolerant of fish, flax, rice, barley, wheat, millet, chickpeas, lentils, tomato, garlic, etc…. the list goes on.

You need to start by choosing a very simple food with a protein and a starch that are both novel to your dog. If you’re up for it, you can conduct a true elimination diet, but they require strict discipline.

One food you might consider is California Natural Lamb & Rice, assuming she hasn’t had either lamb or rice previously.

[Kevin W]

Our Dogs:
6 year old Boston
7 month old staffy

My boston has been on taste of the wild all her life (had horrible allergies as a puppy until the switch to taste of the wild)

I’m having a similar situation with our new staffy. She hasn’t had the best time from staph infections from scratching due to some allergy? Had to have part of her leg bone removed due to growth plate bone sealing way to soon. Got fixed a few days ago and just nonstop need for antihistamines and steroids. Poor girl is just not having a good time. She is a ball of energy and VERY loving and strong.

Stool is completely normal consistency, color, and no diarrhea. Had vet test ita few days ago came back clean, had blood work done before fixing, all clear.

However, you all are here like me because we love our dogs so much and want only the best.

We started switching them both to origin adult we made it to about 50/50 (a month of transition) and the allergies still wouldn’t stop. However, the allergies didn’t start until after her leg surgery around 5 months. So we have been completely lost.

What is a high quality on the editors choice list that would best fit a possible allergy to either foods we’ve tried? We have switch to all organic and hypo cleaning products for around the house, cloths, sheets, everything as well.

I just want my baby to no longer be miserable and I refuse to put her on Royal or Hills vet diets that my vet won’t stop shoving down my though.

Thanks for any help, advice, and recommendations.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Kevin W. Reason: added info

[Karen S]

If I didn’t have my chocolate lab on Apoquel for her environmental allergies she wouldn’t have any paws or ears left. That drug has been a Godsend!

However, I can not find a dog food that doesn’t cause her to have soupy poopy! She was on Nutrisource grain free Lamb…but they started putting flax-seed in it and she is allergic to it. Also, potato, and soy. I have tried California Natral lamb and rice, and Vet’s Choice for sensitive stomachs. Both failed. I tried putting pumpkin in her food…no help. She gets pre and probiotics…no help. I am feeding her boiled chicken and rice, but need her to get more nutrition than she is getting and want her to be on the same dog food as my other lab. She also is a poop eater and this has gotten worse since all this problem. I don’t believe she has parasites (stools just tested before I switched food) and I just think it is food related. Any suggestions would be helpful Also, how long do you recommend trying a new food….how long to transition. Maybe I am going to fast?? Thank you.

[Jake B]

Hello all, I by no means am an expert in vet care or dog allergies/sensitivities, but I do have a similar problem going on with a lab of my own. He is a year and a half old and has had what seems to be food sensitivities. I started out by feeding him Blue Buffalo and since then his stool has been loose. I did research on the brand and found it to be not quite as good as they advertise it to be. That being said however if you are a fan then all the power to you and your dog, but I personally was not satisfied. I then spent hundreds of dollars at the vet trying to get his loose stool figured out and they pushed for Science Diet I/D sensitive stomach. While my dog was on that he seemed to be very itchy and get sores on his belly (they weren’t mites because they did a skin sample and found nothing). After getting fed up with the vet trying to push these really expensive foods at me I went to a local food store and really went into depth researching the different types that were recommended. I went with the Merrick Real Lamb and Sweet Potato and since the switch my pups stool has been significantly better. I know you said you have tried Merrick food before but just wanted to give you my insight on what helped because I was in a similar situation as yourself. Cheers

[Jonathan N]

My good chihuahua mix friend has issues with tear stains and i am wondering what exactly is causing this. Im currently feeding him Blue Buffalo Wilderness Senior mixed with wellness core (canned). If anyone know of any good products to tackle this issue i would greatly appreciate it.

[Pitlove]

Hi Mana- There are many people who feel that puppies in general should not eat grain free right off the bat. A lot of really really good LBP foods are not grain free. My boyfriends brother feeds a grain-inclusive food to their Great Dane and he has done extremely well on it. Very lean and muscular and no skeletal problems or allergies.
I highly recommend Fromm Gold LBP. It’s an excellent food and company.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.

[Delilah S]

Hello! I am new to this site. I have looked at ratings, etc. before, but this is my first post.

I have a 4 year old English Bulldog. Jan 2014 she got a UTI. She had since had issues with recurring UTI’s…she had one in Jan, Feb, May, Oct, Nov, Jan & a trace of blood in her follow up Urine Analysis in Feb. She had done different antibiotics, we tried to supplement her with d-mannose, etc. etc. She has had x-rays & ultrasounds…all clear. Urine analysis(es) showed struvite crystals and a pH around 8-8.5. At a loss, our vet recommended Hills c/d in Feb to see if he headed off the infection. Sure enough, it did. She’s been UTI free since Feb.

Her skin has been mess…her face swollen, ears yeasty, she’s never been stinky & she smelled terrible, irritated face folds, the works (& that was on 2 benadryl twice a day). At the last trip to the vet he gave her steroids, but was pretty adamant about not switching her off of the c/d…talking long term allergy management treatment instead.

We sought a second opinion from another well respected, touted to be “more holistic,” vet in our area a few weeks ago. We were feeding Earthborn holistic meadow feast before the c/d and had not tried any other commercial foods. Based on the allergies, the new vet agreed that it was worth trying another food & ran a blood panel to check thyroid which came back ok. She wants to see a UA in 4 weeks on the new food.

After a lot of research we decided to switch her to The Honest Kitchen Keen because it’s supposed to be good for dogs with urinary issues. I have been monitoring her urine pH at home and it was a 6 when starting the transition from c/d. After one week it remained a 6. I checked it today and it was a 7. Today was the first day she was fully on the Honest Kitchen food.

I know 7 is still considered neutral. But, I am SO anxious now!! I was SO hopeful this would work for us to balance the allergies and urinary issues both. Our vet said 6-8 weeks on the new food to see what would happen with the allergies, but I could tell a big difference after about a week. She’s still not perfect, but there is a definite improvement in her looks & smell and I can’t tell that she’s feeling better.

I guess….are we on the right track?? Does anyone know of anything supplement wise I should talk to our vet about? She is currently on an omega 3 and probiotic as well (both of those are new within the last 3-4 weeks. Any other ideas or suggestions? I am going to keep an eye on it at home every few days vs. once a week and see if it continues to climb.

Thanks!

[Shawna]

Red, environmental allergies definitely are much more common than food “allergies” but not necessarily more common than food intolerances or sensitivities. I have had over 30 dogs in my house and only one had an environmental allergy while MANY had food sensitivities and intolerances. In fact, four of the six currently in my home have a food sensitivity.

