[theBCnut]

“Why would a company be listed there that has continuous issues with recalls and salmonella contamination (such as Innova, Merrick, etc…to name a couple). I am just bringing up a valid argument.”

Since this statement is utterly false, how can this be a valid argument? Neither Innova or Merrick has had continuous issues with recalls of any kind. If you go up to the red bar at the top, you will find the library. There is an article titled “How We Rate Dog Food.” You should read it. And you should also keep in mind that there is no method by which a future recall can be predicted. Past recalls are not a reliable indicator. Many companies have had a single recall and never had another.

As far as renal failure goes, do a little more research. Excess protein does not cause renal failure.

As for the rise in allergies, I have seen allergies increasing over a much longer period of time than that. Whether it’s from poor breeding practices, environmental pollutants affecting the immune system(my personal favorite theory), or sourcing of dog food ingredients, I don’t think anyone really knows yet.

As far as dog food companies go, they are businesses. They are in it to make money. There are a few that seem to actually want to do their best for dogs, but most are definitely only in it for the money, nothing else.

Statistically speaking, 20% of all dog foods will get a 1 star rating, 20% will get a 2 star rating, etc. If 20% are going to get a 5 star rating and there are very few truly great foods, it stands to reason that some of the foods on the 5 star list(a great deal of them) will not be top notch. Of course, my standards definitely aren’t yours. In fact I would go so far as to say this is not the site for you, because our feeding philosophy is definitely not yours.

[katana]

Hello,

Just making observation here. I notice that listed under the “best dog foods” tab that many are or have been recalled. Why would a company be listed there that has continuous issues with recalls and salmonella contamination (such as Innova, Merrick, etc…to name a couple). I am just bringing up a valid argument. Why would we invest into these foods if there are continuous mention of food recalls and salmonella contamination but yet they made the “best foods list” on this site. Also, some of these foods have extremely high protein that is over the scientific veterinary research according to VetMD where an adult is a maximum of 30% protein but some of these foods boast a minimum of 36-40% protein thus increasing the nitrogenous waste in the kidneys post catabolism of the excess amino acids. I have seen more dogs having renal failure that have been fed say Wilderness and Merrick as pets today do not forage for their food and burn the proteins they once use to over 90 years ago before modern dog food.

However, on a side note I am not happy with one single pet food company. They either take quality control too lightly and are always on the recall list; don’t fall within veterinary research nutrition guidelines as far as min-max nutrients per day (percent protein, fat, calcium, etc…); or they don’t specify exactly where their ingredients come from. Some will boast “organic” and as a scientist I laugh at this because many of the organic farming sectors it is legal and within regulation to use pesticides such as methane which is actually worse than say ethene in “inorganic” farming. Sometimes I actually wonder what this world’s logic has come to. Many know that dog formulas have changed in almost every company this past year. A correlation to this (not necessarily a causation) from speaking to many pet owners I have seen an increase in so called “allergies” rather it be environmental or food based. Without getting too detailed into immunology and immune responses with different allergens the point here is that: have any of you noticed an increase in pets itching and having reactions to food since all these companies changed formulas? Science backs that it is more due to environmental issues but as mass media is abundant and communication is easily obtained I have found many pet owners having issues across the USA and they all feed different foods but yet the environmental allergens are variable within regions. Could this be due to a common “farm” where say potatoes, rice, vegetables, or meat sources are mass produced and sent to companies individually? Many boast “made in USA” but which specific farm, etc? Any information out there on this?

Many of my friends have tried varied foods, etc…all the common treatments and running bacterial tests on tryptic soy agar plates and running antibiotic resistant tests all prove negative for bacterial issues where the common diagnosis when vets (without PhD and backed research) don’t know what it is-is “oh it is bacterial or fungal.” Tests on sabouraud dextrose agar plates post autoclave was negative as well for fungal concerns so the common diagnosis we see is invalid. I find it odd that there is such an increase nationwide in pet allergies when 2 years ago it was far less common and timing just so has it after all these companies change their formulas. The growth has been exponential I noticed from research. So this is why I might ask…is there a common farm these food companies get their products from that may be causing this?

Again, just observation and thought it would make an interesting thread here.

[Shasta220]

I completely understand your need for economical nutrition! We have about the same problem… 3 years ago we had just two dogs and 5 cats. Now? 2 Betta fish, 3 cats, 3 dogs (aka PIGS with how much they eat…), 8 chickens, 2 ducks, a miniature horse, and a 600lb puppy dog (aka Iggy the Holstein steer…he doesn’t know he’s a cow)

We obviously cannot splurge that much on buying ultra quality food (our lab has allergies though, so she can’t have foods full of wheat/corn).

The most economical and quality foods I’ve found so far are Nutra Nuggets (I ONLY get the lamb n rice formula, since lamb meal is the first ingredient instead of corona or byproduct), Diamond naturals, and Kirkland signature. Kirkland is 4star food, about 25$ for 40lb, and can be found at Costo (possibly you could find it online?). Diamond naturals is very similar to Kirkland, but it’s 40$ (I get the Large Breed 60+ since it has glucosamine and chondroitin to help their joints). Nutra nuggets is the same price as Kirkland, but only 3-star.

To make the food last a bit longer, possibly try adding your own nutritious “fillers” such as sweet potatoes (baked), carrots, apples, and meat (cooked or raw). Possibly try to find a local butcher and see if you can buy meat-scraps, or meat that’s slightly expired (just past human-consumption, but 100% safe for dogs). I know a girl who was able to buy virtually unlimited amounts of expired meat for her 5 dogs and 8 cats… It was, I think, $.50 per lb, which is a serious steal! Yep, she gives her lucky pups 100% raw, lol!

