Frank-
I think most of the 4 and 5 star foods are dye free. Also, there is a video that was posted today on allergies on the review side of this site under off topic discussions. It’s pretty informative. It talks a little about ear infections you might want to check it out. It’s posted by USA Dog Treats.
Chronic ear problems can be the manifestation of food allergies. Wheat, corn and soy are the top allergens in dog foods. Dogs that are fed a grain-free diet will show immediate relief when grains are removed, if food sensitivity is the problem.
Hey! I am looking for a little help. I recently had my 4 year old Boston Terrier allergy tested. I just got the results back and am having a very difficult time finding an appropriate food for her so I’m hoping others can help!
Her list of food allergies include
-chicken
-turkey
-peas
-carrots
-eggs
-barley
-tomato
-rice
-soybean
-corn
-white potato
Does anyone here know of any foods that don’t include these ingredients? I am having no luck with any of our local pet stores. It has been suggested I try a raw diet for her but I am hoping to avoid this! I work 12 hour shift work and have to take her to a “sitter” while I work so a dry food would be best.
My vet suggested “Iams Veterinary Diet Skin and Coat Plus KO”. I haven’t heard many positive reviews on Iams or this food so I am unsure.
I have just transitioned her to Nature’s Variety Instinct Lamb Meal. This one is free of all her allergens with the exception of peas. Peas are the third ingredient on the list. I had no idea she was allergic to peas and I had never noticed a reaction to them before. I would really like to keep her on a 4-5 star food.
Thank you in advance for any help!!
So I guess she’s going to get Remicin for her right ear and I also bought Benadryl in case she’s having allergies.
My dog was having her anal glands expressed every few months. Along with anal gland problems, she had allergies. I never connected the two until I read an article in Dogs Naturally magazine. I finally found out that she was allergic to chicken and since removing chicken from her diet her anal gland problems are gone. It has been 8 months since she had them expressed.
If your dog has severe allergies with watery eyes, sneezing, constant scratching where the skin is broken and oozing, etc., I have a tip for you! After multiple vet visits, hundreds of dollars, many trips to the pet store trying limited ingredient diets as well as a significant amount of online research, I found Answers fermented Goat Milk. Evidently fermented goats milk, unlike pasteurized cows milk, contains many vitamins, probiotics, minerals, omega fats, etc. that are preserved with the centuries old fermenting process. Even the Bible describes goats milk as “white blood” meaning its the elixir of life. Answers Goats milk is sold in locally owned natural pet stores (the answers website provides you with a list of stores sold throughout each state) in quart sized milk-like containers and is sold frozen. I buy 4 or so at a time and throw 3 in the freezer while defrosting 1 in the fridge given that it last about 2 or so weeks. To make a long story short within 2 days my little guy was scratching noticeably less and within 5 days his scratching is almost non-existent. I can’t believe it; it all disappeared right before my very eyes. My vet told me the allergies was caused by something he was eating however, it appears that his allergies were caused by something he wasn’t eating meaning he must have had some type of vitamin or mineral deficiency. My research on goats milk led me to learn that many US studies conducted in the 1960’s determined that human consumption of fermented goats milk cured many diseases and has even been shown to reduce tumors in both humans and animals. The Answers website contains much information on the milk so go ahead and learn about the many diseases it will eliminate or reduce. If your beloved pet is battling cancer or other diseases such as kidney disease, stomach irritations/diseases, etc. try the goats milk.
I hope this helps especially since allergy season is upon us. Let me know if the milk works for your pet.
You said that ur dogs itch none stop, you must start with an elimination diet, I started one about 1 month ago as my boy has Pancreatitis & enviornment allergies we dont know if he has food allergies that’s why I’d say the vet suggested an elimination diet, The vet said the first month just feed boil chicken but I knew my boy could eat boil chicken so I added cooked pumkin, then when I saw he wasnt scratching or rubbing his tummy on my beautiful white rug the next week I added sweet potato within 2 days Patch was rubbing on my carpet so I stopped the sweet potato & know he cant have sweet potato or a kibble with sweet potato…. then I added pasta another NO it made him itch then I read dogs with skin problems like yeast & bacteria shouldnt eat carbohydrates, potatos, sweet potatos etc, then I added half a boiled egg & he’s been good, Im thinking of adding broccoli next.. Im reading Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD she has help me understand alot of things & this group its a easy book to read & very easy recipes, she explains what foods aren’t good & what foods are good for certain illness, like Skin problems & what causes ur dog to itch, Pancreatitis Diabetes, Gastro problems, feeding senior dogs, getting a pup onto raw etc, she has cooked recipes & what supplements to add.. in the elimination diet you cannot give any treats nothing, just that one food for 2 weeks then 2 foods so on.. you must cook all vegetables so they are fully cooked, she even suggest to pulped vegetables as dogs digestive system weren’t meant to eat vegies, here’s one of her recipes for Skin allergies a Low Glycemic regular fats Diet..this is for a 50 pound dog to be divide into two or more smaller meals per day.