Edit — all of those symptoms you site can also been seen with food sensitivities and intolerances. In addition to those, they know that sensitivities and intolerances to a protein called a lectin can actually cause auto immune diseases as well. I had a food sensitivity that went undiagnosed for over 20 years until I found the right doctor – She is an MD and a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and treats holistically and with alternatives. My symptoms were as diverse as white matter brain lesions, temporary but complete vision loss, itching scalp (to the point I would make it bleed while sleeping), arthritic type pains, malnutrition due to villous atrophy (which led to iodine deficiency hypothyroid, b12 anemia and iron anemia as well as all the symptoms associated with those, and other, deficiencies). DON’T underestimate a food sensitivity or intolerance.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Shawna.

[Anonymous]

What you describe sounds like environmental allergies which are more common than food allergies/intolerances. Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane, they get worse as the dog gets older.
I had excellent results after taking my dog to a dermatologist/specialist for skin testing. If the dog is really uncomfortable you may want to start there. I wasted a lot of time going back and forth to the regular vet, trying all kinds of different diets etc
Frequent bathing with Malaseb or GNC Antifungal shampoo for dogs does seem to help in conjunction with other treatments. Nutrisca salmon and chickpea kibble agrees with her the best.
If you go to the home/forums page here and use the search engine to look up allergies, you will find a ton of posts regarding pet owners going through the same thing.

Helpful article below:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Alex Z]

Hey guys,

First, thanks in advance for any help.

My wife and I have been struggling to find a good food for our 3 year old lab. He has always been very sensitive to different foods, but in the past two years his allergies (itchy paws, runny eyes, ear infections, anal glands) really seemed to have gotten worse so we’ve tried several different food trials to attempt to find a food that worked for him.

We’ve already tried the following foods with no luck:
Blue Buffalo Basics Turkey & Potato
Merrick Whitefish
Wellness Core Whitefish
Zignature Duck
Wellness Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato

Granted, with a few of these he got significantly worse and we did not finish a full 3-6 month trial, generally quitting after the first bag so I am not opposed to revisiting any food above as we did not know how to properly run a food trial at the time. He is an 85lbs lab, but has maintained a very healthy weight through all of this (he’s very tall).

He has been on the Wellness Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato for about 3-4 months now, supplemented with probiotics and pure pumpkin as his stool was VERY loose.

I just had him in for a checkup at our vet, and they recommended trying out Hill’s Prescription Diet d/d Duck & Potato, or Royal Canin’s Veterinary Vegetarian diet. I am a little hesitant to go with either of these diets, cost set aside. Are there any other food’s you would recommend trying first? Or do you guys think one of the prescription diet is needed?

Again, any help is greatly appreciated!

[Pitlove]

Hi Smokey Dog- Couple questions for you…is this a young puppy we are talking about? Or an older dog or what? I got my dog at 12 weeks and when we brought him home he ended up getting a staph infection that looked similar to what you are describing. Took him to the vet and got meds and it cleared it up and have yet to have another issue. He does have skin issues however. Also my vet told me that it is very atypical for a dog under 1 year of age to exibit symptoms of allergies, however were I live (Louisiana) it is common because of the climate. Do you live in the south?

As others said the loose stool could be stress from the change in environment. I think that changing from Blue to something better would be good, but wait until he’s had more time to settle into his new home.

[Anonymous]

You didn’t mention how old your dog is? What you describe sounds like environmental allergies which are more common than food allergies/intolerances. Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane, they get worse as the dog gets older.
I had excellent results after taking my dog to a dermatologist/specialist for skin testing. If the dog is really uncomfortable you may want to start there. I wasted a lot of time going back and forth to the regular vet, trying all kinds of different diets etc, frequent bathing with Malaseb or GNC Antifungal shampoo for dogs does seem to help in conjunction with other treatments.
If you go to the home/forums page here and use the search engine to look up allergies, you will find a ton of posts regarding pet owners going through the same thing.

Helpful article below:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Anonymous]

I suppose it depends on what vet that you ask, the specialist that sees my dog for allergies said not to give the liquid Benadryl, he said to use the tablet form. I see that liquid Zantac contains sorbitol. It’s probably a small amount, but I would prefer to avoid it.

Each 1 mL of Ranitidine Oral Solution, USP contains 16.8 mg of ranitidine HCl, USP equivalent to 15 mg of ranitidine. Ranitidine Oral Solution, USP also contains the inactive ingredients butylparaben, dibasic sodium phosphate, hypromellose, monobasic sodium phosphate, natural peppermint extract, propylene glycol, propylparaben, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium chloride, and sorbitol solution.

PS: Another thing, often liquid medications contain alcohol. There is actually a tiny amount of sorbitol in the dog toothpaste we use……
Too much can have a laxative effect, that much I know.

[Anonymous]

They are all pesticides, so I use the minimum amount to be effective. Sentinel every 6 weeks for heartworm, spring through first frost, annual testing. Advantix II monthly, late spring through fall. The ticks are moderate here in NE, haven’t seen any fleas in decades. I also avoid woods and tall grass, I lost a dog to Lyme years ago, it wasn’t pretty.

It depends on the area you are in, regarding how aggressive you need to be, that being said, I am leary of the oral pesticides…..
I would defer to your vet.

BTW: Allergy testing done by a dermatologist/specialist is not inaccurate. My dog with environmental allergies is doing very well.

[zcRiley]

Too much protein or “too rich” is a myth. Completely not proven. The body flushes out what it doesn’t need. Ingredient allergies or diarrhea are the most common causes of changing diets. I wouldn’t want to know what that vet WOULD recommend as a good food, since he’s not a certified canine nutritionist.

[Pitlove]

Dog Foodie and Aimee thank you for your input.

Aimee- I have seen Vet’s like Dr. Becker say that carbs because they break down into sugar is what the yeast feeds off of. I’ve heard other people say that and then I’m hearing people say no it’s not that. There is so much information out there that contridicts one another that I’m finding myself stressed and confused.

Dog Foodie- I got what you were saying haha. As I said, I really disagree with my current vet that it is food related, but I am willing to try a food like Wysong to see if it makes a difference. I also think that I slacked on cleaning his ears regularly and that also contributed to the yeast build up. My current vet was saying that in her experience dogs do not start showing symptoms of allergies until 1 year of age, but down in LA she is finding they are showing them sooner because of the climate.

We are using Gain and Borox to clean his bedding. I started with the Borox because we had fleas. Those are just about gone, but they torn him up so bad he had scabs and is now missing hair in the spots that the scabs are falling off and his skin is flaky in those areas. I have an anti-funal shampoo from the vet that we have been bathing him in. When we were doing foot soaks for his yeasty feet it cleared it up very fast, but she said he has some yeast build up under his nail beds again, so we are going to re-start the foot soaks.

