[Ramona72]

Am feeding salmon/brown rice by Nulo as it was recommend for my dog with allergies. Am also using the following: Ultra hemp oil, Mercola digestive enzymes, 1/2 25 mg Benadryl once a day, & pumpkin for her straining. She passes more stools now, but they are smaller, harder, and black. Anything is the diet that could cause this?

[Mom2Cavs]

veggienut, which poster are you directing your comment to? Bailey, the originator of this thread has resolved his issues by eating a limited ingredient, grain free diet. Yay, glad you’re doing better, Bailey! Allergy testing can be quite expensive and sometimes not all that accurate (as I’ve read and understand it) and an elimination diet might prove to be the best route to go in determining allergies/intolerance in the diet.

[Anonymous]

Licking is a sign of allergies. You should consult your Vet and can do allergy testing to see what your dog is having issues with.

[DogFoodie]

I’m trying to convert a friend at work from Pedigree (yikes!) to a high quality food for her seven year old Cocker Spaniel with allergies and resulting yeast issues.

Her dog had allergy testing completed; and was borderline for the following: duck, rabbit, barley, wheat and cow’s milk. She tested borderline – positive for peanut and sweet potato (white potato was normal).

I’ve been trying to research ingredients for a few days now and have come up with, might potentially be, a couple of contenders; ie: Nature’s Variety, Canine Caviar grain free, EVO, Dr. Tim’s grain free Kinesis to name a few just to start. I wish I could recommend Nature’s Logic, but it contains cheese powder which I presume is out due to the cow’s milk result.

I’d love to hear your suggestions!

[Anonymous]

You didn’t say what food & treats you were feeding. So many health problems are food/treat related.
My Shih Tzu had pancreatitis at 12 yrs. Plus terrible allergies with both my dogs & getting steroids. I started studying dog nutrition. I decided to try Blue Buffalo as this was the only company to write back out of 3 others I contacted.
Within 3 weeks all allergy related problems started going away. in 2 mo. the pancreatitis was GONE and she has never had another bout. She is now 15 1/2 and the boss of the house. no steroid shots or pills for over 3 yrs.
Hound Dog Mom is very knowledgeable so you might also ask her.

[BeagleLover]

Hello,
We adopted our beagle when he was six-months old. At the time, he had ear issues-itching, excess wax, bad smell, etc. After the traditional vet treated him several times for the same symptoms, I figured it was related to his food. Back then I didn’t know about grain-free dog foods and simply searched online for allergy free dog foods.

I found the Holistic Select Brand-Duck & Oatmeal and he was on that diet for about three years. In November, my dog started developing stomach symptoms similar to colitis/IBD. Just last week I had him tested for food allergies using the saliva test-Nutriscan but won’t have the results back for a couple of weeks.

In December, I had switched his dog food again, just to get him off of the grains. The holistic vet I took him to said to feed him a limited dry dog food until his stomach issues are resolved. He recommended Acana Grasslands and my dog has been on that diet close to eight weeks. While his symptoms have not disappeared, they are much better than before. My only concern is that the Grasslands formula has duck in it too. Doesn’t this seem like an unlikely choice?

[NectarMom]

I feed Brothers Allergy Formula and my largest Chihuahua was 17.5 lbs and she has lost 6.5lbs in the last 3 months we have been on Brothers. She still needs to loose a few more pounds and I feel very confident if I keep feeding her the recommended amount then she will loose the rest in no time. I don’t mind getting my dogs food shipped to me since they all seem to be doing well on this brand. The only thing is since the ingredient change with adding Menhaden Fish my dogs don’t eat their food as well so I am hoping by the time I order another bag that they will have changed the Formula back to the original ingredients. But I am grateful that my one with intestinal allergies has not had any issues since we switched off of Acana onto Brothers Allergy Formula. We are still having detox issues though , all 4 of my dogs are still licking their feet and scratching like mad but I am hopeful that this will pass once we are on Brothers for approx 6 mos. I am also adding Mercola Enzymes and Probiotics on their food and that is all they get. No treats or anything else

[sp464]

I have an 8 old Great Dane who refuses to eat unless there’s lots of special treats in it – chicken breast, peanut butter, treats, etc. She’s on the skinnier side of healthy, getting too close to underweight for my taste and her refusal to eat is not helping! We use a glucosamine joint powder that mixes with water, so if she doesn’t eat her food within 20 minutes, it becomes soggy cereal. I’ve tried giving her dry kibble and using the joint powder separately and she still won’t eat the kibble unless she’s starving. She never says no to treats and will walk around sniffing things like she’s hungry but really waits for desperation to set in before she goes for the bowl.

I had her on Canidae, as that’s what she was fed in foster care (I’ve only had her 4 months) and she was fine, though never food motivated. She was also fine staying with my sister for a few weeks. In both places, she had another dog who would gladly eat her food if she left it so I think competition played a big role there.

I recently switched her to Taste of the Wild, as I thought the different flavors might be enticing and I’ve tried two different TOTW flavors but she’s had the same reaction as with Canidae.

Any suggestions of other foods in a similar price range to try? Apart from joint stiffness, she’s got no health issues or allergies that I’m aware of. I’m going crazy trying to please this stubborn old lady!

[Shawna]

Konamisan ~~ other things, like vaccine reactions, can cause these same skin issues that allergies can cause. Has your JRT been vaccinated recently? Also sounds like there might be an internal yeast overgrowth (which can also manifest in symptoms like you are seeing). Does your pup have a “corn chip” or yeasty smell?

Also it is very common to have “set backs” or detoxes when the immune system is compromised and the body is allowed (due to a change to a better food etc) to rid itself of nasties.

How long has she been on the probiotics. Probiotics are very important but can cause a mass die off of systemic candida and that die off causes toxins (released by the yeast as they die). That die off can cause the symptoms you are seeing.