8 ounces 1 cup regular fat ground beef
2 ounces 1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
4 ounces 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
4 ounces 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
4 ounces 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Serve meat cooked or raw combined with cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt if serving meat cooked wait until meat & eggs have cooled before stirring in the yogurt…..
What I do is I cook once a fornight & freeze everything except the egg then put in fridge the night before to thaw for next day…
I just noticed your Mastiff is a year and a half – he should be about full-grown, but I have heard that large and giant breed dogs take longer to mature than small-medium breeds, so I would certainly advise you to make sure the food is at least an All Life Stages food (which all of the ones I recommended (except NutriSource – not sure about that one) are). At least for a little while longer – just to make sure he is getting appropriate nutrients if he is still growing and altogether too.
Also, as far as kibble size is concerned (in case your Chiwinnie(s) need small kibble), all of the foods I mentioned are with a manageable kibble, especially Victor – theirs is pretty small – and then Earthborn and NutriSource (I have fed a couple samples of it) were about the same size, a bit bigger than Victor, and Dr. Tim’s was the “biggest”, but my then-about 10-lb terrier mix had no problems with it. So the Chiwinnie(s) should be ok with either one of these foods if you choose to feed one of them. Plus, rotation is always good, so you can well go through them all – allergies permitting, of course! 🙂
Pick a food that’s high in calories to keep feeding amounts (and usually costs, too!) down. My 130 pound rott mix only eats about 3.5 cups (less than half of what most foods say he should eat).
The highest calorie foods I can think of off the top of my head are the NutriSource foods. Super Performance is 529 a cup, I think, and others are all in the mid to high 400’s per cup. They are decently priced too . Around here, the 30 pound bags go for about $50-60 for the grain free.
I would find a protein source they’ve never had before and start there when pin-pointing allergies. Bison is becoming a popular choice these days, as are beef and salmon. Finding allergies does suck. I’ve got one that I’ve decided is allergic to pollen after a year a half of having him on every protein and carbohydrate mix I can find.
Try to compare ingredients and do an elimination diet. Maybe it’s a protein, potato, legume, etc. Allergies are such a bummer to deal with. 🙁
Hi!
I have an English Mastiff that is a year and a half and a rescued Chiweenie that is about 5. I want to feed them the best food that I can but I get so limited with certain protein levels and of course the cost! My mastiff eats a lot! We first fed Kirkland nature domain but I believe they had allergies to that. Switched to Canidae Pure but it is so expensive for the amount I need. Considering Nutro Ultra. I add Tripett to all their kibble.
Does anyone out there have a similar experience or suggestion?? Thank you!
Food allergy tests are expensive and give both false negative and false positive responses, so they really are not better than doing your own food trial.
Hi Aquarianqt
I don’t know. What I do know is that every dog I know of who had food intolerances was fed the same thing long term. That doesn’t mean that feeding everything only short term will prevent allergies though.
Actually, Micah was only 8 weeks old when I got him and was already showing symptoms, but he had several different issues that likely contributed to his food issues.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by
theBCnut.
Dogs with gastric upsets should be on high protein medium fat with limited carbohyrdrates & fiber. I prefer grounded white rice, brown rice has more fiber as it has bran in it, I dont use potatoes as my boy has allergies, Potates are no goods for yeast problems, also Ive found kibbles with potatos or sweet potatos are more hard, even when Ive sook them in water after 1 min they are still real hard, no good for digesting. Oatmeal & rice are easier to digest….I feed my boy a low residue kibble that breaks up very easy. When I add water the kibble is soft within 3 sec, then I drain the water out..I give boiled chicken, pumkin & half boil egg mashed up for breakfast giving his tummy a rest, then his kibble for dinner..his kibble is chicken turkey & grounded rice..
Dogs can have bad allergies to the proteins as well as grains and sometimes even potatoes. If you are worried about your dog having allergies to something just ask your vet for a food allergy test for your dog and that will tell you if he has any allergies at all.
out of curiosity, do you believe that is true BC? the allergies comment, ive heard it as well, but haven’t ever noticed it myself so not sure if its a myth or not
Variety is considered better than lack of variety. All proteins have a different amino acid profile, so feeding variety helps to ensure that your dog has the optimum balance of amino acids. Also, some believe that dogs are less likely to develop allergies and intolerances if they are not constantly exposed to the same ingredients.