As for the raw, my boyfriend can be a stubborn jerk. He said to me “if you’re not going to cook for me, you’re not cooking for the dog”. Not that it would be cooking anyway more like thawing lol. Also I have yet to price it out and determine whether I would be paying more or less than what I’m currently spending on food. I am the one who feeds both him and the cat soley. He eats kibble and canned right now and the cat eats all canned. I do have some THK for him, but it’s grain-inclusive and he wasn’t super into it. He ate it, but he would walk away and come back which isn’t normal for him now.

I plan to give the Wysong a try and see if there is improvement by the time the food is gone. If not then I know it’s not the food. I’m also going to be a lot more aware of cleaning his ears and keeping up on it and soaking his feet. The yeast is not all over his body thankfully. It’s his nail beds and ears.

[DogFoodie]

Wysong Epigen is good product, Pitlove. It’s worth a try, but it also quite possibly not food related.

That said, I have a Golden whose seasonal allergies became very apparent to me this spring. He was eating a particular food that he’s always done great on when seemingly out of nowhere, he had yeast infections in both ears. He does have food intolerance issues also, and in the past, when he’s reacted to foods, he’s had the same type of reaction which resulted in yeast infections in his ears – usually his right ear. But, this year, I was able to relate the timing of the onset of his symptoms to seasonal environmental changes. Looking back, it happened the same time last year. I was starting him on Springtime’s Bug Off Garlic and I attributed his ear infections to him reacting to that. I’m still not certain whether or not he’s intolerant of garlic.

One thing I did that seemed to help was to add Quercetin with Bromelain, Papain and an Omega 3 supplement to help the scratching. I could tell a difference. My dogs allergies have improved as the particular pollen season that seemed to affect him the most has decreased a bit. We’re still not in the clear, but I’m formulating my strategy for next spring.

Another thing you might consider doing is preparing a rinse of diluted white vinegar. Use it to clean his feet and wipe off his legs and belt with it every time he comes in from outside. Vacuum frequently. Keep indoor cleaning products simple and natural. The sensitivity could also be to products in your home; ie: cleaning products, new carpet, bedding, etc.

A raw diet would be great, but it’s OK if you’re able to do it currently. Since you’re interested, talk to your boyfriend and find out why he feels uneasy about it. Would he be feeding your pup at times? Maybe you could assume sole responsibility of feeding him if your boyfriend is uneasy about it. Also, half raw is better than none. Maybe you could try a commercial raw – that’s sometimes easier to stomach for queasy feeders. It’s also agreat way to be sure you’re getting balanced meals. A dehydrated food like The Honest Kitchen would also be less processed than kibble. I’d probably choose a grain free one like Zeal. Raw isn’t for everyone. My Golden isn’t a fan of raw, unless it’s tripe, which he eats eagerly. Another option would be canned food.

Allergy testing is notoriously inaccurate. I actually had a hair and saliva test recently that tests samples using biofeedback energy. The test was affordable for me, but I’m struggling to make sense of the results. My integrative vet and I were discussing another test, Dr. Jean Dodds, NutriScan test as likely being the most reliable, but still limited in scope and possibly accuracy. So, you’re better off with an elimination diet for food intolerance issues and developing a strategy for dealing with your pup’s environmental sensitivities.

There was someone here who was feeling with an issue with a food the same breed as yours and she ended up figuring out that it was a specific new detergent she was using. She stooped using the detergent and the symptoms disappeared. She had started using Gain lavender. She and her pup went through h*ll until she figured it out.

I know how frustrating it can be. There’s an awful lot of us here dealing with similar issues. You’re not alone! Good luck!

[Susan]

Hi Pitlove, your vet is on the right track about the potatoes high starch diet, but she hasn’t explain it properly, I would try a hypoallergenic limited ingredient kibble without potatoes, peas, lentils, sweet potatoes etc cause what she has been eating has caused the yeasty paws, also Malaseb medicated shampoo is excellent for this.. bathed every 5-7 days, I was putting the Malaseb just on Patches paws in a empty bath & leaving it on for 5mins then rinsing off the Malaseb kills the bacteria & really helped..
here’s a link to Karen Helton Rhodes face book group called “Canine Skin Solutions group” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1563654607200747/
here is the link explaining overgrowth Malassezia from food allergies (CARF) read #4, it will explain things more..
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/6/21/why-does-my-dog-stink-7-facts-about-dog-odor-you-need-to-know
I found as soon as I put Patch on a raw elimination diet, the red paws, smelly feet, went away…this is the diet Patch was put on you need to scroll down & click on Skin Allergy diet & just pick 1 protein 2-3-veggies & 1-2- fruits, I picked broccoli, celery, carrot & apple all peeled then cut up then put thru a mini processer ..1 cup of meat & 2 spoons of the blended veggie/fruit mix.. I had to add digestive enzyme, probiotic & digestaVite Plus to balance the diet but the Naturopath said he would be Ok without the DigestaVite Plus for 1-2 months while we were doing the elimination raw diet, I wasn’t adding no organ meat yet or no bone cause of his IBD.. with yeast you need to feed green veggies, broccoli, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Celery etc & stay away from the starchy veggies if you decide to feed a raw diet … http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/natural-diet.html

[Pitlove]

I recently brought my almost 1 year and 2 month old pitbull to the vet for what I thought was a yeast infection in his ears. He has been to this new vet 2 times prior and a different vet found a yeast infection so bad under his nails that she thought it was demodex. The old vet who has now since moved out of state to another practice, told me she felt he had a pollen/grass allergy and made no mention of a food intolerance/allergy. His allergy symptoms definitely seem to go down in the “winter time” (I live in Louisiana so we don’t really have real winters) and get worse when it starts getting to be summer. Some of you know that I do feed a rotational diet and I have not seen an improvement in his itchyness when I change foods. Only when the weather changes to cool months. The last few foods he was on that he did well on were Orijen, EVO and Fromm.

This last vet visit after she told me he had yeast in his ears, I mentioned to her that I was planning to try to get him off kibbles with high starch carbs like potatoes. She preceeded to tell me that potatoes were really good for dogs after just telling me he had yeast…I didn’t question her outloud, but that makes ZERO sense to me.

So now I’m torn. She thinks he has both seasonal and food allergies. I think he just has seasonal. I wanted to try him on California Natural Lamb and Rice since it’s just 4 ingredients and no peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes or lentils. Now I just don’t know what to do though. Do I try that food and follow what she told me to do about starting an elimination diet? Or do I go back to feeding 3-5 foods that he does well on like Fromm?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Christie]

She vomited 6 times within the course of about 45 minutes or so– then was set for the rest of the night. She drank some water this morning (not too much) and nibbled on a bit of her regular dry food. And she was playful and rolling around with my other dog outside this morning.