I hope you’ve found something that’s good for the dogs and your wallet. Also, try not to get “lite” foods (I don’t ever get the lite ones…not even if it’s a quality brand), you may find yourself feeding more. Switching to a food that’s even a little better than Beneful might actually be cheaper, since you may feed less.

When I owned my 90lb APBT mix, he ate 9c of Dog Chow daily (and he was super thin, too!). We switched him over to Nutra Nuggets, and he went down to about 2c daily without gaining/losing ANY weight. My biggest tip is this: even if you can’t afford much, at least make sure meat is the #1 ingredient (meal is fine, avoid by product if you can…).

[Becca]

I’ve been feeding my dogs raw for over 2 years now. One of my dogs suffesr from sever allergies to fleas. I will not use the spot on poison and I’ve tried every natural and or homemade remedy that has ever been thought of, nothing works. I’ve done so much research it is driving me crazy, just when I think I have the answer I see something bad about it. I started giving my dogs salmon oil and found out that no good without giving vitamin e, I spent 3 days researching digestive enzymes and probiotics then I find out its a waste, if feeding raw. I don’t know what to believe anymore. I’m going to try braggs organic acv with the mother. just looking for the missing link of why one of my dogs rips himself to pieces for hours when bitten by fleas. I think my cat bring in the bulk of the fleas he’s also allergic.

[ScottsMomma]

Thank you all for the replies-as of right now, I’m doing a homecooked diet for him-which he loves. Still doing the fish oil. He is still itchy, shakes his body. Energy wise-he is one crazy dog-loves to play fetch, flies thru the house, etc. I’ve run my hands thru his fur and do not see anything alarming, no red spots, no bumps, no critters-just some dandruff. I’ve read that terriers can be prone to skin issues. Really hoping that a better diet and the continued use of oils will help with the dryness.

[Mom2Cavs]

Like you and Patty said, if you can trust a dog food company and the food is rated a good one, then their cat food should be pretty good, too. Most people feel that cats should never eat a dry food. They are also obligate carnivores and need high protein, i.e. meat. Now…I will say I do leave dry out all the time for my cat to nibble on and she does like to do that occasionally. She gets fed a wet/canned food morning and evening. I add in missing link well blend to her food. She has some allergy responses and this seems to help. She loves Instinct kibble (not all flavors/kinds, though) but hates their canned food. She also likes Orijen/Acana. Currently, she’s eating Fromm Gamebird kibble and loves it. It also is doing well with her allergies. She eats Mulligan Stew canned, Fromm Gold canned, Wellness canned and pouches. She likes Weruva ok. I’ve tried premade raw with her a few times but she eventually won’t eat it. I keep trying, though, lol. She’s in perfect weight, as well.

[theBCnut]

Hi Shihtzumom20

Steve Brown’s See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix is really good, no potato,but you might have to add some veg or something for bulk. Dr Harvey’s Fine Ground Veg to Bowl is ok, a bit heavy on potato.

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi ScottsMomma! Thanks for rescuing a dog, he will be thanking you to! Seeing as you mentioned raw I would say that would be a great way to go! Raw should really help with any allergies and you can really customize the meal plan, anything that doesnt seem to sit well with him, you can simply move on to another protein. My shih tzu loves raw, its amazing how he took to it, and I am sure your terrier will love it too. While you are researching how to balance, Hound Dog Mom is the best for explaining that!, you can start with a pre-made raw or do a pre-mix in which you add your own meat to it. There is a great section for pre-made raw dog food here to help you choose the best, but I think a lot of people use Primal and Stella & Chewys I would to if I could get it! I have used Nature`s Variety and think its ok, Dawson loves it and he does well on it, but I like making my own then you know exactly what you put into it. But when I get busy I still use it.
For pre-mixes I know of a few, Urban Wolf, Honest Kitchen The Preference, Grandma Lucys makes one, Sojos I believe makes one, and one I think its called Steves Real Food, or something like that. I havent used them as Dawson doesnt really do so well on high potatoes, and urban wolf is the only one I can find here.
Check out the raw dog food forum, lots and lots of great help and questions that have already been answered. Here is a link /forums/forum/raw-dog-food-forum/
Oh and for the skin and dandruff, You can use coconut oil and a fish oil, I like to use krill oil, Here is an article from the whole dog journal on dosage:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_9/features/Fish-Oil-Supplements-For-Dogs_20600-1.html
But now I five Dawson sardines instead of the krill oil, its cheaper and a whole food source he loves sardines!
And then coconut oil is half a teaspoon per ten pounds. I give Dawson his sardine requirements once weekly, so thursday, and then coconut oil every day, but you can do it however works best. I believe some people do every other day.
I hope this helps some! It is overwhelming when you first start, but its so much better for your dog than any kibble or canned food. I know more people with more knowledge than me will chime in!

[theBCnut]

Did your vet do anything to help you figure out what your dog is actually reacting to? If you had some idea, you wouldn’t be stuck with such an inferior food. You could at least find a few foods and rotate between them.

[pacalady]

I have had several dogs with ear infections etc and feeding a lamb in rice formula got rid of it. The vets told us to feed iams lamb and rice.