My boy has Chronic Pancreatitis & IBD & Allergies, Ive been doing alot of reading about Pancreatitis. Ive read that kibble isnt good as the Pancreas has to work harder digesting kibble putting more strain on the Pancreas, have you thought of cooking.. I’ve been boiling chicken breast & pumkin & an egg, I freeze the chicken breast in meals sizes & I freeze the little bits of pumkin, I take out the night before & put in the fridge for breakfast, I boil a egg every second day cause I only give him half boiled egg at breakfast, I shread the chicken & mash the pumkin & mash the egg all together so its all mushed up, easier to digest, also make sure any vegetables or grains are well cooked to make them easier to digest. I then warm in micro wave.. At night I give his kibble only..this has helped the chicken pumkin & egg his pain has gone that he was having under his right rib cage, he’s not coming over to me no more for me to rub his side like when I just had him on kibble.. I’d say that she’s having pain then not wanting to eat. maybe try a low fat can food if u don’t want to cook but I havent found a can food that is low enough in fat, thats why I cook..Ive read that Diabetes & pancreatitis are closely linked, Dogs with Diabetes are often prone to Pancreatitis & vice versa..here’s some Low-Glycemic vegetables you can cook with chicken breast or lean low fat ground beef broccoli or cauliflower, cabbage, summer squashes zucchini, dark leafy greens mustard greens & spinach.. I mite try adding some zucchini, I dont know about spinach I always was told if ur constipated eat spinach…Im reading a book called “Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs” by Lew Olson PhD.. it has easy recipes for Pancreatits, diabetes, bladder, liver, heart, cancer etc, she explains what not to feed when ill..also what vitamins to add, excellent read.. the book cost about $11 online..
Can anyone suggest a low protein food that I don’t have to get from my vet? Right now my yorkie is on a Purina low protein prescription and his allergies are back. Previously he was eating Instinct with Raw bits. But since his diagnosis he can’t have a high protein diet. So now that seems to leave me with all these grain foods which upsets his allergies again. The food he is on now is 12% protein. Any suggestions?
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This topic was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by
Tracy O. Reason: wrong forum
Marie, its just his paws, & when the vet looked at Patch, just up his back legs he has hive like lumps.. Cause Ive only had Patch just over 1 year, last year, Sue the vet told me, Patch has Canine Atopy Dermatitis & the longer u have him, we’ll start to see a pattern form, she said, he’ll be worst either the begining of spring or summer, but in Patches case he seems to have his allergies the end of summer, she looked on her computer & went back to this time last year & guesss what, last March I was at the vets seeing another vet Johnathon about his feet & skin but they got better quicker then this time…Johnaton like to give drugs steroids & antibiotics, so I changed to see another vet Sue, she seemed to listen to me & not give drugs..she’s more into natural cures….I said to the vet, could it be food, she went thru what patch is eating & the only new thing in Patches diet is the Butternut Pumkin, Chicken he ate last year, egg he ate last yr, nothing happened, banana & biscuits he ate last year.
Ive started walking a new route on our morning walks a month ago & there’s alot of grasses, weeds & wandering dew, Patch loves to poo in bushes, I’d say that’s why his paws havn’t gotten better cause we go there every morning…Once you see a vet, she starts to clear lots of things up…things that I never thought of.. I just kept thinking its the food, also only 1 ear kept getting itchy so when he’s walking he must of brush up against a bush, then we’d walk home, I give him his breaky 1/2 to hour he’d start his licking paws & I asumued its what I just feed him…The ointment she prescribe that’s for humans ‘Mometasone Furote ointent’ is excellent, it has clear all his paws this morning they are all clear again…Im going to order on-line that Dermoscent Essential 6 spot-on as I hate giving any animal any drugs I have Auto Immune disease & I know steroids & other drugs can make u fell real yuk worst somtimes, so if I can I’ll always try to not give a drug to any animal unless its really really needed…I dont like these dog Antihistamine, it makes Patch very sleepy & I even halved the 8mg Iramine tablet last night, I gave him the other half his morning & he’s asleep now, normally he’s in the sun waiting at the door to go for our walk to the shops, oh well as long as he’s not going mad licking his paws…
I am trying to find a grain-free food that both of my Papillons, 6 months and 3 yrs, will eat and maintain a good weight. One of my cats has grain allergies so all food must be grain-free. I have been switching from Orijen/Acana to Blue Wilderness to Wellness Core, trying to find a happy solution. The pup ate puppy formula until the last bag (last week which I mixed with the wilderness adult) at six months does she still need puppy food? It seems that the higher protein/fat content is more palatable for them, except the Core, they both ate around it. I have read the non-GMO list and found that the Orijen/Acana is one of the foods listed there. It is the food I used for my first Pap and the pup until recently, should I stick with it? my cats both eat Orijen/Acana too. Is switching between the different formulas in the Orijen/Acana line enough or should it be different brands of food? Thanks for your in-put.
How did you find out so fast it’s environmental and not food allergies?