I only put about 20% of the new food in her dish last night. But it must have upset her stomach because I noticed some grass in the vomit. And she was whiny and attention seeking earlier in the night before she became sick.

I know that transitioning can sometimes be a difficult process, and some dogs go through it with no issue and some dogs don’t tolerate any change well.

I’m not going to give up on transitioning, but I might put it on hold until after the weekend as I am going to be puppy sitting and I really don’t want to worry about possible vomit on top of worrying about my 110 pound giant eating this 10 pound pup.

I hope she’s not allergic or intolerant of any of the WEF ingredients. I did notice that she was rubbing her face and pawing at her ears last night. And I did check this morning and her ears, while a bit dirty inside (my dogs love play fighting on the one area of my backyard that’s all topsoil), they weren’t red or inflamed or anything suggesting sickness. And she was trying (unsuccessfully) to bite at her tail. All symptoms that I read this morning of possible food allergies. I thought the Turkey and Duck recipe was the safest bet.

I have been transitioning both dogs from free eating dry kibble with a canned treat each night to two meals/day. And I did only start to mix the canned with the dry kibble and both dogs finished their meals rather quickly. Definitely a change over how they normally eat. So maybe it’s a combo of the food itself and how quickly they eat it.

Hopefully it was just a one off and she’ll transition to WEF without any other issues.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Christie]

She vomited 6 times within the course of about 45 minutes or so– then was set for the rest of the night. She drank some water this morning (not too much) and nibbled on a bit of her regular dry food. And she was playful and rolling around with my other dog outside this morning.

I only put about 20% of the new food in her dish last night. But it must have upset her stomach because I noticed some grass in the vomit. And she was whiny and attention seeking earlier in the night before she became sick.

I know that transitioning can sometimes be a difficult process, and some dogs go through it with no issue and some dogs don’t tolerate any change well.

I’m not going to give up on transitioning, but I might put it on hold until after the weekend as I am going to be puppy sitting and I really don’t want to worry about possible vomit on top of worrying about my 110 pound giant eating this 10 pound pup.

I hope she’s not allergic or intolerant of any of the WEF ingredients. I did notice that she was rubbing her face and pawing at her ears last night. And I did check this morning and her ears, while a bit dirty inside (my dogs love play fighting on the one area of my backyard that’s all topsoil), they weren’t red or inflamed or anything suggesting sickness. And she was trying (unsuccessfully) to bite at her tail. All symptoms that I read this morning of possible food allergies. I thought the Turkey and Duck recipe was the safest bet.

I have been transitioning both dogs from free eating dry kibble with a canned treat each night to two meals/day. And I did only start to mix the canned with the dry kibble and both dogs finished their meals rather quickly. Definitely a chance over how they normally eat. So maybe it’s a combo of the food itself and how quickly they eat it.

Hopefully it was just a one off and she’ll transition to WEF without any other issues.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Pitlove]

M M- I’m very glad to hear that your dog is doing well on a vegan diet. It is first and foremost important that dogs are healthy whether they are eating meat or not. I am not a supporter of vegan dog diets and as an aside I feel it should be considered animal cruelty to do feed them to a cat as they can become critically/fatally ill, however, your dog is clearly an extreme case.

Do you know if she is allergic to Rabbit or Kangaroo? You can feed those raw as well and for a dog with such extreme allergies you probably have already found out that raw is usually best. Hare Today also makes Cavie grinds (guinea pig). That could be another novel protein to look into. However, the grinds from Hare Today are not complete and balanced and would require you to make them such (your vet could probably help you).

As I said though, it is great that you have found something that is working for your dog. As long as she continues to remain thriving and healthy for her yearly check-ups and allergy and yeast free then more power to you both!

[M M]

She is allergic to beef, chicken, turkey, venison, lamb, fish + milk per the allergy testing. The only one of these we hadn’t previously tried in food was chicken because the original vet said chicken is the most common allergy. She just loved yogurt as a topper but it gave her diarrhea which took more than a month to resolve. But thankfully she loves her bean and broccoli topper just as much!

The allergy test didn’t specifically check salmon (just “fish”) but our experience before the allergy testing was red face, red watery eyes, and wet sneezes immediately after eating. We didn’t know that wasn’t normal for her until we saw the difference with the V-dog.

She had been off all meat for a long while and was doing very well before allergy testing so the allergies are likely true allergies, not just markers of an overactive immune system. I don’t know why the pea and bean protein seem to be just fine for her.

Thank goodness she has done well on the V-dog as she was downright miserable before and it was so hard to watch her and be unable to provide any comfort as meds and topical preparations were no help. We also love that she no longer stinks to high heaven a day after her bath and doesn’t need daily ear flushes to keep yeast in check.

[sharon b]

Thanks Cheryl, I did hear back from the vet. He got a sample of the “snot” and tested positive for 3 bacteria, I am not sure which exactly. I am a pharmacist, so I know med’s, based on them, He has been on Augmentin and Metronidazole for a month now, they must have been some gram positive staph type, and possibly an anerobic maybe? He is being switched to cephalexin now, another broad spectrum. The infection is mostly in his nose/sinus’s, but he is congested in the throat too. Lungs are clear as of last exam and no sign’s of difficult breathing. Vet didn’t seem to think it was allergies, said he was too young, although my boyfriend thought that comment was in regards to me saying I was going to switch to a raw diet. Seems sometimes they need to be educated, especially when they don’t see a particular breed often. As far as the vomiting, it is hours later, and the other dog is outside much of the day (old habits). Curious on why no turkey necks? are they bigger? I am not sure if my freezer is going to be big enough for this, and my home is small and not enough room for an additional freezer unless I get the porch I am hoping for added on. I would just look for one on Craig’s list and put it on the deck put have heard the winter weather if on or off ruins them. Obviously if below freezing wouldn’t need to run it. I will do small batches of food for the time being.
My guy is pretty good with his paws, he eats bully sticks and hangs on to them, and we have given them both beef bones before, mostly rib from pet stores, not raw.

[M M]

We have been using V-Dog for 10 months with amazing results in our hyper-allergic English bulldog. Only after switching to V-dog did we learn through allergy testing that she is allergic to milk and every kind of meat (tho’ we suspected at least some meats were an issue as we tried ~6 types). To the person who has never heard of a dog being allergic to meat, you’re welcome to call our vet and discuss our dog’s case. It happens. A week after we adopted her, her previous owner commented that she has “allergies” but he didn’t specify details and we had never heard of meat allergies. I had to buy a cone collar to keep her from scratching herself raw.