It very well could be a reaction to another food but I think some of these other possible reasons may be worth considering..

[BryanV21]

I’m late to the party, but when I have dogs with bad allergies I recommend Primal treats. They have nothing but meat in them, and come in a few varieties including venison.

[lewalk]

Okay, here’s my situation that I’m hoping to get some help with. There are no shelters or rescues in the parishes where I live and work so the animal problem is out of control. I have become the crazy dog lady around these parts. It’s to the point where people stop me on my mail route and offer me dogs. Ten years ago we bought our daughter a lab. I didn’t know better than to not shop, adopt. I do now. Actually I pick up starving and abandoned dogs rather than adopt. This has led to my having the lab who is ten and seven other dogs age three and under. I have realized recently that I need to change their food as they have an array of health problems. My lab is fairly healthy with the exception of dry skin and icky runny eyes. The three year old rat terrier has an itchy behind and has developed a darker pinkish tint bordering on a rash on his belly and inside his arms. The three year old pit mix is surprisingly healthy especially since she was starving when I picked her up. The one year old husky/German shepherd mix is healthy as well. I picked up four pit mix litter mates several months ago running down the highway in the rain. We have since learned they have an immune disorder which has led to them having red mange. The two black pups have dry skin and runny eyes like my lab. One brown pup has diabetes and one has recurring yeast infections on her belly. They are all on a mix of Red Flannel Adult and Purina Puppy Chow with Red Flannel Puppy recently mixed in. I feed them all the same food because it’s easier for me because they always want what the others are eating. I just realized their health problems could be from food allergies. Of course I feed the diabetic dog differently. She eats Science Diet w/d dry and canned food. I don’t have the money to spend a fortune on food as I have a lot of vet bills but I want them to be healthy and happy. Added to this is a puppy less than a year old who has IVDD. I had the sheriff go to the people’s house that had her and talk to them as she was barely able to walk and they weren’t caring for her. Cut to, me having another baby to care for. My saint of a mother is keeping her at her house while we give her the time she needs to rest and hopefully heal. I was also wondering if there was something I could feed her to boost her immune system as well. I was never really an animal person so I don’t know much. I’m trying to learn but am a bit overwhelmed. I will gladly accept all advice and be very thankful for it. I’m sure I haven’t included the correct info. I tend to ramble on and on when it comes to my fur babies.

[LindseyPaterson]

I have a 1 year old Rottie who is currently on Medi-Cal Hypoallergenic dry dog food. The vet recommended this because they think he has a food allergy (when i rescued him he had patches of fur missing and is itchy and scratches) he has been getting better since he has had antibiotics and on this food. But I have been recommened by fellow Rottie owners to switch to Blue Wilderness the Duck one or Acana (the one with duck in as well) Im just worried that the blue wilderness one might trigger the allergies as it has chicken in it as well and i was told to stay away from foods that have common ingredients in them because his old owners fed him cheap food and that could be the cause to his skin condition. Any suggestions or opinions would help. Thanks.

[pugmomsandy]

here is a link. I haven’t investigated it.

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/index.htm#What_diseases_has_it_been_useful_for

quotes:

I encourage you to discuss off-label use of naltrexone with your MD or veterinarian; consider printing some overview info from a web site that you’ve looked at, and take the copy to them. Be prepared for blank looks and then anything from mild interest to concern to outright resistance. This use of LDN is NOT well known; there’s no significant money behind it. Using LDN is spreading based mostly on word-of-mouth suggestions like mine. There are NO large, long-term, double-blind published clinical trials proving anything about the efficacy of LDN, because there’s not enough future profit. The availability of the 50mg tablets at current low prices (under roughly 6 different brand names) makes it impossible to recover the huge cost of such trials at 1/10th that existing dosage. Thus, existing trials are small and slow to be funded. You’ll have to rely on things like the Yahoo groups and web sites you find, and be willing to trust people talking about their own personal experiences. I don’t need trials to affirm what I’ve seen with my own eyes and what others report about their direct personal experiences. Do your reading; get comfortable at your own level of research; THEN take that background with you to speak with your (or your pet’s) health professionals.

From the woman I quoted in November:
“We use it especially with our geriatric dogs like Buck at 17 and Blessed at 12. A dog that is Silken sized [note: Silken Windhounds range 25-50 lbs from smallish females to oversized males] uses 1/3 to 1/2 mg per day. It comes in 50 mg pills for about $9, so it runs less than $9 per month [one 50mg pill provides 100 doses at 1/2mg nightly]. You can find info on how to dissolve the pill here (only dissolve 1/2 of a pill at a time

Sebaceous Adenitis is an auto-immune problem. Here’s information from a woman I know, about the off-label use of a drug called naltrexone. In its off-label usage, it’s referred to as “low-dose naltrexone” or just by the initials LDN. This is based on the ability of this drug to boost the immune system when taken at doses lower than 10% of the official FDA-approved use. Here’s info from one of this woman’s recent posts, in which she recommends someone consider LDN for her dog’s severe allergy problems (since allergies are now understood to be an auto-immune problem).

***quote***
… It is possible to strengthen the immune system easily and cheaply with Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN).

Chuck was deathly allergic to poison ivy, to the point of nearly being
hospitalized at the thought of it. He started LDN on May 1, 2009 just to accompany me in taking it for my multiple sclerosis, but found that by the next summer, he could play in poison ivy with no reaction at all.

My Mom has been severely lactose intolerant all of her adult life. She takes the LDN for her Crohn’s, but finds now that if she goofs up and has some cheese or ice cream, there is no problem. As an aside, my MS and her Crohn’s are totally under control, too.
[Side Note: I met this woman during the time she followed all the rules for managing MS–she lost significant memory function, was completely debilitated by heat, and was losing physical control of her body. When forced to give up all the best drug therapies available (due to loss of insurance) she learned about LDN. With NO other therapy, just a single daily dose of LDN has restored her to the point that you can’t see any outward signs that she ever had MS to begin with! She’s not cured by any means, but her body is fighting the MS much more effectively. The result: instead of getting worse and worse every year like when she took the costly but officially approved drugs, this woman’s health has actually been *restored.* She got her body, her memory, her very life back!]