Just come back from the vets & ur right Shasta its allergies from outside not food allergies, the vet gave him Antihistamine called Iramine 8mg for dogs as she found that the human Antihistamine dont work as good as the dog Antihistamines.. there’s a new spot on by Blackmores called Dermoscent Essential 6 spot on, u apply one pipette weekly for 8 weeks then after 8 weeks u apply every 2nd week..It bio-diffuses through the skin & is stored in the sebaceous glands then it progressively released from the sebaceous gland then distributed along the body & absorbed into the skin, This regulates trans-epidermal water loss to optimise skin hydration & maintain the cutaneous ecosyestem balance, it reduces odour & reduces dry scaly skin..she said that she see another staffy like Patch but he’s worst & she put him on goats meat with broccoli..she also prescribed a stronger hydrcortisone cream called Mometasone Furoate ointment, so hopefully Patch will get better & a new holistic vet has just joined the practise so I’ll see her next time & a Animal Dermatoligist will be coming in 2months that does the allergy patch test, I mite look into that & see what he’s allergic too…
I’ve just kinda skimmed through the past few posts, but I read “Patch smells like yeasts my friend said it’s like mold.” I knew a dog once who had that distinct smell. They couldn’t figure out anything in his diet! and they bought an anti fungal shampoo (I believe it was Malaseb), have never had the problem since. The dog didn’t have any itching though, so I still think Patch probably has allergies… There’s that slight chance he might also have a skin fungus and shampoo would help clear it up.
If he has any outdoor allergies, have you any access to local raw honey? I know of some super allergy prone dogs that get a spoonful of raw honey every day and can now go outside in the worst allergy seasons without a problem.
I just found out the results of my dog’s allergies today….
She is allergic to rice, corn, barley, tomatos, carrots and potatoes.
I will obviously have to change her food… It will be tricky to find a good food with none of these ingredients.
I feed her actually with Fromm family Grain free salmon tunalini. It’s a very good food, but it contains potatos, tomatos and carrots.
Any idea on what i could give her now knowing her allergies…?
Thanks,
Annie
Yes, his vet gave me a list of human Antihistamines last spring, when he was getting what looked like hives under his fur on his back & neck but that went away & I never bothered with the Antihistamines…I live Australia & its Autunm now & we’re having rotten raining days, I think what Shasta said is a good idea the wipes as Ive been trying not to wet his feet & keep them real dry, I dry them as soon as we walk in the door he knows his routine collar off dry feet. I do bath him weekly in his Malaseb medicated shampoo which helps heaps, but after 3 days the yeasty smell is coming back the yeasty smell started about 3 weeks ago & he was scratching one ear so I put his Dermotic ear drops in his ear & it went away… I saw a new different vet 1 month ago cause Patch was having real bad acid reflux since December & Patches old vet just put him on Zantac & carafate that worked but not 100% he was having pain on his right side under his right rib cage on & off.. the new vet looked at all Patches blood test & listen to everything that had been happening with Patch & he said it looks like Patch has IBD, Chronic Pancreatitis & skin allergies…there’s Acute Pancreatitis which is usually a one off incident from a reaction to a drug or an illness then there’s Chronic Pancreatitis is when several acute occurrences happen over time damaging the pancreas, the vet said we’ll start him on an low fat elimation diet..the first month which was March just gone, he said start with just boiled chicken, so I give just under 1 cup of shreaded boiled chicken then 1 week later I added 1 heap tablespoon of Butternut pumkin then I added 1/2 boiled egg all mashed up, for breakfast.. I still give Patch his vet prescription Eukanuba Intestinal that’s he’s been on since August, I give him his kibble at night I soften in water then drain the water, with his Intestianal kibble his skin goes good.. I found just the chicken & pumkin wasnt filling him up & he looked like he was losing weight, so I put him back on the Intestinal just at night. I want to get him off the Intestianl kibble, Ive read kibble isnt good for dogs with Chronic Pancreatitis to much work on their Pancreas, Oh, the only other thing he has is a little slice of banana in the morning & at night..thats all he eats, Chicken Butternut pumkin, egg & his kibble that is also chicken & turkey.. I thought chicken allergy but his kibble is chicken…what’s the diference with a normal pumkin & butternut pumkin. Im wondering would there be a difference..I started the elimation diet about 1 month ago then the last 3 weeks we’ve had rain..thats what makes me think its the wet grass & wet walk ways..now Im starting to think maybe the Butternut pumkin.. I dont know… I’ll see the vet this afternoon that’s Patches old vet & see what she says, she’s an American vet that came to Austraila after getting married in the 90’s.. I think she gets real confused with Patch too….he does her head in..
Wow! Ok. So he’s on a very bland diet. What exactly is very bland diet exactly? Maybe if we all get our heads together and see the ingredients of the bland diet we can try to figure this out together. At this point he may be food and environmental intolerant. It’s spring time and the pollen is crazy here in Georgia so Katie is just a mess. She now takes more antihistamines than I do and that’s saying something. I’ve got to do some research as to what other antihistamines are ok to give dogs. Hey! Are you giving Patch any antihistamines. Katie takes 25 mg. Benadryl (dye free) 3 times a day. Doesn’t make her the least bit sleepy, does help a little with allergies but not enough. This is a really bad allergy season and it’s just really begun here in Atlanta.
Hi “thenut”. I’m always concerned about giving freeze dried meats or fish as treats. Doesn’t “up” the protein levels. I’m already feeding the dogs pretty high proteins due to the commercial raw feeding. I originally started with the raw fruits and veggies (tiny amounts per day) because of Katie’s (yes I will say it again) allergies but then I started thinking that raw freeze dried treats would add more to their daily protein levels. What do you think on this subject? As always, you are one of the posters that I trust your judgement and experience. Thanks, Patty.