The first vet we saw recommended a novel protein diet so we proceeded to try salmon then various rare protein and grain/potato-free options. I didn’t notice any changes in her intense whole-body itching, skin yeast and bacterial infections, and ear infections, so I figured we had not given it enough time to show benefit as I was told it takes 3 months after switching foods to notice a change.

We switched to the V-dog a week after our pup had a severe allergic reaction with facial and airway swelling, wheezing, and hives that failed to resolve with 2 steroid injections and oral prednisolone. She gobbled up the V-dog and begged for more, which was a huge change from me having to lace the other foods we’d tried with peanut butter or moist food (which she often would just lick off and leave the kibble behind).

Within a few days of switching to V-dog we noticed a dramatic reduction in the itchy-scratchies, yeasty body smell, yeasty ears, red face after eating, and watery eyes after eating. Her hives resolved and thanks to her improved smell I was able to wait 2+ weeks between baths (vs 3x/week with medicated shampoo as previously directed by our vet). Her hives totally resolved. The bald spots in her coat filled in and now her coat is thick and shiny.

A while after switching to V-dog, I tried giving her a fresh raw meat knuckle bone which she gnawed at for 2 minutes then promptly threw up and then refused to touch it. I thought maybe she didn’t like the raw aspect, so I cooked meat and made homemade broth from bones, at which point her allergies dramatically worsened. Stopped the meat, allergies gone.

The V-dog is expensive, but we happily pay for it as our dog is now healthy and happy. She was so miserable before. When we go to the vet for routine care she and her staff all say how nice it is to see a healthy bulldog. We also supplement with coarsely ground home-cooked beans and veggies (especially kale and broccoli), which she devours. We give her plain organic PB mixed with freshly ground flaxseed for treats. For training treats we just use the V-dog kibbles since she loves them so much. She also loves and begs for raw carrot sticks and fruits like thin apple slices, mashed cherries/berries, watermelon, and banana (tho’ we heavily limit fruit to small amounts due to high sugar content and also give watermelon from near the rind to limit sugar).

I would like to find a home-cooked food option in case there is a time when we can’t get the V-dog (and also it seems that baked kibble is not really an ideal food, despite how well she does with it compared to other kibble and moist foods), but for now I am very happy to support the company. The vet told us that we should stick with V-dog as it is working so well for us.

Of note, our dog also has environmental allergies, but as long as we vacuum to keep dust/pollen at a minimum she does fine. I do limit her time outdoors during the worst of the pollen season. But even if her allergies flare from pollen they are nothing like what they were before the V-dog switch.

[Cheryl F]

Hi Sharon,

You said for the 2nd day your Newf pup has thrown up. Is it immediately after he finishes eating, or some time later (say 1 hour post feeding). If it’s immediately – thats regurgitation and oftentimes dogs on RAW will do that and then re-eat the food. Nothing to be worried about unless its an every day occurrence for a ‘period’ of time. Hardest part is to keep the other dogs from “clean up on aisle 12” participation! You also mentioned a couple other things – but didn’t fully qualify them. He came back positive for 3 bacterias….what bacterias. What is the infection he was diagnosed with and what is he being treated with? Not that that has any bearing on the BARF diet, but I’m curious. I would advise you to call your local butchers/food stores and ask them what they have in the back that they haven’t put out yet, ground up etc…. If you get on their good side and ask them for help in the processing of your meat requests, they may do the chopping for you. i dont recommend feeding your dogs ground up food all the time. The chewing action is what they need to clean teeth, expend energy (in the case of your newf pup – chewing a good big knuckle bone for an hour or so will tire him out and give you a break). Plus it’s good for the dogs to learn how to ‘hold’ the bones properly in their paws so they can get at the good stuff. It’s quite amazing to watch them learn what they need to do. I wont forget the day that my one puppy learned how to use his paws as tools and then his raw meaty bone handling skills went over the top for him. 🙂 You can feed large dogs full chicken necks without worrying about having to cut them up. I only cut up now because I have ‘smaller’ dogs than i used to. NEVER feed a turkey neck without it being cut up. I have had to fish my hand into my Saints mouths in the past to retrieve a full neck that was getting stuck because i didn’t cut it up….so word of caution on that.

Sounds like you have done a ton of research on this topic and while the whole process of feeding raw is foreign to some and maybe a little scarey or cost prohibitive up front – it’s far better for them, costs less $ in the long run due to smaller portions, less vet bills, less $ for meds due to allergies, etc…

Id love to hear back from you on what the specific issues are with your newf pup by the way. Have a great day.

Cheryl

[sharon b]

This is all very helpful. I am still overwhelmed when I look at the way it is sold. I know I want the chicken necks for their teeth, and all different sources of meat. It seems one post seemed to suggest that possibly chicken might be the reason for her particular dogs allergies. My puppy has had this sinus infection for what seems like forever and the antibiotics are not making it better. They have been getting a taste of raw in their food, and love it, now won’t eat it without. I just am not sure how much to give them in comparison to kibble, especially the puppy, who eats sometimes up to 4 to 5 cups twice daily. Other days not as much. My vet said, just let him eat for about 15 minutes, but
he tends to eat till he is full, and we then pick it up, not letting him pick all day. I went to Darwin’s and it calculates based on dog’s weight, but I can’t use that for him, he eats more at this stage. Cost is also a factor, especially shipping, so was looking into perfectly raw. Does anyone have experience with them? How do most people order for their larger dogs? I don’t have a giant freezer.

[Terrina L]

Thats great news Heather! Im so glad things are going well. My dog Sushi has been on the supplement for about two months now. Our margins we not clean, hence the chemo. I did a lot of research on Japanese mushrooms (Maitake DMG). There are a few companies that make this but I choose Vetri Science since I found more positive reviews on this. I cant for sure say that this is working but it cant hurt. I found it least expensive on Amazon. Ive also give her apple cider vinegar (unfiltered, organic, with mother) and coconut oil (organic and cold pressed). They both help with itchy skin and allergies.

Here is the web site for the Maitake DMG http://www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=9002204120
You can download a PDF file that will give you the information on the supplement.