[konamisan]

Hello Everyone 🙂
I thank God for this site & Forum! I have a female JRT, she will be 6 yrs this March 2013. I have transitioned my beautiful JRT to “RAW” 9 months ago. I changed her diet because she wok me up at 3am in the morning whinning, scratching and the strangest thing I ever saw and experienced in my life. Her skin under her coat was a inflamed red and couldn’t believe how much she resembled a pug due to the whelps, bumps and hives she had all over her body. I could not imagine what could have brought this on??? I rushed her to the aspca emergency costing me a not so pretty penny! She was given an injection & some allergy meds. I held her and rocked her as the whipppering subsided.
Now nearly a year, vet visits, excessive shedding, scratching, ear infections, paw sores, excessive licking, more vet visits, more money, more money, 3 months wearing an e-collar. Just miserable. So as a MOM, I decided to do some research for these allergies she was yet properly diagnosed for and I read that an ancestral diet would be the best thing for her, so I have tried several brands from Steve’s to Nature’s Instinct, Darwin’s, Bravo’s Stella & Chewy, the list goes on. I had to elimnate dry kibble that consisted of glutens, grains, white & sweet potatoe, rice, flax seed, which increased the yeast growth in her ears which was almost like a cauliflower shap from the scratching, bleeding and infections. So here I am looking for much needed help because her allergies started up again. She scratched so bad under her front leg that she developed an infection there as well! she wouldn’t even let me touch her. She is still eating raw, but I don’t see any positive results nor changes. I currently have her on Instinct’s “Rabbit & Lamb” Buying anything and ordering from any retailer is practically hard to order due to the location of where I live. I have been reading the forum thread here & see that Primal & Bravo is the hot topic. I have her on Dr. Karen Becker’s Krill oil, Ubiquinol & probiotics. She is still shedding excessively! I can make another dog with all the hair on the floor & furniture of my home. I vaccum 3 times a week. I even had to change the shampoo I was bathing her with. If anyone comes by to visit, I tell them don’t wear black! LOL. I also have a Yorkshire Terrier, thankfully no problems with him Amen! So to all you wonderful people here, I could sure use your advice on what I can and should do??? As far as putting her back on Primal or Bravo’s???
Thank You ALL Sincerely,
Konamisan

[Mom2Cavs]

Thanks for the info. HDM! Interesting..I’ve been toying with the idea of feeding Nature’s Logic to my crew. The dogs are eating Merrick grain free for their kibble atm. They love it and all are doing very, very well with it. No allergy issues like tearing, anal glands, etc. I’ve also been using Merrick cans (concerned about the carageenan, of course), S. Nourish cans, and recently some Instinct cans as toppers. As I mentioned before on the recent comments section, I’ve also fed some freeze dried raw. The dogs get Fresh Digest half/dosed daily (prebiotics and plant enzymes). Lucy gets Standard Process Renal Support, too. I’m currently not using any extra omegas. My cat is eating Instinct Raw Boost kibble (which she loves) and Merrick, S. Nourish, Fromm, Soulistic, and recently some Tiki Cat cans. I tried Instinct cans with her but she absolutely will not eat them! I find this strange….maybe it’s the smell, texture, or even flavor? She is kinda picky. I know that Nature’s Logic is technically not grain free but I like the fact they don’t use synthetic vits. I might start wih the canned as toppers for the dogs since I do so like the Merrick kibble for them. My cat also has some issues I deal with. She has a pharyngeal polyp (husband won’t okay $ for surgery…but that’s another story) and she does do some obsessive over grooming (back only). I leaning toward allergies (re the overgrooming) but she is very finicky and won’t even try the limited ingredient diets I’ve tried (Natural Balance, various flavors). I believe her sense of smell is not the greatest with the polyp and the LIDs are usually bland. I’m thinking of trying Instinct’s LIDs with her, though. Except for the overgrooming on her back her coat is like silk! I know that overgrooming can be an OCD thing in cats, too, and she does seem to have that personality (she’s a Tortie). Anyway, I think I’m gonna get some Nature’s Logic for her, too, and see if she likes it and does better without the regular vits. She also gets some freeze dried raw. Sorry for going on and on….haha, just wanted to vent. Thanks! 🙂

[aimee]

Hi Mellisaandcrew,

I found this on Cerenia : “Cerenia is labeled only for treatment of nausea and vomiting, but can potentially be used extra-label for pain, inflammation, GI disturbances, allergies and immune diseases, bladder inflammation, CNS and spinal cord injury, and mast cell diseases.”

I Couldn’t Live Without: Cerenia

Maybe it is of benefit as an anti inflammatory early in the course of pancreatic inflammation ?????

[NectarMom]

I feed Brothers Allergy to 3 out of my 4 dogs. The only one of my dogs that can eat the White meat formula from Brothers always does fine on most anything except shes still scratching like mad on her sides but it could be environmental also because even my other 3 on the Allergy formula are scratching and right now my skin is really dry. We have been on this brand for 6 weeks , maybe a bit longer and I am giving extra Enzymes and Probiotics to all 4 every feeding and they all had horrible gas before and now none of them have gas but all 4 have acid reflux and they never had that before. My one with intestinal allergies sometimes will walk through the house and spit up watered down kibble. I limit how much they get each feeding. I feed 1/8 cup morning and 1/8 cup evening. I have 3 Chihuahuas and 1 Imperial Shihtzu. It is like pulling teeth to get them to eat the Allergy formula but they have to like it and thats all they get because my one hadn’t had any bloating and discomfort in quite a while since switching to Brothers Allergy formula but she cannot eat the white meat recipe nor any of the biscuits from Brothers. Intestinal allergies are very painful for a dog and I can tell almost immediately when something does not sit well with her. All 4 of my dogs ate the Original Allergy formula much better than since they added the Menhaden fish to it now. I wonder if they ever plan to switch back at all. I don’t mean to be a downer about this food but when 4 dogs do not want to eat it unless they are just so hungry then it must taste pretty bad.