Sue, for your treats, try going back to really basic things. Carrot sticks are good, then one of my recent ones was to combine boiled potatoes, carrots, chicken hearts, and parsley, then bake for about an hour or so. You can bake/dehydrate almost anything, but try to stick to no more than 2-3 ingredients, that way if it makes him act up, you’ll have fewer things to consider.
I agree with the possibility of outdoor allergies, since it seems to be just his paws. I know people who keep baby wipes around, so that might be a good thought as well as the water rinse Dori suggested 🙂
Sue, you really have to cut out all ingredients that I and others have posted. Your dog is obviously has food intolerances and actually they sound more like out right allergies. It really really sounds like allergies and not something else.
Again, try just carrot sticks as a treat for two or three days and see if it makes a difference. Also every time you walk your dog, before bringing him in the house, rinse his feet off incase it’s something his allergic to outside. You can keep a small kitty litter box with some fresh water in it. Rinse his paws (all four) and dry his feet with a clean towel. Don’t forget to change the water once or twice a day. That will help eliminate any issue he may be having from outside walks. What you’ll be attempting to do with the carrot sticks and the rinsing of his feet is an illumination test. It will help narrow some things down.
Allergy testing is sketchy at best. Human allergy testing is not totally perfected, canine testing is very inaccurate. You can have it done two or three different times and will arrive at different results. The only reliable way to know what your dog may have issues with is illumination. It’s really the only thing that works. Dogs can have reactions to multiple ingredients so you have to just do illumination.
Also, please do not put sugar in your treats. Very very bad thing to do. Dogs just love to it. They will eat pretty much everything and anything. Sugar is bad for the systems and horrendously bad for their teeth especially when there is no need to include sugar.
Shasta 220. Good catch on Sue including sugar in the treats, I missed that when I was looking over the ingredient list.
A number of dogs have issues with corn, soy (that’s a big one for allergies), yeast, of course, wheat is a biggie too. Sounds like there are a number of ingredients that could cause allergies. Also some dogs cannot eat eggs. Have you thought of given them fresh organic carrots, string beans, blueberries, etc. for treats. Try that for a while and see how it goes. One of my girls has many many food intolerances and allergies so all treats here are fresh organic fruits and veggies. They love them and no allergy issues for Katie. I always have sort of fruits and veggies in the house so I give them what I’ve got. Sometimes a piece of apple, sometimes banana, whatever is in the house. If I’m eating a piece of fruit I’ll give them some too. My girls are very small..5 lbs, 6 lbs. and 7.3 lbs. so remember go according to size.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by
Dori.
What could be causing Patches paws to go real red…When I give Patch a Jazz biscuit, I found about 1/2 to 1 hour 1 of his paws would go real red & he’d lick & lick it as if something real bad was happening to his paw, I’d put a cold washer around the hot paw & then it would go away, so I stopped with the 2 Jazz biscuits at night before bed & decided to make him Gluten free Banana biscuits all I put in the biscuits was gluten free flour, just over 1/2 cup, 1 banana, 1 egg & some water.
Gluten free flour ingredients are …..
Gluten free flour (Maize, Rice) Starch (Maize, Tapioca) Raising agents (450,500) thickner (412, 466) Iodised Salt..
Jazz biscuits ingredients are…..
Wheat flour, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Salt, Malt Extract (from Barley) Raising agents (500, 330) yeast, Emulsifer (322 from soy) Antioxidents (306 from soy 304)
The only 2 ingredients that are the same is the Raising agent 500 & the flour but one was gluten free, so no wheat… I google Raising agent 5oo it said Sodium Caronate known as Sodium Bicarbonate or baking Soda.. does anyone understand food allergies & what would cause this reaction to Patches feet..or could he be allergic to wheat flour but he can eat bread & nothing happens to his paws…
Yes, Im reading a book called ‘Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs’ By Lew Olson, PhD..She recommends a Low-Glycemic diet, high in protein & fat & low Carbohydrates…there are stories through out her book, one is about a dog called Jake a Doberman/Labrador mix, who started to have seizures when he was 3 years old, Jake was whats called a “Cluster” meaning he always had multiple seizures close together, Despite trying everything from conventional medications to acupuncture, his owner Jo was unable to get the seizures under control.. After exhausting all the usual medical avenues, Jo started to look elsewhere for alternative treatments, joining an online Epilepsy group, one of the things recommened by the group was a raw diet. With nothing else left to lose Jo started Jake on a new raw diet, Within five months Jake had gone from having seven seizures every two weeks to one a month, Her vet was astonised at the drastic improvement a raw, fresh food diet had made when all the other treatments failed..There’s more on how she explains how the sugar in carbohydrates can affect epilepsy, hypothyroidism, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, & yeast infections & how a low-glycemic diet is a good defense against all of these conditions.. Dogs dont have a nutritional need for carbohydrates..there’s more to read but too much to write..she has simple recipes in her book for illnesses, its an excellent read, its online for around $10..