[Jen r]

Hi Everyone, I have a 4 and 1/2 year old Boxer (Rex) who started doing this 3 months ago and even after meds would not stop. It would be about a 3 hour panic of licking and swallowing and I took him to the vet and they thought it was just an upset stomach. He was given an injection of Cerenia (the best nausea medicine made for dogs) but he episode was pretty much done by the time we got to the vet. We decided to do an endoscopy right away and found he had pretty severe inflammation of his duodenum which is the first part of the intestines right below the stomach. The GI guy was surprised with the presentation of him gulping with this inflammation being lower down in the GI Tract. He thought there would be severe esophageal disease but it was clear. We also did allergy testing to see if food was causing this. He had some bad milk and some meat allergies so he was put on prescription food called “Z/D” which is hydrolyzed food meaning that it doesn’t need to be broken down much so it is great for allergies. This is very pricey stuff. (thank god we have insurance on this boy!) He was also put on a GI steroid called budesonide to decrease the duodenum inflammation. He went through multiple blood tests checking for pancreatitis which was ruled out. He did ok for about 2 months. He had one time when he started to lick and I immediately gave him a Pepcid and it stopped. Then after the 2 month time he started up with the episodes to the 10th degree. He would panic and they would last longer and longer. I am a pharmacist so I spoke with my vet about what meds to give when these happened and we tried a concoction of things and nothing seemed to help much. They make a cerenia in tablet form so I thought once I had that then life would be great but even that didn’t work. Each time it happens I would give the cerenia, a simethicone (gas x), and Pepcid. In 2 hours it didn’t do anything, (if this was normal nausea these things would definitely work, this is why we know it is not stomach related). We ended up going to an internal medicine specialist and she did ultrasounds and said everything looked normal but also gave me a barium liquid to completely coat his stomach. She told me that she had another boxer in the same boat as us and she thinks it is something called Limbic Seizures. I guess they are a seizure that isn’t your typical thing. There is no loss of consciousness or shaking so no one would ever think of it. It occurs in the Limbic area of the brain which controls emotions and other things. If it happens it causes a spasming of the salavatory glands and this is causing them to lick their lips to swallow it back down. When doing this they suck air in too and if they throw up, it is usually very foamy in appearance. At the time when he got this we found out he had a bad UTI at the time so we waited until the urinary infection was gone thinking that maybe this was kicked up from the infection he was fighting. The specialist wanted to start the seizure meds right away but I wanted to make sure we ruled out other things first since some of the meds for seizures can cause more damage and need to always do follow up lab work for liver damage and other things. She said it was ok to wait but she didn’t think it would get better. The infection has been cleared for 2 weeks now. We also added lansoprazole (prevacid) to his daily meds and three times a day metoclopramide (an pro-motility med to keep his belly going well). We had 9 good days so we were hoping it was working and then had a bad episode but the barium seemed to help after about an hour of giving it. Then he had 4 good days and then yesterday had it start at 12pm to 2:30 again giving the cerenia, simethicone and Pepcid first, waiting an hour and then giving the barium. Barium coats everything so you can’t give meds after as they won’t be absorbed. It stopped at 2:30 but at 4:30 had a 20 minute bout that stopped on its own and then again from 6:45 to 1am. I am exhausted from this and feel so bad for him has he is in such a panic and I feel I can’t help him anymore. So we know it isn’t food things since he is on that diet to rule out any of the food issues. if it were just upset stomach the cerenia would work like a charm but doesn’t at all! So today I am trying to get a hold of the specialist and tell her she was right that we need to start the seizure meds. I should have listened earlier but with the other infection going on I didn’t want to put him on something that could hurt him without knowing. Now that is the next step. I think people don’t ever think Seizures as it doesn’t look like it but with reading all these forums with people having no other answers it seems like this is more common than I thought and people aren’t getting the right diagnosis’s from their vets as the vets don’t even see the 2 correlating. I will keep you posted as time goes on and if the meds cure him…..if so it would be a miracle!!!! Thanks for listening!

[Bonnie R]

Don’t know that I have much to offer except that I would avoid Canidea due to the fact that it’s under the Diamond Umbrella. Most of the serious recalls & scares have been due to Diamond products; I avoid them at all costs, it may not be fair but I’m not taking any chances with my dogs. I have a Vizsla & a Weimaraner. I spent a lot of time & money making sure they came from good breeders; it would be devastating to loose one over something like poor food; of course that would be for any dog owner! Our dogs are so very special to us.

I’ve heard good things about holistic select, especially if you don’t have a pup with a lot of allergies. Have many friends that use this food; I personally use Fromm with excellent results, but I understand that’s not an option to you.

I was taught & reinforced by several vets to keep my boys on puppy kibble until close to 12 months; they really need the added nutrition, but again that’s personal choice.

Interesting about the green tea extract? Why would dog food companies add that to their food if its a questionable ingredient? That really makes absolutely no sense. I’ll have to research that further.

Good luck! Goldens are some of the best dogs ever!

[DogFoodie]

Sounds like it could definitely be environmental allergies. It wouldn’t hurt to start a diluted vinegar rinse and clean his feet each time he comes in from outside.

How old is your pup? What’s he eating and how long has he been eating it?

[Anonymous]

From the symptoms you have described it sounds like your dog has environmental allergies, if it was my dog would make an appointment with a specialist/dermatologist and get the skin testing done asap. It helps to feed a high quality limited ingredient food, my dog does well on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea….but until she started ASIT, nothing helped and it kept getting worse. Use the search engine on the home page, Forums, on this site to look up allergies, I think you will find some helpful information. /forums/search/allergies/

Helpful article below:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Kym G]

I’m not sure if this is where I should ask this or even if you can help me. I’m really confused. March of 2014 I took my seven year old MinPin to her vet for skin problems. It started out as a rash on her underbelly. Then she started getting little scabs on her body and if you scratched them off, it would take off a patch of fur. The vet gave us some antibiotics and a shampoo. The symptoms improved but came back. Once again the vet gave her antibiotics, antihistamine, vitamin e tablets for her food and said continue the shampoo. The results were great but once the antihistamine was gone she started getting rough patches on the base of her tail. It is now all over her tail and anal area. It looks scabby and black. She also has scabs on her chin and she keeps licking her paws. I also noticed that her eyes looked cloudy and red. When I took her in they said she had protein in her urine and charged me $300 for two urine tests. The results came back as to much protein in her urine. The doctor wants me to put her on some medication that she said she may have to be on the rest of her life as well as eye medications she also said she would need the remainder of her life.

I’m so sad for my baby girl (Heidi) and frustrated that she still has skin problems and now the doctor, who didn’t get rid of the skin problems, now says she needs this other medication for other problems.

I had tried several dog foods and was feeding her Instinct (Salmon) to try and rule out anything that might cause an allergy. I found out that Instinct is very high in protein. Couldn’t this lead to the protein in her urine? Maybe she doesn’t need the medication. I told the doctor about the food but she dismissed it. It still seems like a possibility to me. I really would hate for her to be on a medication if she really didn’t need it.

Now I’m back to searching for a new food that is not to high in protein but could possibly help her as well. I have a four year old MinPin too so I have to consider her diet as well. I’m at a loss and completely frustrated. Heidi is uncomfortable and I have to figure out how to help her. By trying to change her eating habits and not getting good results, I had figured the skin problems may be due to airborne allergies. Could I be wrong? Could it still be her diet?