[PennyLanesMom]

Hi Amydunn19
Oh your poor dog taking on a copperhead. I think it was a mixture of feeding our JRT small bites of people food ALL the time, raw hide bones, and predisone for allergies. Our Vet will do anything he can to help. I will ask him about your suggestions. Our JRT is on pepcid right now and I plan to keep her on it for a little while longer – I don’t want her to relapse again. She has been on medication twice as long this time. Have you ever used the Purina FortiFlora probiotics with your JRT? They were given to ours both times and I don’t know if I trust them. They have a 12% fat content and it just worries me a little. Would love to know any feed back.
Thanks so much 🙂

[Miss Spirit]

Our nearly 8 year-old Golden Retriever is starting to itch more than ever. What seemed to be only seasonal allergies is now growing to a year-round trend. 🙁 My head is spinning trying to figure out where to go next in terms of diagnosis, treatment options, etc.

While perusing the net I landed on this fairly new product called Doggie Goo. It seems like it’s too good to be true (you know what they say about that.) Has anyone tried Doogie Goo for their dog’s allergies? Any insights to share?
Thank you!
Lou Ann

[nrite71]

My soon to be 2yr old rescued pitmix seems to have a slightly different problem. Her glands seem to express themselves too often and at crazy times. We tell her she has stinky butt and she walks to the bathroom and waits patiently to be wiped and spritzed. I have taken her numerous times to the vet, only to be told “there is nothing there”…nothing there because it’s on my couch or carpet! I have taken to making her crazy HIGH fiber dog cookies at home..but we are not always consistent with how many she gets and how often throughout the day. Sometimes my kids give her a ton and other days not so many. She currently eats Wellness Complete Dry. I want to change her food to maybe something with more veggie fiber but the idea of switching her is not appealing. She has the most sensitive GI track and if she gets the runs…well that doesn’t help with her anal sacs. If we could keep her consistently draining them when she went out side for potty breaks that would be great. Unfortunately she can just be laying around and you get a whiff of it and want to die! Can anyone suggest a dry dog food that is good all around and might be higher in veggie fiber. So far she doesn’t have allergies but her eyes do get yucky if her ears start getting messy. She is a sweet girl and we love her ..and her stinky butt…but we would love for everyone’s sake if we could get rid of the stench. I am going to look into the miracle homeopathic stuff mentioned in an earlier post… maybe it will help her.

[amydunn19]

James – While I agree with some of what you say in theory, it doesn’t always hold true in reality. I think Kristi probably would get better results with a long-acting insulin such as R, but without a vet who is well versed in diabetes, it is a dangerous proposition. Comparing diabetes in humans to diabetes in dogs is helpful in many respects as there are similarities, the flaw with that is dogs can’t communicate in terms we can understand until trouble is there. They can’t say they are feeling bad or shaky and short of checking their sugar many times a day, there is no way to know. If you can stay home non-stop with your dog, then great but most people don’t have that luxury. Also, to say diabetes is impossible to control with nph insulin is just wrong. I have done it for five years now and there are many others out there who have – in fact most dogs are maintained on nph. And just because someone uses a long acting insulin doesn’t mean you throw routine out the window. These dogs are best maintained on the same amount of food at the same time every day. As far as low glycemic foods are concerned, I have found just through my personal experience, that my dog’s blood sugar is just consistently lower and better since she is on Nutrisca. She feels better, looks better and it helps with her allergies. I actually tried Evo when she was first diagnosed and her bg was sky-high on it. The one thing I have found is that diabetic dogs react differently to different food. There was a series in the Whole Dog Journal last year about diabetic diets and the interesting part was there were many different case studies of diabetic dogs and almost all of them were on completely different foods. Some were on commercial diets, home cooked, raw, and even prescription diets but the owners all had great success by finding the food that worked for their dog. You can analyze the numbers and ingredients until your face is blue but if the theoretical “best” food doesn’t give you results, then you have to consider how your dog processes insulin and food.
Kristi, I would find an online forum for dogs with Cushings and/or diabetes so you can talk to people who are going through what you are with their dogs. There are tons of knowledgeable people out there who can really tell you about Cushings and diabetes who live it everyday.

[NectarMom]

Thanks Patty for you recommending I try Mercola enzymes and probiotics. I feed Brothers Allergy to my one with intestinal Allergies and tried the white meat formula and she got very bloated so then we knew that protein source she cannot deal with. She eats the Allergy formula but not with gusto. I cannot. Wait for Brothers to bring back the original Allergy Formula. I have a bunch of bags of white meat formula (Thank you again Richard for sending that) 3 out 4 of my dogs eat it and one has to have the Allergy formula. I want to eventually get all 4 back on the Original Allergy Formula when it comes back out.

Getting back to the enzymes and Probiotics. My lil intestinal allergy girl is doing so much better now that I am adding 1/2 scoop of enzymes to her 1/8 cup food in the morning and in the evening we do 1/2 scoop of probiotics with 1/8 cup of food. So far so good.

The only thing that has my vet puzzled is in an Allergy Formula why would Chicken livers be added when Chicken is usually an allergy protein in some dogs? And then we have the other 3 on the white meat formula. They have been on Brothers since Dec 10, 2012 and we have had ups and downs but I am hopeful. They are all 4 still scratching and licking feet and one has yeast and bacteria in her ears and after using what the Vet prescribed (Tresaderm) she had a bad reaction and her ears turned blood red so I did some research on my own and ordered some Zymox and its been only Day 3 but its looking good so far.