So much to learn, crazy4cats, about our guy. And not just about food. We adopted him in November, and he came with “issues”. 🙂
Canadian Walmart does not seem to carry Pure Balance. So, so far, only Kirkland Cuts In Gravy at around $1 can.
As you say, good thing about Labs is they are not finicky eaters. My wife has Arrow chewing kale stems, for goodness sake. As long as we don’t discover allergies or GI problems, we should have a wide open field.
I think when we feel more confident, we will try to transition to homemade food. That will be the next research project. Ha.
Great people here.
I agree with you guys and i try to give my maltese fresh cooked (organic) meat like lamb bison or venison, i avoid chicken because they say for maltese is not that good and can give allergies! my problem is im still confuse how much i should give to her or if i could mix with some Honest Kitchen or Orijen the brands i normally use ! so please if you guys could help me with this i appreciate it
I agree with you RescueDaneMom. Although I’m not able to feed it because I believe Katie has developed an issue with alfalfa I would have continued to use it. My other two girls are fine on the formulas but Katie girl with all her allergies and intolerances is also the damn poop eater so everyone must eat what she does so as not to upset her system when she eats their poop. Regardless of what I have tried in the last 4 1/2 years there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop her. I never let the girls go out in the yard by themselves. I run around picking up poop as it comes out of all of them before she can get any. BUT, hubby is not diligent. Opens the door and lets them out when I’m out on errands. I’m at the point of thinking that if I’m out of the house the two younger gals will go in their crates and kitchen will stay in the kitchen and NOONE will go out if I’m not home to let them out and supervise and pick up poop.
But, yes, I agree THK should have stayed on the EC list and if something is going on and had to be removed then we should no why and what happened to change something that it needed to be removed. And, no, I never saw an abundance of alfalfa stems ever in either the Zeal or the premix.
The sitter feeds the food I leave with Brutus. But the vet says even sharing a water bowl with another dog that eats a different food can set a dog’s allergies off, and the vet also said that since it seems just to be food allergies, they don’t really recommend drastic steps to track down the actually allergin
I’d agree as well. Rashes are usually allergic reactions to some sort of food. My girl was constantly chewing on herself, to the point of bleeding many times. We found out she had various food allergies, and now she’s doing great.
I have not tried Divovite yet. I have 2 year old Bullmastiff that has been on Taste of the Wild/Bison pretty much since I rescued him (had him on Blue for about a month, the foster had him on a raw diet for a month and I have no idea what he was eating before)…He seems to be having food allergies, but can’t tie it down to one thing that he is allergic to. When he stays at the sitter’s for more than a day, he comes home licking and rashy. The first time it was small red bumps everywhere including his ears, eyes and jowls…The second time it was hot spots and the dry flaky bumps that others have talked about on this thread. Both times the vet prescribed antibiotics. The first time, he got a steroid shot and some eye and ear cream too…the second time I had to go to the vet twice and the second time he prescribed a second antibiotic and a steroid boosted antihistamine…and said that I could give my dog up to 15 Benadryl a day for the rest of his life. I agree with all of you that think that meds for life is ridiculous. I don’t think I want to go raw with his diet either. I am willing to try Dinovite, it isn’t that expensive for a 90 day supply (for my 120lb bully, $1 per day)…
I want to add this though- those concerned about diatamaceous earth need to do more research on it. I’ve used it several times all by itself to kill fleas. Non-food quality is used in pool and hot tub filters, food quality is used by farmers in their livestock foods to help fight intestinal parasites because it is actually crushed shells and corals and it cuts the parasites skin and causes them to dehydrate. Many sites will recommend it all by itself as a treatment to your pet’s coat to fight fleas and you can add it to food by itself for the same reasons farmers use it. I’ve never heard it being referred to as a “binder.” And to the post talking about the ingredients to the solvents and poisons including H2O, RIGHT ON man!!!! People are so worried about “chemicals” they can’t pronounce, but most people would not have any issues eating an egg…well you know eggs are chemicals and if you looked at the chemical make-up of an all natural egg, you wouldn’t be able to pronounce them either (Ovalbumin, Conalbumin, Ovamucoid, Ovomucin, Lysozyme, Avidin, Ovoglobulin, Ovoinhibitor) and that is just for the whites of the eggs….
Caroline. Thank you so much for posting. Good luck on Saturday when you re-test. I’ll be praying for you and your dog. I’m also praying that it was some supplement, or too many different supplements that have taxed or toxed her liver. Anyway I’m trying to cover the basis and, thank God, though Hannah’s vet is not a holistic vet, she seems to be taking the same steps that Dr. Becker and other’s that I’ve been researching since I found out the results on Monday. Just Monday?? It seems like longer than that. Anyway, more testing tomorrow and I’m hoping like your dog, after a month or so leaving any and all supplements out that except for the milk thistle and the Denamarin that things will get back to normal levels. If it’s not something worse than I can only assume it’s a supplement or too many that I’ve given. I have an auto immune illness and tons of allergies myself since about 1997 everything is fragrance free and dye free in my home. No candles burning, no fragrance sprays for bathrooms, nothing at all. Backyard has no lawn, all flower beds, so no week killers or anything like that.