[Pitlove]

I use antlers as well for my pit and I haven’t had any issues, however as far as I know my pit doesnt have any allergies. Trying to keep it that way by changing proteins a lot. I also use freeze dried raw treats with one ingredient in them. Maybe that could be something to look into for a nice healthy treat for her.

[Samantha F]

Hi- just found this board while looking for something to help with my 5 yr old Bella who is a blue brindle full APBT. First, we know she has chicken allergies. The first year we had her we battled with bumps. She was on and off antibiotics because the vet thought that was what would help since nothing else they tested her for showed up. She would have bumps, runny/mucousy stool, gas and an always rumbling tummy. After a lot of reading I decided to cut chicken out of her diet as I read that it was a fairly common food allergen. I changed her food to Orijen 6 Fish (we tried Orijen Regional Red and that affected her also) and I also started her on probiotic/digestive enzymes because of being on antibiotics so much. She was completely normal within 1-2 weeks. We rarely have issues unless she gets a treat with chicken meal or something. I am very careful what we or any visitors feed her. I check all treats that I buy for any kind of chicken products. I recently gave her a Bully stick and a different type of dry cookie. I’m not sure if it’s one of those or something else, but my poor baby has tons of hive looking bumps on her head, ears, underarms, etc. (one of her worst reactions yet). She rarely gets itchy when she gets them, but it looks horrible and Benadryl doesn’t seem to be helping. The only other thing we’ve added to her food is Answers Raw Goats milk, but she has been getting that for about 2+ months – so I doubt it’s that. Any ideas on how to bring down these hives would be greatly appreciated. 🙂

[Pitlove]

Hi Haley-

I have fed Fromm and I like Wellness. I too prefer their CORE line. Only problem with Wellness is their recent addition of Green Tea Extract which has been known to cause liver toxicity in dogs.

I do a rotational diet as well along with canned foods. It allows me to feed a variety of foods and its helped my dog become interested in food again. I would feed all three if I were you. Get medium size bags and then switch with the next bag or use a variety of proteins within one line. Fromm has a variety of lines to choose from as well.

Feeding a rotational diet aids in maintaining a healthy stomach, avoiding allergies to one specific protein or carb source, gives your dog variety, helps keep him interested in food and prevents the adverse effects of feeding one food for too many years. Its also really fun to pick out what food your dog is going to eat next!

I used to get very hung up on having to feed only grain free, but now since he doesnt eat grain inclusive foods for long enough for them to have any bad reactions (grains can be inflammatory for some dogs) I can feed a wider variety of foods.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Ronda G]

I have an English Bulldog who has had struvite crystals in the past, she was on hills rx food for a while but I did not like the ingredients, also she has allergies. I use Solid Gold Berry Balance added to a Quality ingredient food now and that has been working except for the allergies. Just switched her to Natural Balance Legume & Duck, because it did not contain potato. her allergies have cleared some but her ph levels are high, I check them regular because of her history. If anybody has any recommendations on a low protein, low phosphorus food possibly grain free and poultry free that would be great, there are to many food to choose from. Just wondering if anybody else has had these issues.

[Jo R]

To Fly T
My 17 year old Bull Terrier has had severe grass allergies her entire life. Did everything, foot soaks, medications, etc. She also is prone to pancreatitis and has had digestive issues. I began giving her Kerfir this spring and so far, no allergy symptoms. Her feet are perfectly normal. Research leaky gut syndrome, at least in my Lucy’s case, I believe this was the basis of her problems and the probiotics in Kerfir have so far eliminated them. I also cook for her and have done so since the 2007 dog food disaster. Hope this helps you.

[Jack B]

The Vet suggested Royal Canin Allegenic Hydrolized Chicken Diet and that did nothing but make him strain more to go. The Vet doesn’t seem to know what to do with him. What exactly is an “elimination diet”? We actually went to a Vet clinic that specialized in Allergies. We are not “letting this go”…we are trying different things but you have to give each diet change at least a month to see what’s happening.

Just to add to my first post, the allergy/saliva test showed sensitivities to whitefish, turkey, soy and wheat. The rabbit food we were giving him was Natural Instinct Limited Ingredients Rabbit Formula. Recently we tried taking him off his normal dry food and feeding him canned chicken, with some plain yogurt, canned pumpkin and rice. We were hoping this would firm up his stool, but it’s not working too good. Should we keep him on this chicken, rice, pumkin, yogurt mix for a while?

[Anita S]

My dog Kia is exercised two/three times a day ( running for ball) but has flakes throughout her coat. There are time when she is continuously biting, scratching, gnawing herself. Ending up with several hot spots. Mostly on her back hip area. I’ve tried vet recommendation of Prescription Hill diet for nearly two months ( very expensive), but she still kept up with the scratching, gnawing, and hot spots still developed. I do give her one tablet of Mega Red for the Omega benefit at least every other day. Seems to help some, but the scratching, gnawing, biting still happening and hot spots are still present. When one heals, there is another somewhere else on her body. Not sure if its her food ( Blue wild grain free both dry and can) or allergies from something else or maybe anxiety( but from what? She is a well adjusted female dog who is loved) Please help. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration to this matter.

[Anonymous]

The most common health problems in American Eskimo Dogs:

Eye diseases are a concern in American Eskimo Dogs, especially cataracts, and also progressive retinal atrophy, which occurs at 2-6 years old and always progresses to blindness. Fortunately, a simple DNA test is available for PRA in American Eskimo Dogs, so you can find out at any time whether your dog has the disease, carries the disease, or is completely clear of it.

Allergies cause itchy skin and can lead to bacterial skin infections (pyoderma).

Orthopedic diseases in American Eskimo Dogs include luxating patella, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, and hip dysplasia. The Orthopedic Foundation of America evaluated the hip X-rays of 750 American Eskimo Dogs and found 9% dysplastic. That’s a high.

According to the Michigan State University Thyroid Database, up to 12% of American Eskimo Dogs have hypothyroidism.

Other serious health issues in this breed include epilepsy and urinary stones.
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/health/americaneskimodogs.html

[Pitlove]

My dog was a picky eater before as well when I was only feeding dry because I thought it was better. Just because you prefer dry it doesnt really mean anything since you are not the one eating it. Once I added wet food into my dogs diet and sprinkled the dry on top he instantly became interested in eating again. I also change his food frequently for variety and to keep his stomach healthy and him free of getting allergies to one type of protein or carb and that has made a huge difference in his interest in eating. Wet food is also often looked at like more of a treat and I disagree with that ideology greatly as I believe it’s an essential part of their diet to make sure they are getting enough moisture in their diet. Drinking water alone is not enough.