[InkedMarie]

Iams and Ole Roy are not good foods at all. I suggest if you travel to make sure you have a small bag of what you feed always with you. For the dog with allergies, you may want to look at a grain & potato free food. If you click the link for dog food ingredients, there is a stickie at the top with a list of those foods.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi DrYattz –

You really can’t give a healthy dog too much protein. Most of the Solid Gold formulas (aside from Barking at the Moon) are actually low in protein, so I doubt that was the issue. My dogs eat a raw diet with 45%-55% protein at each meal – about twice as much protein as is in most kibbles. As far as worrying about availability I’d recommend you get your dogs used to rotating foods. Switching between brands and protein sources is MUCH healthier than feeding the same food day in and day out. Once you get your dogs used to it you shouldn’t even have to transition between foods. Before I switched to raw when my oldest was on kibble I got a new brand of food with a new protein source every 2-3 weeks and a rotated canned food toppers daily – he had no digestive issues. All three of my dogs now eat raw and get something different at each meal – no issues here either. The Ol Roy Pure Balance looks like a decent budget friendly food, it’s low in protein and fat though so it’s a good thing you’re adding the chicken.

[DrYattz]

We have three hounds: Annabelle (a golden retriever), Nellie (a black lab/beagle), and Sophie (who looks like an albino brittany spaniel). After years of struggling to feed them all well, we began giving them a mix of chicken (boiled, shredded leg meat) and dry food. The dry food remains the issue: Solid Gold (too high protein?) made their stools green and slimey, and IAMS Healthy Naturals appears to be provoking an allergic reaction in Sophie. She spends hours licking and chewing her paws and her butt, and the fur under her tail is now a deep brown color. (The other dogs appear to be doing quite well.)

One issue is our lifestyle: we travel a great deal, generally with the dogs. It has happened several times that we find ourselves running out of dogfood in a remote corner of Georgia or Virginia. The availability of the chicken is never a problem, but certain dry foods can be impossible to find. So, we switched to the Iams because we could get it at WalMart or Kroger fairly easily. Yes, we could be better organized and order large stocks of something less readily available, but the convenience of grabbing a bag of dry food in St. Simons (rather than driving two hours to Savannah) is difficult to give up.

We are looking at Ol Roy Pure Balance Lamb and Brown Rice. But we wonder if, with lots of protein and fat coming from the chicken we give them twice a day, if we shouldn’t consider something else. Any guidance would be appreciated.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi gypsygirl –

A good place for this post would be the Diet and Health issues thread. The difference between grain-free and hypoallergenic is that hypoallergenic foods just avoid common allergens, grain-free is just grain-free. Hypoallergenic foods are often grain free, but they generally use a novel protein as well. Was your dog itching on Orijen? If she wasn’t I’d go back to that, it’s a great food. Dandelion in the food shouldn’t bother her because of pollen allergies. Another food you might want to check out is Nature’s Variety Instinct – they have a Limited Ingredient line that uses novel proteins and it’s grain free and white potato free.

[gypsygirl]

I am new here and wondering if anyone has heard of a dog food called Canine Plus Lifetime, a Canadian company, it is corn free, wheat free, and by=product free. My little shiz shu has many allergies and have her on Natures Harvest Hypo allergenic now but still itching. What is the difference between grain free and hypo allergenic. I had her on origen fish but saw that it had dandelion stuff in it and since she is also allergeric to grass and pollen and the like I took her off that. Hope this is in the right place and if not could someone point me in the right direction for this topic. thank you

[InkedMarie]

Does your dog have any allergies or anything? I have a yeasty dog and just found out, this week, that I need to make sure he has an animal enzyme, not plant. We’re all still learning but glad to read you don’t want to put him on the vets food. Don’t!!

[weimaraner]

Hi
My vet put Jack on Iam veterinary low residue dog food for this condition but i read the reviews and it seems to be a low quality dog food. Weims develop allergies later. He is in good health and has had negative stool specimens. WHat probiotic do you suggest and what dog food that is found at usual specialty dog food stores? My female is on Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Salmon.

thanks,
loren

[panda]

Hi Betsy,

Thank you for your concern and advice. And to you also HDM.

Sorry, I’m not familiar with the term D/D. From what I gather taking out grain and corn seems to stop a lot of allergies. Will keep you posted.

The sweet potatoes we are familiar with are like an orange color – like a cross between carrots and potatoes. I would be interested to know if they are considered ‘white’ as far as dog food is concerned. If they are I did not know that.

Thank you,

Panda

[Shawna]

No, Audrey has never had any other issues except the kd. Blood pressure is good.. Her kidneys didn’t develop properly before being born. I do everything in my power to make sure she has little to no inflammation in her body. I don’t have any toxins in my home that the kidneys/liver have to filter. I looked at the ingredients in all the products I used (swiffer sweeper cleaning liquid etc) and checked their MSDS or the CDC to see if each ingredient was kidney friendly. I got rid of almost all cleaners etc I was using prior to Audrey coming to me. Many (actually most) of them were “green” too.

She also only gets reverse osmosis or distilled water.. The tap water in my area is not truly “clean” (has fluoride etc).

I do give her nutraceuticals as well — she gets enzymes with EVERY meal. She gets the pro and prebiotics as needed. She gets a product called Canine Renal Support from Standard Process which I think has been a HUGE part of her health. I also give her Canine Hepatic Support to help her liver. The liver is more likely to get stressed because the kidneys aren’t doing their part. She gets extra vitamin B complex and C — these are water soluble vitamins and are lost in excess due to the large volumes of urine so they need to be supplemented. Most vets don’t discuss these kinds of things that will help our kd pups live a longer healthier life…

Audrey has NEVER had a rabies shot. She is exempted for life. She’s never had any vaccines except her first puppy shots (distemper, parvo and adeno). No lymes, lepto, kennel cough etc. They know that vaccines can stress the kidneys. She also has never had flea/tick or heartworm meds, pharmaceutical dewormers etc. ALL of these add insult to injury.