Funny that you should mention Darwin’s prescription diet. I spoke with James at Darwin’s this afternoon for quite a while about Hannah and what’s going on. I’ve printed out all the forms, nutritional analysis, etc. on the LS diet. He’s given me his direct line to give to Hannah’s vet and also said he’d gladly send the vet some samples if she wants to see the food herself. I told James I will not put her on any food the vet sells, Hills, SD, Royal Canin, whatever. Not after all the good she has derived from her present diet. I refuse to put her on crap diets for the remainder of her life regardless of how long or short it may be. Anyhow, he was so great and made me feel so much better. I have really been a totally wreck since Monday morning when the vet called with Hannah’s liver levels skyrocketing and out of control. After my conversation with him it was the first time all week that I felt like I could take a deep breath and actually breathe.
Oh, and more great news. He gave me the name and phone numbers of three holistic/integral vets that he knew personally and from different conferences in my area. So it was a win win conversation.
Thanks again for your post. I don’t feel quite so alone. I’ll be thinking of you on Saturday and will post everyone along the way about Hannah and next testing of x-ray and ultra sound and Cushing’s test.
Everyone here has been keeping me a little saner and a lot less weepy. Thanks everyone from the bottom of my heart I love you all.
Good call on slick floors, it’s all hardwood in my house. She does not have any problems running outside. I also suspect some allergies, since her front paws are saliva stained.
Annamaet is first on any list because the list is alphabetical, not to say that Annamaet isn’t a good food, because it is. You might get a better response to your question if you posted it under a topic about arthritis instead of one about allergies though. With arthritis, grain free is a good idea because grains are known to be inflamatory. A good joint supplement with hyaluronic acid in it would definitely be in order. And finally, make sure that you keep any extra weight off of her. Oh, one more thing, slick floors are hard on joints.
Mel, I must be more cat than I thought. I know when I’ve been rubbed the wrong way. Good thing you aren’t in charge of the universe.
First, all allergies, even seasonal, may have a genetic component. Second, has the vet looked at these pups? It is unusual for that many in a litter to have allergies, and this could be a nutritional deficiency or something else not allergies. Even if it isn’t allergies, switching foods is the first thing I would try, in case there is something missing in the diet.
AAFCO recognizes 2 nutrient profiles, Growth and Maintenance. If a food qualifies for growth, the company may choose to label it as All Life Stages. All Life Stages foods are good for ALL life stages
Well I will chime in about THK and the alfalfa. My Shih Tzu ( Tootie) is my Poultry allergy girl and after switching her to Nutrisca ( Salmon and chickpea ) and adding in sardines and halibut she had been doing fine up until yesterday afternoon then started chewing on her feet. I had already bought a box of THK Zeal before but she wouldn’t touch it but last night she ate it with some added sardines and halibut and low and behold this morning her poop had stems of alfalfa in it. It looked like she had been outside eating grass and I follow them around the backyard to watch everyone’s poop ( Yes I know my husband says I am loony too) My dogs are never left unattended even in our own backyard because I am such an over protective mother hen with my girls. Plus I have one that is my walking epipen so I really have to watch her because she is allergic to insect bites and bee stings ETC. So I went through the box of Zeal and there is longer stems of alfalfa in it. I am super disappointed being that I paid so much once again for a food that will not work. It is all so crazy how these days dog food has to be such a huge scare issue. My dogs are my little children and to think of loosing any of them makes me just get teary eyed. I think the older I get the more attached I get and I am sick of trial and error with just trying to do the right thing by my girls. I am 51 years old and I have had quite a few dogs in my lifetime but I have not ever had as many food issues and allergies with dogs before these 4 and I believe it is in the food that is causing all these problems with dogs these days. We are completely at the mercy of dog food manufacturers unless we have time to cook healthy meals at home for our pets but that is not always feasible for most that are working hard for retirement. Ugh I nominate no foods because I have yet to find that one that even comes close to helping a couple of my special needs ones.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by
NectarMom.
C4C Sorry I didn’t. I looked at the list but I already knew there wasn’t anything on it that allergy girl here could eat so I didn’t bother. I wish I could buy some budget friendly foods but they all seem to include either white potatoes, rice, soy, corn, grains, alfalfa and the list goes on with Katie Mae and her issues. I have never had a dog with allergies to anything before. Honestly we’ve had her for 4 1/2 years and she is by far the most expensive dog I have ever had between surgeries, allergies, foods, dental, etc. etc. (She was the runt and due to be put down). She is also the sweetest most loving dog I have ever had. Her nic name here at home is “Mushy Gushy” even the neighbors call her Mushy Gushy and funny thing is she answers to it. Cause that’s what she is.
Akari 32 mentioned feeding honey, is this safe/acceptable? I only ask because I’ve never heard of it. Also, how much should the dog be given and are there any benefits besides treatment for allergies? Thanks!