[Ashley F]

I just want to say thank you everyone, I learned ALOT from all of your posts. I have a 4 and a half yr. old bully named Bella, she is our only “child” 🙂 and we have fought chronic ear infections for sooo long and have done everything under the sun, or so I thought (ear washes, antibiotics etc.) But it was just brought to my attention recently by a vet about food allergies and pittys. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford allergy testing at the time, so we are trying out some different foods first to try to fix the problem. But just now through reading your posts I spotted several more symptoms of allergies that I never connected. The excessive paw licking, it drives us nuts!! But we thought it to be a nervous tick plus she is really OCD about being clean lol. And also the red bumps around the mouth from the food, we always joke about her “doggie acne” . I had almost stopped searching the internet for help, because there is normally so much info and a lot of sites say the same things in different ways, but this forum has been extremely helpful. Thank you and best of luck to all and their little ones!!!!

[Anonymous]

Atopic dermatitis is a hypersensitivity or over-reaction to a variety of commonplace and otherwise harmless substances in the environment such as plant pollens, house dust mites or mold spores. Most pets with atopic dermatitis either inhale or absorb their allergens through their skin. Allergy tests are used to identify what a pet is allergic to in their environment.

There are two types of allergy tests, the intradermal allergy test and blood testing for allergies (serologic allergy testing). In an intradermal allergy test, the fur is clipped on one side of the chest and very small amounts of common allergens are injected into the skin. This test is very precise and is only performed by Veterinary Dermatology services. Because most pets with environmental allergies become exposed to their allergens through their skin, the intradermal allergy test may also best simulate a pet’s natural allergies. In a blood allergy test, a blood sample is obtained and submitted to a laboratory for testing.

If a pet is diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, there are three methods of therapy. The first method of therapy involves removing the allergen from the pet’s environment. Unfortunately, this is not possible in most cases. The second method of therapy involves the use of anti-itch drugs such as anti-histamines or steroids (cortisone). Some of these anti-itch medications do not work in every pet. Other pets develop side-effects from taking certain anti-itch medications.

The third method of therapy for atopic dermatitis (environmental allergies) is allergy injections. Other names for allergy injections include desensitization, hyposensitization, allergy vaccine, or allergen-specific immunotherapy. Immunotherapy involves a series of injections of diluted allergens. Over time, these injections make a pet less sensitive to their allergens and thus less allergic. Most pet owners are able to learn how to give the injections at home. When based on the results of intradermal allergy testing, immunotherapy helps manage the allergies in approximately 70-90% of pets. Most pets will respond to immunotherapy within 6-9 months, but some pets will require up to a year of immunotherapy injections before a full benefit can be noted.
http://www.mspca.org/vet-services/angell-boston/dermatology/boston-dematology-allergies.html

[Anonymous]

If it has been going on for more than 1 year/4 seasons and the dog has not shown improvement despite food changes, frequent bathing, etc and continues to suffer.
The allergens that the dog is responding to are probably environmental, impossible to avoid and not diet related.
If you use the search engine above on the forum home page and look up “allergies” you will find a lot of my posts and some articles that are very informative.
/forums/search/allergies/

I suggest you consult a dermatologist/specialist as there are other reasons for the symptoms you describe other than food intolerances.

Helpful article below:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Susan]

Hi Sue, my boy gets the red around the bottom of his mouth, what I did was change diet & be careful a lot of these grain free diets have Peas, Potaoes, Sweet potatoes that make skin worse, I buy the Huggies Thick Baby Wipes the Cucumber & Aloe after Patch finishes eating I get a baby wipe & wipe his bottom mouth & chin as the food & spit must irritate his skin…I also bath in Malaseb medicated shampoo weekly baths, here’s the raw diet that made Patch all better http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/natural-diet.html scroll down till you see “Skin Allergy Diet” & click pick a protein that your girl has never eaten before also pick 2-4 veggies & 1-2 fruits, I picked Kangaroo & broccoli head, 2 carrots 5 celery sticks & 1 apple to start with…. peel then cut up veggies & fruit & put thru a mini processor & blend so the raw veggies & fruit are real fine stop before they become water/pulp, then I had to add 2 heaps spoons veggie/fruit mix to 1 cup of raw Kangaroo meat freeze the rest of the veggie/fruit mix into 2-3 spoon sections & take out the night before put in fridge for next day.. Patches red paws, stinky itchy body started to clear up within 2-3 days I couldn’t believe his red paws went away just after 2 days on the raw diet vet kept telling me he has environment allergies to pollen & grass…. then I bathed him in the Malaseb medicated shampoo its excellent & I haven’t needed to bath him for 1 month since starting the new raw diet… I don’t know if your girl has yeasty skin or environment allergies or food intolerances…Raw is best then cooked if you cant do the raw.. if you feed a kibble you need a limited ingredient hypoallergenic kibble something like “California Natural’ Hypoallergenic limited ingredient kibble.. try the Lamb & Rice it has just 4 ingredients, here’s their link to have a look they also have treats on the same page… The Science Diet Grain Free Ideal Balance has Potatoes & chicken…. if you don’t see any improvement take back for refund & get the California Natural & give that a go if you don’t want to feed a raw or cooked diet… I do both cooked for breakfast & a hypoallergenic gluten free kibble for dinner http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Bri H]

I just joined and was looking for an answer related to diet and skin allergies when I came upon this post so I wanted to add a comment 🙂 My dachshund had repeated bouts of Pancreatitis and I finally narrowed it down to flea medication. I have no idea why but when I would give him and flea medication within 48 hours, he would get sick. The last time was back to back after Frontline didn’t work and the vet recommended Comfortis. My dog now has EPI and I have to supplement his food with strong enzymes because his pancreas is dunzo. I have since stopped ALL flea medications and he hasn’t had it since. I would have never expected this to be a cause and never put it together until it happened twice so close together. I now feed him Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison w/his enzymes and he’s doing great. I hope this helps and maybe you can get to the root of your dogs issue. EPI is no fun.

[Anonymous]

I am not a fan of free feeding, for tips you may find helpful see General Guidelines in this link http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

I have recently discovered this site and find it informative http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

My dog with allergies and a sensitive stomach does well on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea with a spoonful of cooked chicken added, plus a splash of water.

My 15 year old small breed does well on Wysong or Nutrisca kibble soaked in water overnight, a little cooked chicken added, plus water (hx of bladder stones)

I recently took the old guy in for a checkup and his lab work is better than mine, lol.
He has age related issues but otherwise healthy.

PS: I never leave food down, if they don’t eat within 20 minutes the food is picked up and put in the fridg, offered at the next mealtime.