I haven’t used it but I’ve spoken with others that have had very very good success with an herbal regimen by Five Leaf Pharmacy (my father is a Master Herbalist so he could make these for me at less than half the cost—otherwise I probably would have tried them).. He liked the formulas.. http://caninekidneyhealth.com/

[Hound Dog Mom]

I wouldn’t feed D/D to a dog with allergies. The D/D salmon is only 18% protein (the minimum a dog needs to survive) and the first two ingredients are potatoes. There are too many high quality limited ingredient diets available for anyone to need to go with a food like this. Many companies out there are very trustworthy as far as ingredients (many even utilize human grade ingredients) on the label matching what’s in the bag. If ingredients being accurate truly is a concern homemade would be a much better option. I think in some extreme cases prescription foods may be necessary to get a condition under control but they aren’t a long term solution, they’re low quality and over priced. There are commercial foods out there that will help dogs with most conditions and I believe a homemade diet can be formulated to help most any condition.

[lizemma]

Shawna, thanks so much for the information. It is encouraging to hear how well your puppy is doing. That website you provided the link for is a really good resource too.

I heard about the need for moisture. Right now I add a B Complex liquid to her low phosphorus kidney kibbles, but they are still fairly dry. I don’t mind adding home cooked food, but I’m going to get some guidance in that area.

Does your dog also have high blood pressure? It quite often goes along with kidney disease. My dog has this as well so she will have to take blood pressure pills. They are going to monitor her closely, but if her kidneys don’t have to work so hard, then maybe it will go down and I won’t have to give her that extra med.

The nitrogen trapping isn’t anything my Vet suggested so I will definitely bring that up when I consult with another Vet on this. My puppy, Emma, is 12, turning 13 this year. She is a small dog and I want her around for a long time, living a quality life so I want to do all that I can for her!

[TwoDeafBoxers]

Ramona, one of my boys has IBD resulting from severe food allergies as it took over a year to figure out everything he was allergic to. One of the things I eliminated was grain but it took us forever to figure out he was also Gluten intolerant and just because its grain free doesn’t mean it’s gluten free. I’m sure you’re already doing a single protein very limited diet (treats included) but I also found that the Vetri-Science BD supplement helped during the flareups. I make all my dog treats with Buckwheat flour and he getscgets coconut oil added to his food daily. I hope you can find something that works for you soon.

[Shawna]

Hi Lizemma ~~ I missed this post earlier.. My dog, Audrey, was born with kidney disease. She started showing symptoms of excess drinking and urinating at about 6 weeks of age. She came to me at 9 weeks of age. She was officially diagnosed at her one year check up.

Audrey was weaned onto a raw diet and has been eating raw her whole life. She is now 6 and 1/2 years old and still very healthy. She still has kidney disease but unless you look at her blood work or see her drink/urinate you wouldn’t know she was not completely healthy.

Raw isn’t for everyone but it is VERY VERY VERY important to feed dogs with kidney disease a high moisture diet. If raw isn’t an option consider home cooked or canned.

In the earlier stages of kidney disease (despite what your vet says) you do NOT need to lower protein. In fact, they now know that lowering protein too early in the disease actually does more harm than good. I don’t even feed Audrey a low phosphorus food but it is wise to begin to lower phosphorus. The amount to lower is completely based on the stage of the disease.

An EXCELLENT website for all things involving canine kidney disease is nutritionist Mary Straus’ website. She has accurate and current info with research articles linked to back up her comments. She also has a list of lower phosphorus kibble/canned/dehydrated etc foods. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

If your vet hasn’t talked to you about “nitrogen trapping” I HIGHLY recommend researching it. Utilizing nitrogen trapping can help significantly (by up to 10 points) clean BUN out of the blood and routing it through the colon sparing the kidneys from having to filter it. Nitrogen trapping involves probiotics and a certain kind of fiber to feed those probiotics. I use acacia fiber — it’s called Sprinkle Fiber and the brand is Fiber 35. It’s made for human consumption but I had the most positive results using this brand with my Audrey.

Best wishes for many more healthy years with your pup!!!!!

[lizemma]

Thank you for your replies. From my research and my Vet’s opinion, I don’t think raw food is the way I want to go, although there are great testimonials about feeding raw food to dogs.

I will definitely look into California Naturals. I haven’t heard of that brand. Meats are high in phosphorus so low protein is helpful. I have read that fish is high in phosphorus, but possibly the kangaroo or venison formula may work. I will look into the other ingredients. I plan on speaking to another Vet so I will bring these suggestions.

Thanks again for taking time to respond.

[husky3]

Wow, thank you for your response!! I have been searching for an answer for a very long time…

I was not aware of Potatoes having toxins… It’s interesting that you bring up allergies, I was just thinking the other day that she might be allergic to something. I noticed her lips/muzzle seemed a little more “plump” than normal… But I chalked that up to her being overweight, since she is not itchy, has a beautiful thick coat, and no skin problems.

She is up to date on all her vaccinations, and since seeing our new vet (who is wonderful, might I add), we’ve recently decided that we will only go with the mandatory Rabies vaccination which is due next month. They run a titer blood test to confirm they don’t need additional vaccines. She has never had any GI problems, and she gets Trifexis once a month for any possible worms/fleas. I’m not sure what other environmental things could be bothering her, what other environmental things were you referring to?