[Cocker_mom]

Hi, InkedMarie! Since about April I’ve been feeding both my dogs the Iams Healthy Naturals Adult Lamb Meal and Rice dog food. They’ve both responded well to it, and it was included on the list of (literally, hundreds–at least one thousand) dog foods the allergy testing company gave me. Basically, it’s an average kibble, but it’s easily accessible in my area. Prior to that, I had my allergy prone cocker on Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Pumpkin dog food and my older cocker on Blue Buffalo Senior Turkey (both are considered limited ingredient foods). (I’d highly recommend both those foods; it was just a 20+ mile drive one-way every time I needed dog food.)

To put things in context, I got my allergy prone cocker in September, 2012. I was visiting the vet pretty much every two weeks and he was constantly on keto, benadryl, special shampoo for the elephant hide, and various ear medications. The shampoo improved the elephant hide somewhat, but he was still having problems with ears and itching/licking in general. Once I got him on the Nature’s Recipe, he slowly started improving (I was beginning to think we had a definite winner!), but then spring hit and his skin, eyes, ears just drove him crazy with itching, so he really didn’t enjoy a substantial change in his condition. I did the food allergy test first just because I wanted to eliminate as many of the most likely causes as possible before considering something like an allergy panel/allergy shots. After getting the results, I rid the house of any foods, treats, etc. he was allergic to and made the decision to put both dogs on the same food with my vet’s approval. There was a little adjusting of portions for my older cocker, and she definitely liked the Blue Buffalo much better (it has oats, and I didn’t want to risk my allergy prone dog getting a morsel of it), but she’s doing really well on it.

The warm months were a nightmare for the little guy. The exposed skin and the yeast and the elephant hide cleared up completely with the food adjustment but the ears were the worst I’d seen yet–literally Velveeta cheese at the worst, and medicines weren’t providing much relief. More bi-weekly vet visits, and I even participated in some trial drugs when everything else failed. Thank goodness for the first hard frost. It’s winter now, and his ears have cleared up, so I am pretty confident now the food issues have been ruled out. We’ve both gotten a much needed break from the ear agony. He looks far and away better than ever and the constant itching/licking isn’t going on now that it’s winter. That’s what convinced me to do the outdoor panel before his 2nd spring with me. The tests aren’t terribly invasive or expensive–they use only a small blood sample. I couldn’t imagine having a chronic yeast infection! I’m hoping the allergy shots will prep him for the spring allergens.

I could probably start a whole new thread about cockers and their ears, but I can tell you that having owned two cockers now, my experience with the younger dog has been COMPLETELY different than the older one. Basically, I’ve always exercised preventative care with my older cocker just because cockers are naturally prone to infections with their big floppy ears–cleaning and drying the ears once a week or so, keeping the insides or the ear shaved close, and letting them air out. She’s had maybe 3 or 4 ear infections in her 13 years, and her ears are very clean and healthy. My younger cocker’s ears are a mess–gnarly and misshapen on the inside with a lot of scar tissue particularly on the left ear and there is an ugly polyp on the left ear too. He is truly a special needs dog, and I’m thinking the product of overbreeding (resulting in a very cute but very issue-prone pup).

I know a lot of dogs do well on a food elimination diet, and I believe I truly gave that method a fair shake (the food he was on when he took the food allergy test was actually on the testing company’s approved list–although none of the prior foods I tried were), but my dog’s issues are caused by a variety of allergens that aren’t limited to just food. I spent literally thousands of dollars in vet bills for various treatments that treated only symptoms but not the true problem, and I have no regrets with the allergy tests. I truly believe we’ve reached a turning point. They might not be necessary for every dog, but if your dog is experiencing chronic allergies and a food adjustment isn’t completely alleviating the symptoms, the test is worth it.

[InkedMarie]

CockerMom: as someone who has a dog with ear infections, can you please tell me what food you’re using?

[theBCnut]

It could be a food intolerance to any ingredient that has protein in it. Mine can’t have chicken, many grains, or tomatoes.

[theBCnut]

No, they should have been very early on your list. The expensive foods are grain free and soy free and almost all of the limited ingredient foods shouldn’t have had those either, since they should have one meat protein and one starch and only the vitamins and minerals needed to balance that. Allergy tests are still known to give false positives as well as false negatives. A proper elimination diet would have served you better.

[brewer]

Will do. Hopefully his rash clears up quickly. Thanks

[Cocker_mom]

I am new to this forum and mom to two cocker spaniels (ages 13 and 6), so I’ve seen my share of ear infections and whatnot. I adopted my youngest cocker a little over a year ago (September, 2012), and he had terrible elephant skin on his groin and chest and he stunk of yeast–it was all through his ears and on his little nose and paws. Just pitiful. He was a stray and his owner didn’t claim him although he was housebroken and sat on command when I got him. My vet initially suggested a “lifestyle” change–just being consistently cared for–might improve the skin. Unfortunately, it didn’t improve the near constant itching/licking, and we tried all kinds of medications on top of daily benedryl which just knocked the poor guy out. Much like spotcdb’s case, it would clear up only to come back. I tried the fancy, super expensive all natural dog foods for allergy prone dogs. We rotated foods to eliminate potential allergens. No substantial changes. It took about 5 months for me to make the decision to just test for the food allergies (about $200), and I’m so glad I did. He was VERY allergic to–surprise–OATS and SOY! Those would have been the last ingredients to be eliminated rotating the foods out. Today he is on a dog food (the company that does the testing gave me a HUGE list of foods/treats he could eat that wouldn’t trigger a reaction) that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg but is still good for him. I just had an outdoor/indoor allergy panel done for him this week. Again, so glad I did because he was still having problems with his ears in the warm months, and it looks like he’ll need to go on allergy shots, which I’ll start before the spring to hopefully give him a head start. Never experienced anything like this with my older cocker, who I’ve had since she was 12 weeks old. Long story short, I really wish I’d done these allergy tests from the get-go, or at least in the first few months. I could have saved my little guy a lot of irritation and myself a lot of money. Incidentally, the elephant skin was completely eliminated shortly after getting him on the right food. He is SO much better, prettier, and happier than when I brought him home.