Since turkey isn’t a super high allergen, you may try a food with no rice or barley. As Shasta said, that sounds like an allergen, so it’s usually easiest to try eliminating things that are common allergies, in this case, the grain. Brewers rice is filler/junk anyway, so good to get away from that.
Pro plan is fairly expensive for what it is, so you should be able to find a high quality food that is grain free for a similar price point. I wouldn’t particularly recommend going back to it either, especially not that blend
I have been feeding Canine Caviar for 14+ years consecutively with absolutely zero issues other than rotating the protein source occasionally. I have one new dog that has chicken allergies so I have switched from the chicken to the fowl. I rotate between that and the lamb so that their protein is changed up now and then.
Canine Caviar has always proven to be in the very top of a short list of superior holistic products that you can feed to your pet with the peace of mind to know that they are being well cared for and have the best chance of longevity. I recently lost my boy Pomeranian at the ripe age of 18 (three months shy), I currently have a 16 year old Lhasa Apso, a 13 year old Chihuahua and an 11 year old Chihuahua that have all been on CC their entire lives. The Lhasa was switched to CC after having to bladder stone surgeries, one of which happened after being on Prescription S/D for a year after her first surgery. That is the reason I researched and found CC and started buying it.
Even if and I don’t believe CC ever had a recall I would return any tainted product and replace it with a new bag and continue to feed my animals knowing that if there had been a mistake made it would have been just that and it would be dealt with appropriately.
With Confidence,
Jeff
P.S. I do not work for CC in case someone was going to ask, however I do work for a pet store and I sell dog food every day to all kinds of pets and their owners. CC may not be right for every pet it is a great product and I am always confident in recommending it to my customers! Also it has a Loyalty Reward Program for it’s regular customers. There is only one other food that I sale that offers the same reward!
Hi There ,
My guy has lots of allergies, the one thing he did kind of well on was natures variety lid lamb. I know lamb isn’t an option for you but check to see if they have a rabbit( hypoallergenic meat) as an option. the kibble was small enough for my guy ( 10lb yorkiepoo ) I hope this helps 🙂 One more tidbit, I’ve been told to use canned ,at one point , because of gus’ mold mite allergy. Maybe a canned is a better option for you?
We’ve always had trouble finding a food my Yorkie will eat. She’s extremely picky and won’t eat for a day or more if it’s not something she likes. We just got the results of her allergy tests back and along with numerous environmental allergies she’s allergic to milk, chicken, beef, barley, flax, lamb, soy, venison, and peas. I’ve been to every pet store in the city and haven’t found a single dry food. She refuses to eat any wet dog foods except for a few of the cheap ones she can’t have anymore. The vet wasn’t helpful at all with finding something. For now we’re cooking her ground turkey, pork roast, sweet potatoes, and eggs because it’s all she’ll eat. We’re looking for dry food so it can sit there without spoiling until she’s hungry enough to eat it. So far I’ve only found two kinds of food online that she can have, Canine Caviar duck and chick pea and Taste of the Wild smoked salmon.
Does anyone happen to know of any foods she can eat or might even like? I ordered the Canine Caviar one since she doesn’t like fish but she probably won’t eat it. Smaller kibbles that aren’t rock hard would be good too since a bunch of her teeth never grew in and she has a hard time chewing. Smaller bags that we can freeze would be helpful because she’s allergic to storage mites as well. Thanks for your help!
Hi Nectarmom. It’s nice knowing your still around. I hadn’t seen too many of your posts lately. My girls are doing better than I could possibly have imagined. A number of months back I did the complete transition to raw. All bad breath, gas, tear staining, goopy runny eyes has been history for quite some time. Their teeth are all incredibly white, I wasn’t expecting that they could get whiter since I’ve always brushed their teeth. Their hair (fur) is shinny soft and they all smell kinda sweet. It’s not their shampoo because I use soapless shampoos with no dyes or perfumes because of Katie and my allergies. The three of them have always been chow hounds but this is really ridiculous. They lick their bowls clean and leave them like they came out of the dishwasher. Lola who was getting a little chunky has lost some weight. Well, actually they all have on the raw. Lola was up to 6 lbs. maybe a little more, she’s now at 5 lbs. where she should be. Katie was a little over 7 lbs. she’s now at 6 lbs. where she should be, and Hannah was up to 8.5 lbs. and now weighs 7.3 lbs. Vet is delighted with all their weights and wanted to know what I’d done differently. So all is good here. Oh, they the water that they drink is from the tap at home, we have a whole house filtration system. I never thought it was the water. I always suspected it was the food for it to be happening to all three of them even though some were posting on the other site that it was clogged tear duct, hair in eyes, etc. For all three in both eyes, couldn’t be. I gave up the discussions, dropped the site, listen to the posters and moved to raw. I do add unrefined coconut oil, sardine oil (3 times a week, or sardines packed in water), organic fruits and veggies. No commercially made treats. How are your dogs doing? Still tear stained?
1 month, 2 weeks ago