I have notice a slight change in her physique since we upped the exercise, but still no actual weight loss after 8 months of decreased calories and increased exercise. I will look into the Brothers Complete, and, quite frankly, I’m afraid to try the RAW diet, I’ve heard it’s difficult to make sure they are getting all the nutrition they need, in addition to the protein. I may have to suck it up and try it though, or at least incorporate it into their diet a couple times a week. 🙂

I am very excited to research all the great information you provided, and I think I will have an allergy test ran to see what foods she might be sensitive to. Hopefully we will finally find our answer!

Thank you again for your response, I really appreciate your input. 🙂
Hope you have a Happy New Year!

[oceandog]

Ok, I think I get it now. Of the proteins on those sites, I believe I can find Rabbit and fish treats, so they would be the best protein sources to choose, so he has treats too. Then after the trial of 2-3 months, add 1 and only 1 ingredient at a time and monitor.

I will look into the probiotic supplements as well. I did read the thread about detoxifying and I do understand the difficulties. I have celiac disease and am intolerant of dairy. So I have experienced the extreme discomfort these things cause. I avoid processed foods or pay the price. Short story.

As far as vaccines, I had Addisons dogs prior to Brody, so I didn’t vaccinate like most do. I do not plan on yearly vaccinations for Brody either. He has had his puppy shots and that is that. I suppose since he had had 1 shot already when I got him that could explain the chewing on his legs and feet.

For now, I will get in an order of rabbit or fish (so I can find treats) and give it some time and see what happens over the next few months. I do know my local pet store has some crunchy fish skin treats that he loves, so that maybe a good direction. Thank you again, I will keep updated with his progress.

He means the world to me, I lost my mother from cancer in July and 12 days later my Boston, Bosco. So Brody has literally put life in my life again. I want more than the best for him. His food budget is greater than my own!

[Hound Dog Mom]

I don’t think it matters which protein you choose, just go with one he’s never eaten before. You can give treats, but it should be simple single ingredient with just the protein you’re feeding him. So say you go with goat, any treat you feed should be just goat nothing else. Just during the period of time that you’re trying to figure out what his food-triggers are (if there are any). If you’re feeding, say, a raw diet with goat and starting giving a biscuit that has chicken and carrot and sweet potato and peas then he has a reaction, you would have no way of knowing if the reaction was caused by the goat, the chicken, the carrots, the sweet potato or the peas – you know what I mean? So during the ingredient trial period simple is best. Once you get past the 2-3 month period and start re-introducing other foods and figure out which (if any) ingredients are triggering his actions you can buy treats with safe ingredients – but before you can do that you need to figure out which ingredients are safe. And as, as I said in my previous comments, I would strongly encourage a high quality pro-biotic supplement (Mercola’s and Garden of Life’s Primal Defense are two of the best) because, like Toxed just pointed out, a healthy gut is the foundation of immune health.

[oceandog]

Without any treats (wow!) what would be the best way to train? He is completely food motivated. He looks for his little nibble as I am traning.

I am at a loss which protein to choose for him. Is it a matter of cost, personal preferance or do they each have advantages? I will look into the other suggestions as well, about detoxifying and vaccinosis. Thank you both!!

[oceandog]

I have looked at the sites and hare-today.com certainly has a tremendous variety! Do you feel there is a better choice of unique protein than an another? Also, at what point would I be able to determine if it is food vs. environmental? How would you know? I wish there was something as easy as a blood test, though that is stressful, that would determine once and for all!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi oceandog –

That’s great that you still feed your dog a meat based diet and are willing to feed raw even though you’re vegan, it must be tough to do! 🙂 While I completely respect vegetarians and vegans, I see too many that try to force their lifestyle on their dogs and cats and I personally don’t think it’s fair…

Hare-Today.com and Mypetcarnivore.com sell pre-ground mixes with muscle meat, bone and organs in the correct proportions – so you wouldn’t need to chop up any meat or anything, it comes looking just like a pre-made raw (it just doesn’t have the supplements or veggies). They have several novel protein sources. Hare Today sells goat, goose, llama, pheasant and quail and My Pet Carnivore sells alpaca, goat, muskrat and rabbit. I’d just recommend adding the supplements I listed in my previous post – vitamin e (a capsule for humans a couple times a week), fish oil (for omega 3’s), kelp & alfalfa (trace nutrients) and probiotics (to help strengthen his gut). I’d leave out any other ingredients and just keep it basic during the elimination trial so when you start re-introducing ingredients you can know what the issue is. Only feed one protein source and don’t give any treats.

[Toxed2loss]

Hi Oceandog,

Sounds like you’re on the right track diet wise. However, diet & environment go hand in hand. Both need to be addressed in order to eliminate your dogs issues. If you click “forums” again, then choose “Diet and Health Issues” you will see a number of threads. I’d encourage you to read the “Detoxing” thread on page 2, for a good understanding of how the immune system works, and the “Vaccinating” thread on page one. The symptoms you’ve listed for your pup are symptoms of vaccinosis.

Here’s the bottom line, when you remove all dietary & environmental toxins, and detox the body, the “allergies” go away.

I feed Brother’s Complete Fish formula, for the kibble portion of my girls diet (& raw). Brother’s has encapsulated probiotics. Gut health is the foundation of the immune system. I also use Mercola’s astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant to help their detox.

[oceandog]

I have had him on raw until the vet prescribed a specialty anallergen kibble (not good stuff in my opinion). I have a kibble now because the raw I have been using does not have novel protein sources. They have turkey, chicken, duck and beef. I am going to be honest and since I don’t know anyone here yet I hope that readers will be kind. 🙂

I am a 22+ year vegetarian/vegan and while I cannot eat meat myself, I don’t believe that I should force that on my dogs as I believe they are carnivores. The reason I say this is I don’t believe I could make my own raw. Unless you eat the way I do you cannot imagine how truly difficult it is for me to deal with the raw on a daily basis. I have to slightly warm it or he won’t touch it, the smell is my undoing. Not to mention the mess. So, having said all of that? I don’t think I am up to making my own. If I read your post correctly, those two links above have novel protein in a raw form? If so, do I have to do anything to it or can I just feed it as it comes? I will look for this information on the sites, and I so appreciate your feedback. This has been quite difficult. I thought we had it figured out a couple of times but I think my error was not keeping him on a restricted diet long enough.