[theBCnut]

I don’t know if it will help the dog’s skin, but plug in air fresheners are toxic to humans too. Yes, unplug it, then carry it right out the door and pitch it in the trash.

[brewer]

I have a 90 lb 10 month old German Shepherd who has some allergies. I took him to the vet and was advised it is food allergies, most likely turkey that is in his food. I am eliminating the turkey and switching to a salmon diet. It is nature’s domain salmon dog food which is grain free. Could there be a dye in this brand of dog food that is causing the problem?
I searched the internet and also found that air fresheners could be causing the problem. I am wondering if I should get rid of the plug in air fresheners as it seems the rash began when we plugged them in shortly before Christmas, also around the same time we gave him the turkey dog food and some new treats (stopping treats as well).
I am just trying to get this under control as quickly as possible and would appreciate any thoughts or recommendations.

[ScottsMomma]

We recently adopted a terrier mix from our local Humane Society. He is my first dog-knew nothing about food so we just picked up the standard Kibbles & Bits for him which he ate just fine. Noticed on his second day with us, how much he was scratching; neck area, face, biting along his legs & paws. Took him in for a visit, was told he had dry skin, to try fish oil, also started reading up on dog food and picked up Earth’s Pride Grain free Duck & Vegetable. He is eating that just fine, no issues with messy stool (does have some gas) not bringing anything up. Took him back today since he has also been shaking his head along with the scratching, doc looked in his ears, said they were clear-just looked irritated. Said it is most likely allergies-which is what I suspect-but allergies to what? We live in Maryland so pollen is not an issue right now-possibly dust? Or food-how do you tell? His fur is nice & soft, but skin is dry and he has some dandruff. No major sneezing or coughing. I’m at a loss as to what to do. Doc gave me a med. called Prednistabs and a drop for his ears. I don’t know weather to try a different food with less ingredients, try Raw (does a raw diet help with both food & inhalant allergies)

[Bunny]

I feel your pain LOL I thought I was alone 🙂

My girl has had random episodes of this for about a year. It really is a really scary thing to watch my poor puppy do. She too gulps, Licks the floor, Tries to eat anything off the floor she can, Licks the air, Swallows hard Repeatedly…

One time when I took her to an emergency vet for this he did an x-ray. I was worried she was bloating but the x-ray showed that the air was passing through. It also showed irritation in her duodenum.

I saw a scope specialist a couple times and he suggested the cause is her having a mild tonsillitis flare-up that is provoked by allergies, she has seasonal allergies. He gave me Sulcrate Which coats the stomach And an anti-acid To give in combination. This seems to fix the problems for a little while. She was good for about six months until tonight. It seems like psychology has a major play in it, like she panics because of how she is feeling and gets “stuck”…the only thing that takes her mind off of it is if I walk her so I took her for a walk and I gave her the Sulcrate…hopefully it fixes it yet again…but the walking I cannot stress how much this seems to help. Not fast, just an easy walk to get things moving, it works for people too 😉

The other suggestion he had is that this could also be either trachea irritation caused by stomach acid (I too use a harness as well, as she pulls really hard in a collar) or post nasal drip from her runny nose from allergies. But judging on experiences I would agree with him as I explained above…

The pondering continues and I am glad to see this thread and hope all gulping pups get better soon 🙂

[Becky]

This may be too simple, but have you tried probiotics? It wouldn’t hurt, even along with new food.

[theBCnut]

It could also be an intolerance to the type of meat protein she is getting. The intolerance irritates the lining of the gut which eventually makes it permeable and the yeast that should be in the intestinal tract gets in the bloodstream. The way to get the yeast out of the blood stream is to starve it back for 8 or 9 months. That means really low carbs, preferably low glycemic carbs. Dinovite’s yeast starvation diet can be fed long term, but you might want to use locally hunted meats for it, instead of ground beef or chicken.

[DogFoodie]

Hi spotcdb,

It sounds like your dog is still having what may very well be a food intolerance. And, it’s definitely not a good idea to have your dog on Ketoconazole three days per week indefinitely. If I were you, I’d take a look at a grain free food that is lower in carbs than what you’re feeding now and that doesn’t contain any white potato – which Annamaet does. I’d even consider feeding a raw diet.

It takes time, but the body can heal and recover from systemic yeast.

[spotcdb]

We live in remote Alaska and we have a traveling vet that comes through once a year! Our Lab, every since age 4 month old, fought with scratching her ears all the time. The traveling vet would just give her ear cream. And then later about age 2 she started chewing on her paws and butt. At age 5 I felt so sorry for I started searching the web (very slow internet) and found out about grain allergy’s ( I was feeding her Iams for 5 years) and yeast infections. We tried Dinovite and it did not work for her. So we contacted another vet in Anchorage (600 miles and $1000 plane ticket). She advised us to send in swabs of her ears, paws, and butt. Sure nuff she was eat up with yeast. She gave us 3 rounds of Ketoconazole 200mg. After each round she would clear up. And then with in 2 weeks start it all again. So I changed her diet to NO GRAINS (we like Annamaet grain free). Still after each round she would start back with all symptoms. We asked the vet for more drugs but she said no she wanted to see the dog. We were going on a vacation for a month so we took her in and boarded her for a month ($36 a day) and told the vet to make her better! So after some antibiotics and a daily dose of Ketoconazole the vet said she will need to have Ketoconazole probably the rest of her life. She is all cleared up. She is eating Annamaet and is now taking Ketoconazole 3 days a week. WE are so happy and so is she. The only thing we need help with now is her shedding hoping the Annamaet fish will help. Good luck and have the dog checked for yeast. The vet said it starts out with a little yeast in the ears and keeps going till it is coming out of skin everywhere!

[gerriwilk]

I have a 16 month boxer that has been having food issues since we brought him home. He poops several times a day with his morning poop being solid but then goes down hill from there. His vet seems to think he has allergies and I did find out he is allergic or has no tolerance for chicken. He was recently diagnosed with pancreatitis and responded very well to his medicine, and his diet of rice and cottage cheese. However, since we incorporated his food (Nature’s Balance L.I.D. fish and sweet potato) his diarrhea is back. We have tried several different foods but I can’t find any that works well with his digestion. Before his pancreatitis diagnosis, his vet suggested hypoallergentic food but with all the different foods out there it is so confusing and overwhelming. So, I don’t know if he has allergies or he always had a mild case of pancreatitis that, until recently, has become inflamed. Any advice would be so welcomed! Thank you.

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy Greer….thanks so much for your kind words. Lucy is actually doing quite well, except for the lesions she has on her skin and the baldness that comes with them :(. Lucy has never had skin problems, at all, so this was a shock to see these places on her. I first noticed places by her mouth and under her chin. Then the groomer noticed one on her back when he was blow drying her. Looked like nothing I had ever seen before. My first thought was an allergic reaction to something!? It all started about 2 weeks after I began feeding TOTW Pacific Stream so I actually considered it might be the food, but she had never had allergies in the past…though I know they can come on anytime. It just seemed so odd. I took her to my holistic vets and they really weren’t sure what it could be, either. We took a blood test and it showed slightly elevated kidney levels and slightly low thyroid levels. So….we kinda expected the kidney values with her bladder tumor (she’s had for a year now) and we thought she might be having a skin issue due to thyroid. But the vets had never seen skin problems like hers with thyroid before which is why we opted for biopsies to be sure. They took from 3 lesions, which had worsened and multiplied since the groomer found the one on her back. It came back as canine epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma or CETL. Very rare cancer, happens to mostly older dogs. Can happen out of the blue, no known cause. Prognosis is poor usually and generally no treatments help. Dogs can live a few months to up to 2 years with it. It all depends on their comfort level and the seriousness of the lesions. She wears a T-Shirt around the house so she won’t bother them. Thankfully, she’s accommodating with that. She still eats great, plays more than the Cavs and is her usual self right now. In fact, Lucy’s is the first case in all the years my vets have been practicing that they’ve seen! So….we are taking it one day at a time. My vet gave me a supplement from Vetri Science called Maitake DMG Pro. They’re chews, which she readily takes (and this is a dog that’s very picky with her treats lol). It is an immune supplement. They’re very new, I can’t even order them yet. I can get it in liquid form right now, though, so I ordered that and I’m hoping she likes it mixed with something. Safflower oil has been known to help some dogs, so I have started with that, too. I’ll keep everyone posted on how she does. Again, thanks for the kind thoughts!

[Harpers Mom]

Because my baby’s allergies and not being able to find store treats that work for her we have opted to home made treats, cow hoofs, antlers, etc. We just purchased a Kong toy that is stuffable. What kind of goodies does everyone stuff them with? Her first “kongsicle” was yogurt and pumpkin. Any ideas for other treats?

[Mom2Cavs]

As far as I know, there has been no recall of any Rachel Ray’s food. If your dogs were doing well on the Just 6 and not so well on the grain free it could be because they have an intolerance to something in the grain free that is not included in the Just 6. I don’t know the protein used in the Just 6, but the grain free uses Turkey, I believe. It could be a protein intolerance….or one of the other ingredients, too. I would just put the dogs back on the Just 6 flavor you were using and see how they do. I have a dog with intolerances/allergies and I can tell within a few days if a food is going to work, or not. I really can’t change her up, like I would like, so she eats pretty much the same kibble for a long period of time. To give variety, I give different brands of canned food (without her intolerant protein/ingredients) and cottage cheese, yogurt, sardines, etc.

[IMillerman]

My little 13 year old Lhas Apso has always had allergies. I had him on raw and he improved to not having and reverse sneezing episodes and good coat. Due to a few things like dental surgery and travel I put him on Steve’s powder mix and lightly cooked chicken and turkey. Did not do as well over time on this. A pet sitter over fed him and gave him way too much goat milk and he had a major episode. Stress is also an issue for this dog and IBS. It’s been hard to get him back to normal since.
Vet put him on a cooked 1/3 chicken, 1/3 rice, 1/3 cottage cheese. He liked it but had bad stools and upset tummy – likely dairy maybe? Now he has him on RC Vet Rabbit and Potato. He seems to just go through this food with lots of poop and bad stools. It’s been over 2 weeks now. We just added 1 TSP pysillium for fiber, a probiotic as well as Standard Process Okra Pepsin 2 x’s daily. Vet wants to scope in a week if no improvement. My dog has never had Rabbit so Vet wanted a novel protein but I’m not so sure his condition is just diet related – maybe his system does not agree with this food.
Any thouights or suggestion greatly appreciated.