It is of course possible it is a habit or environmental. Yesterday though he was chasing his leg in circles to chew on it. So I just don’t know. I have the kangaroo kibble that I will continue on until I can review and possible order from the suggested sites. I have kept kibble on hand for training purposes. Do it seem reasonable to keep the kibble for this purpose if I can find an appropriate raw?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi oceandog –

When you fed raw did you use a novel protein source? Honestly, if he was experiencing these issues on a grain-free raw diet with a novel protein source, I would be inclined to think it’s more likely to be a compulsive behavior or something in the environment. Since raw is not an issue for you, rather than messing around with kibble I’d put him right on a raw diet. I’d personally go with a grind from hare-today.com or mypetcarnivore.com (the grinds contain muscle meat, organ meat, bone and nothing else) – pick one with a protein he’s never eaten before (they’ve got some pretty novel proteins like goat, duck, quail, rabbit, etc.). I’d feed him the grind with a vitamin e supplement, fish oil, kelp/alfalfa blend and a high quality multi-strain probiotic with nothing else for 2-3 months (no treats either!). After 2-3 months, assuming the issues have cleared, gradually start introducing new protein sources and other food items such as vegetables, fruits and eggs. Introduce each item one at a time and closely monitor his reaction. Keep a journal or something noting which foods cause reactions and which don’t. After you figure out which foods trigger his reaction you can start looking into pre-made raw foods (if you wish or you can keep making your own) that don’t contain any of his allergy triggers. If something like this doesn’t work, then I highly doubt his issues are food related.

[oceandog]

I actually do prefer a raw diet, and when I got him as a puppy, I started him on one. I still am having great difficulty finding one to suit. My favorite raw is Darwins, they are just amazing, but so far I haven’t been able to find a formula that works for him, which makes me wonder if it is not food but as you said an environmental one. I have tried an alternate diet, but I was unaware of the 3 month time line, perhaps that is where I have gone wrong? I have not given enough time between foods so I don’t have a realistic idea if it is food or not. I found a kibble (blech) that is kangaroo and red lentil, he seems to like it, it is me that doesn’t like to feed kibble. Perhaps I should keep him on that until say the end of March and then start reintroducing Darwins raw? Does that sound reasonable? And for what it is worth, thank you so much for your reply, it is difficult to feel so confused about the right thing to do. He isn’t a pet, he is family! 😉 I will look at the website you suggested in the morning. Thanks again!

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you truly believe his issues are food-related (keep in mind that while it’s definitely possible his issues are food related, it could also be something environmental or behavioral), I’d recommend doing a food allergy elimination trial. Identify the primary protein and carbohydrate source in the foods that have caused the issues and pick a new food that doesn’t contain these protein sources or carbohydrate sources. I’d also go with a high protein/low carbohydrate food and supplement with probiotics and enzymes as this will strengthen the dog’s gut, help to begin the detoxification process and allow for less opportunity for inflammation. I know Dr. Karen Becker recommends her patients keep their dogs that are experiencing food allergies on a hypoallergenic diet like this for three months. After the three month period, reintroduce other protein sources and carbohydrate sources slowly and monitor your dog’s reaction to find out which items cause issues and which don’t. Try to find at least two or three other foods with different protein/carbohydrate sources that you can rotate your dog to every few months to help prevent the development of other allergies later down the road. If it’s something your open to, a lot of dogs with severe food allergies thrive on raw diets. The food is less processed and easier on the digestion system and it’s much easier to tailor a homemade diet to your dog’s needs. Check out healthypets.mercola.com – this is Dr. Karen Becker’s website, she’s a holistic vet and has a lot of good articles. I’m sure others will chime in with more advice. Good luck!

[oceandog]

I have a 7-month-old Boston Terrier pup. When I got him at 8 weeks, I noted he chewed a lot on his legs and feet. He had been fed chicken, so I changed to turkey, later duck, tried beef, you get the idea. Seems he chews on his feet a lot. I did get a prescription allergen diet that was sooo processed it made me nervous. I listened to the video about rotating his diet but at this point, I am at a complete loss.

Do I put him on a restricted diet with nothing else for 2 months to see if he stops chewing on his toes? Do I rotate anyway since it seems he chews on his feet a lot and consider a nonfood allergy? I just don’t know what to do.

Thank you in advance for advice.

[Toxed2loss]

Hi Sophia,
I checked out the product that HDM recommended and its a very good product. Nice find HDM!

I use a salve make myself with coconut oil, beeswax & essential oils, or a water based iodine salve. I’ve also recently treated ear problems with astaxanthin. It works better than anything else I’ve tried. I get the caps from Dr. Mercola. Make a pin hole in one end & put one (5 lb Pom) or two (50 lb poodle) in each ear. I squeeze the rest in their mouths. Worked in just a few applications, with occasional follow ups as the toxins work their way out of the tissue.

The itching & “allergies” are more likely due to the frontline & vaccine reactions than anything else. Hop over to the “vaccinating” thread and read my posts there, if you haven’t already. Then be sure to read my post on the “Detoxing” thread. If you clean up her diet & environment, and boost her immune system, you can relieve all those symptoms. It will take time. 🙂 But its worth it.

[sophia]

You can look at California Naturals. I have no idea about low phosphorus but I know they have a salmon version with relatively low protein, and I believe the two are related. They also have a grain free kangaroo & venison formula with low protein (21%), would have to double check to make sure there are no other meats though.