[mellowmutt]

Well, the food’s already mixed… I’ve read this advice a lot, but the only links I’ve come across are to those marketing rotational feeding. Maybe one in ten dogs I’ve ever known had food allergies (mostly to “bad” grains); most of the rest lived long, happy lives on the same food day in and day out, mostly dry kibble of dubious quality by today’s standards. I have two very good, related reasons for mixing rather than rotating.

First, the different kibble sizes, and one kibble being “preferred” really slows down Amiga’s feeding rate. I don’t want her “inhaling” her food, which she does when all the kibbles are the same size/smell. Mixed, she’ll try picking out the Orijen kibbles! Of course she winds up eating most of the other kibbles along with, at which point I guess she figures she may as well finish the meal. But it does take her twice as long to eat, this way, and gives me control of what she’s eating with no fuss because…

Second, she’s one of those picky mals who drive their owners to despair with hunger strikes, this being a well-known feature-bug of many individuals of most arctic breeds — which evolved to be headstrong, independent, and require less food than other dogs of similar size. If I rotate the food, which I did try, she’ll just ignore the food dish until what she wants gets put in it — which turns into a battle of wills the human usually loses (I know I’m a sucker for those sad puppy-dog eyes with whimpering), best not let it start if I want her growth rate to be steady not spurty, though.

http://wildpaw.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=8333
http://wildpaw.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=4462
(list goes on)

I also think Amiga’s spoiled enough without letting her choose her own menu, but it’s a real challenge to get her to eat what I want her to eat, regardless of when she eats it. For instance, when she was protesting NVI Rabbit she got away from me, into a neighbor’s house, and chowed down a whole bowl of Kibbles ‘n’ Bits. Came when called, after a short delay, licking her chops and grinning while the neighbor shooed her out of her house… pinned her ears back and rolled over on her back at my feet in a typical-malamute show of faux-submissiveness (neither hind leg straight), then ignored her own food for two more days. Which turned into four when she figured out how to raid the cat food for a few seconds before I caught her at it, then ate the rest of my sandwich off the countertop while I relocated the cat dish. 🙂

This can also be an issue when using toppers, but I’ve figured out how to train around this. I’m redirecting Amiga’s prey drive into SAR training (informally, can’t train with other dog/handler teams until she’s more mature about working when other dogs are present, there’s a reason so many SAR dogs are Goldens). Aside from disliking all forms of transport (no rhyme or reason for it I can figure, which I also hope she matures out of), all the aptitude for SAR work is there, her kibble OCD really shines through in “re-find” work. Her name is well-chosen, especially where kids are concerned; if the scent she’s on is animal she pricks her ears forward, but pins ’em back submissively for any and all humans… excellent potential despite being a malamute, even on tracking work.

She knows the difference between “food” and “umm-umms” and has figured out what I mean when I say “umm-umms on your dinner-food” — a big reward delayed until dinnertime instead of little treats over the course of a long, physically-demanding training session (which she sees as playing hide-and-seek in the forest for a few hours, at this stage). She’s very treat-motivated. Oh, she’ll still skip a meal here and there, but that just lets me know she isn’t getting enough exercise — that and the zoomie circles around the yard. Both of which I’m currently chalking up to being in season, total psycho malamute puppy on my hands atm.

Some Amiga videos here, the one running next to the bike was taken a month ago while the ones playing with the neighbor Husky are from last week, and aren’t mally pups just adorable before they become terrors?

http://www.veoh.com/list/u/bikefat

What worries me is topping kibble with raw/freeze-dried due to the different rates of digestion. If I just feed the toppers as a meal, I’m worried she’ll lose the correlation with it as a treat, and hold out for it as a regular meal by again spurning her kibble — perhaps even the Orijen. With the mix, when she’s hungry she’s really quite excited about being fed, with none of the malamute games we played when I tried rotating five foods and she’d only eat one of ’em.

YMalMV. 😉

[theBCnut]

It can take up to 6 or 8 weeks for all the histamine to clear out of his system from the last reaction, but you can usually tell within days that he is starting to get better. It depends on how strongly he reacts to a food how long it will take to see a reaction. It looks like he reacts strongly to rice and showed a reaction pretty quickly, other things could take days.

NVI LID is a good starting point to try to work this out. Has he ever had a lamb food before? You usually want to start with a protein and starch source that he has never had before and feed it for 6 to 8 weeks to clear all the histamines out of the body. Then start adding back one single ingredient for a few days to see if he reacts to it. If he has a reaction, then go back to what you know worked until the histamine clears again and then start again. Keep records of what you tried. Keep ingredient lists of foods that worked for him and foods that don’t, so you can try to figure out what ingredients in those foods were the trigger.

I’ve been going through this with my dog for a year and a half now and finally have 3 different kibbles he does well on. Now that I have a handle on his triggers, he lives a pretty normal life.

[Susan]

Sure glad I’m not dealing with any mast cell tumors!
Learning about dog food ingredients and how they effect animals is very interesting and frustrating. I want my dogs to want to eat, stay out of the vet’s office, and act, look and smell healthy and clean. The almighty $ seems to be the only issue for some dog food companies.
Thanks

[KaiRyssdog]

Hello,

I signed up last night after finding this forum on a search for dog food allergies. Here’s what’s going on with my dog.

Adopted a miniature schnauzer 8 weeks ago. He had had a UTI right before we got him and so was on Royal Canin’s Urinary SO formula – we got his bag of food when we got him. Then we took him to the vet for a general checkup and bought another small bag there. Everything was fine and he had a lovely silky soft coat. Then took him back to the vet for his 2nd lepto vaccination and bought another bag of the RC, but this time a bigger bag. Didn’t open it right away, as we still had some of the small bag left over (this was about two weeks ago). A couple days after opening and starting the new bag, I noticed the following symptoms (so this was maybe a week ago), increasing in severity:

– when he’d fart (which he hadn’t really done too much of beforehand), it seemed like it hurt him as he’d turn around and look at his butt and then run away
– he got a couple small bumps on his back
– I could smell his anal glands
– small bumps increased in numbers
– licking forearms
– scratching like crazy
– small bumps turned into open, bleeding sores mostly down his back but now on his nose, in his ears, top of his butt, and I just saw one on the tip of his tail – it seems every time I look at him he has a new one!
– didn’t want to eat his food

The first sore appeared Xmas eve, then more on Xmas day. Today I took him to the vet who got a sample of the oozing on his nose and said he had an infection and so put him on prednisone and an antibiotic that is supposed to be geared toward skin infections (don’t have the bottle in front of me).

When he went off his food Xmas eve/Xmas morning, we fed him turkey (plain) and brown rice. Right after that meal he was itchy right away, so the next meal (Xmas dinner) we gave him turkey only and again gave him turkey only for today’s meals.

The top of his nose was a matted mess with his whiskers so we cut some off thinking that he was rubbing his nose because the matted hair was bothering him. We’ve given him two oatmeal baths and I’ve put lavender oil on the scabs, both actions seem to soothe him and give him some peace.

So now some questions:

1) does this sound like a food allergy
2) how long is it going to take before he stops feeling so itchy
3) if he is allergic to an ingredient, how long after he eats will he have a case of the itchies (meaning, do I have to wait days before deciding that something doesn’t work or do the itchies tell me right away)
4) how often can I give him oatmeal baths
5) do I need to be feeding him anything else (something to boost his immune system or help with digestion) supplement-wise
6) how do you decide what to add and when (like potato or pumpkin or yogurt or ??)

I went out and bought him some Nature’s Variety Instinct LID in Lamb formula – does anyone have feedback on this food? I want to be considerate of his recent UTI issue, but I feel like this acute allergy reaction needs to be addressed first – is there something I should specifically stay away from?

I’m sure I have more questions that I forgot to ask but will come up later. He’s my sixth schnauzer in my lifetime and most recent dog (other two are rottiexGSD sisters) in my current family of dogs, and I’ve never dealt with anything like this before.

It breaks my heart to see him in such distress – help!

Thank you,

Susan

[theBCnut]

Someone whose dog had a mast cell tumor listed a few high histamine foods and because I was having a problem at that time with my dog, the tomato pomace stuck in my head, the others didn’t, but I don’t know where I saw it. It wasn in an unrelated topic, because of someones random comment. I haven’t started researching it myself yet.

I googled “foods to avoid with mast cell tumors” and got this
http://www.mastocytosis.ca/symptoms.htm
which led to this
http://www.mastocytosis.ca/MSC%20HT%20Restricted%20Diet%20Nov2012.pdf
I definitely know my dog does not have problems with many of the foods on their list, but they even say that some foods will trigger for some individuals and some won’t, so it still all comes down to doing the detective work to figure out what your own dog’s triggers are.

Then I found this
http://chronichives.com/useful-information/histamine-restricted-diet/#allowedrestricted

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by theBCnut.
• This reply was modified 12 years ago by theBCnut.

[Susan]

Pattyvaughn-
I am staying away from tomato pomace also. What are other histamine foods in dog food?

[theBCnut]

No, but unbalanced probiotics in the gut and/or insufficient digestive enzymes could certainly cause the gas. Poor digestion of protein allows anarobic bacteria to feed off of it, causing an abundance of smelly gas. Adding probiotics and digestive enzymes helps.

[nunyanunya]

Would anal gland issues cause chronic flatulence? My 10mo. old puppy farts all the time! UGH!!! Stinky and gross. He’s done this since I adopted him at 2mo. old. I don’t feed him treats just Solid Gold Wolf Cub puppy food.

[theBCnut]

BTW, anal gland emptying can be a fiber level problem, however the amount of fluid produced can be affected by food allergies. So if your dog has food allergy issues, keep an eye out for anal gland issues too.

[theBCnut]

I’ve discovered with Micah that tomato pomace is a problem and since then read about it being a high histamine food, so that has me wondering if he will have problems with other high histamine foods just because he is prone to histamine reactions.

[Susan]

I have cleared up the ear problems with my dauchshund mix with grain free food and ALWAYS rinse her ears out when she gets a bath every 3 weeks or so. Moisture in her ear will cause problems. The rinse I use is from Dr Foster’s and Smith, but you can get same from the vet or PetMeds. Haven’t had an ear flare up in two years now!
For her anal glands it is about the fiber in kibble. When she starts having a problem, dragging her butt on the ground etc, I add pumpkin or yougart and it works for her.
She doesn’t eat grains or potatoes. I tried Nutrisca brand and they didn’t like-too much peas. Nutrisource GF lamb was a good food, but started not agreeing after second bag. Currently using Earthborn Meadow and they love it and both my dogs are doing very well. Sample of Earthborn Great Plains for their treat and the love the bison too. I use the tub for a spoon of topper, but remove the whole garbanzo bean, creates gas, whoa,. I might need to add some pumpkin, fiber count is a little low for them.
Hope this helps!

[Akari_32]

Chicken flavor is said to not bother allergies, so it should be fine.

I used Innova (prime and regular) almost exclusively for several months until they had that crazy recall. They may have figured themselves out, I’m not sure. I’m not thrilled about P&G buying the company, personally, but it may not be bad now. I have yet to look into the indregients and see if they’ve changed at all, though. Some googling should find you a better answer.

As for TOTW, I’ve used it here and there. No real issues yet. I once bought a bag of the High Prairie, and one of the dogs wouldn’t touch it. I suspect it was a case of a mislabeled forumula, though, as that particular dog absolutely hates fish, and the other dogs loved it.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.

[BlackandBlue]

Update on my certain ingredient intolerant dog. After a 2 month veterinary diet food trial that ended badly with a UTI and skin infection, I really was fed up. I’m a stay at home mom and all my kids are in school. It’s just me and my pets during the day so I’ve been REALLY observing my dog for the last month. You know what sets her off besides chicken, lamb, fish, white & brown rice, soy? GREEN STUFF! Sea meal, seaweed meal, kelp, alfalfa meal, green tea -all bad for my dog. I’ve learned Natural Balance LID’s are excellent for dogs that can’t have green stuff (among other things). If you suspect your dog has the same issue, buy a bunch of different NB LID cans and bags and try them out one at a time and really observe your dog. With my dog I can tell within an hour of feeding her something if it causes excessive licking and scratching and it’s not going to work out.

Unfortunately so many of the better (4 & 5 star) dog foods have too many “extra” ingredients for my dog. Right now I switch my dog daily on the NB LID duck & legumes dry and bison & sweet potatoes dry and she’s just fine. I’m worried though that she’ll start developing intolerances to these current proteins so I’m always on the lookout for something else to add to her rotation.

[Harpers Mom]

After finding out my Bull terrier mix, Harper is highly allergic to grains and chicken it is time to start looking for new foods. She is currently on Simply Nourish High Protein- Grain Free adult food, but we will soon be switching her to something different. I have read that rotating foods help limit allergies to certain foods, but i have no clue where to start when it comes to starting a rotational diet. How many food should be included, how often should they be switched? What are good food to use? I prefer sticking to about $45- $50 for a 30lb bag of food. HELP!

[InkedMarie]

Why can’t you feed him separately? Feed him in another room or a crate. It’s not always feasible to feed three dogs the same food. By the way, a dog with allergies should probably be on a grain free food; rice isn’t the best ingredient for him.

[DogFoodie]

I know Cyndi already bumped up your post, but I am too.

Bless your heart, you’ve really got your hands full! Just curious, has your vet checked his thyroid? Also, do you see a vet who practices traditional veterinary medicine or do you use an integrative / holistic vet? I’d visit a holistic vet; here’s a link to help you find one (it’s not all inclusive, but a good start): http://www.ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html

It sounds as though, in addition to the environmental and food allergies, your little guy might have a systemic yeast infection which has evolved into a leaky gut. Someone has probably been feeding your poor little guy garbage for his entire life. I would start right away supplementing his diet with coconut oil and probiotics (you need to begin repopulating the healthy bacteria in his gut). It looks like your food allergies are: salmon, poultry mix, eggs, milk, wheat, and white potato. I’d look for something minimally processed ~ raw if possible; but if you’re choosing to feed kibble, I’d go for a grain and white potato (probably sweet potato, too) free food to switch him to as soon as possible. The first food that comes to mind is Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets.

[pfegan77]

I just learned that my 3 year old Sheltie is highly allergic to Brewer’s yeast. I’ve been checking all the labels on the Halo food, various nutritional supplements and treats. There are a lot of different yeast products. Do I need to be wary of any type of yeast, not just Brewer’s Yeast? Does Brewer’s Yeast go by any other name(s) which would be listed on the ingredients?

Thanks so much for your help!

[Samoan81]

only help on food I could suggest is that A lot times its suggested to switch from land to sea then to air. SO if you pet is allergic to lamb or chicken which many are, switch to a food blend that contains fish formulas . If that doesn’t work go to air like turkey duck etc

That’s a big list of allergies. Poor baby needs a portable doggie bubble

I would wash all his new bedding clothes with dreft baby detergent

Im sure you can find plenty of items that are hypoallergenic

[Angeldogs]

Thanks Patty, I’ll read up more. I did find the info on the Jean Dodds DVM website. She measures differently from serum, but I don’t see much that’s different. I’m a little perplexed, though, as the allergic response is still controlled in the dog by the mast cell, as it is in humans. In human medicine, the medical field doesn’t usually separate intolerance and allergies. They are all considered a histamine response, and that’s the same mechanism that activates in a dog, whether you are measuring IGG, IGA, IGM, or a complement cascade. Because I suffer from extreme histamine reactions myself, I’ve studied the mechanism in order to LIVE, as my reactions are downright life-threatening. Hmmm…..

[A.Sandy]

Hello Rhonda,
There are plenty of good choices like spring naturals, merrick, taste of the wild, petcurean, Fromm and many more. Try fish flavors to soothe skin, and transition slowly. All made these mentioned are made in the USA. The good thing about your size dog is it’s less expensive to feed even very high quality foods. Don’t be afraid to rotate flavors frequently so she doesn’t get bored, and stay away from science diet and grocery brand pet foods to prevent illness and upset tummies. good luck!!
-Ana
pet nutrition expert/advisor
@pupcatfacts
pupcatnutrition.com

[RhondaP]

I had my mixed Fluffy Chinese Crested breed on Science Hill wet food.. She got bored with Chicken and so we gave her beef.. I am pretty sure she was allergic to the beef, and now the chicken seems to be bugging her as well. I am at a loss for what canned good to give her. She does not like dry! She is 10 pounds.

Any help would be greatly appreciated… I will only use American manufactured brands:)