[sophia]

So I took my dog with me to visit my mom in another state. AFTER we showed up she informed me that her pit bull had been itchy for a few days. Sure enough, since we have been home my poor pup has been scratching non stop. The kitten seems fine, she got a dose of revolution a few days prior (and did not come with us). I gave my dog front line the day we go back, waited two days then gave her an oatmeal bath, but she’s sill itchy. She gets front line monthly, but I’ve heard before that it doesn’t always work great. I’ve never had flea problems before, I know they stay in your home even if you clean the dog, just reinfecting your dog. Most answers online say to flea bomb the home and use flea shampoo on the dog, are there any safer/natural alternatives that actually work?

I haven’t seen any fleas, but I read online to scratch her fur on to a wet paper towel, and if the black speckles turn red it’s most likely flea dirt, which has blood in it. I did this and got red speckles, so I am assuming it’s fleas. She has allergies but since we got home her itching has been non stop, even in her sleep. I’m even a little itchy!

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Safe4pups]

Hi Sophia – both of my allergy prone dogs use Nutrisca which is grain and potato free. They both have environmental allergies and one has a potato sensitivity, and one has pancreatitis. Grains and potatoes both aggravate allergies and feed yeast. I have used both the Salmon and Chicken varieties. I also use Orijen for another dog but it may be too rich for your pup – unless it’s the senior formula. Honestly, my girl is 10 and has suffered since she was a puppy and she has done measureably better on Nutrisca – and I have spared no expense trying to find the right food for her – including a home cooked diet.
~Tracey

[Shawna]

I had to do a food trial too.. I’m a raw feeder and feed a LOT of variety so a food trial was a must. I eliminated EVERYTHING she had been exposed to in the past and started feeding her raw ostrich as the protein and a novel starch and gave her freeze dried goat for treats.. She ate this and only this for 6 months. At the end of the 6 months her sysmptoms were a thing of the past. I then introduced a new food about every 4 days to make sure there wasn’t a delayed reaction. Turns out she is allergic to beef bone (which I have to watch in whole food supplements as well as her raw diet), goat dairy, cow tripe and barley. I believe the lectin proteins in the barley damaged her gut allowing the proteins from the other foods to get into her bloodstream causing the allergic reaction. Oddly, she has no issue with what we think to be “protein” — chicken, beef, lamb, duck, turkey etc.

With Audrey we were sure it was a food allergy because she had symptoms year round and because her eosinophil white blood cell count was high on her blood work (eosinophils can be high with food allergies and parasitic infections). From my understanding, eosinophils are not high in food intolerances however and food intolerances (like Audrey’s to barley) can have the same symptoms as true allergies.

[Shawna]

Eles7 ~~ when you are dealing with allergies (or intolerances) you have to look at ALL ingredients in the foods you feed. Potato is a relatively common food that causes intolerances. I have a friend who’s dog develops issues when she eats green beans. I know another dog that has an issue with garlic. My own dog can’t have beef bone (the meat is okay just can’t have the bone). Eggs, dairy, peas and many other foods can also be the problem. Going grain free and switching to a novel protein is a good start but many times it isn’t enough. Is there anything in common among all the foods you have tried? If so, I’d try a food that doesn’t include that — Nature’s Variety Instinct and Brothers Complete, as examples, use tapioca instead of potato (both have peas and eggs though). Nature’s Logic uses millet and other foods use garbonzo beans (aka chick peas).

[charliedog]

Science Diet and Royal Canin, in my opinion, are both crap. You need to feed a grain free food like Natures Variety or Orijen. Natures Variety has a food that is stripped down to the basics just for dogs with severe allergies.

[Anonymous]

Any advice is appreciated! I have been having trouble with my dog’s allergies for almost 2 years. I have consulted with many dermatologist and all have given me different advice on what dog food to give him. My dog is a 6 year old male yorkshire terrier. His symptoms are red itchy skin, licking of the skin, watery eyes, and crusty ears. The vet’s have said that all signs point to a food allergy however I have tried many different food brands before. The latest vet has suggested I put my dog on either hill science diet in duck or royal canin hp. Anyone have any that has worked?

[jaimeg]

I wanted to introduce our product we distribute online called My Perfect Pet Food. The company is located in San Diego and was developed due to the owners dog dying from contaminated dog food. They developed a home cooked all natural frozen dog food. Since there are no preservatives, additives, by products, grains it has worked well with many of our customers who have dogs who have allergies. You can see testimonials on these issues, how the food is made, etc at our website http://www.5thavenuedog.com. Hope this helps!

[sophia]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Tracey- can you tell me which brand of grain free food your feeding? She also suffers from allergies, I don’t believe they’re food related, however I’m wanting to try grain free to see if it provides any relief. I’ve been looking around a little, but I obviously need something low in fat. Her current food, Cal. Naturals, only has 8% fat, I’d love to keep it below 10%, any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Diet can absolutely cause eye staining, but its important to remember that the breed of the dog can have just as great of an effect as well. Dogs with bulging eyes, like many chihuahuas for example, routinely have eye staining regardless of diet.

Eye stains are usually a sign of some sort of food intolerance or allergy. I have a dog in particular who gets massive staining when eating a pea-heavy food, which many grain free kibbles qualify as. This dog gets no eye staining when eating a food who’s carbs are majority grain or majority potato based.

But, I also have two chihuahuas who had massive staining while on puppy chow in their foster home and now have some, but not much, eye staining with quality foods (honest kitchen, acana, etc). I credit whats left of their eye staining to their breed and their bulging eyes.

So anyways, if your dog did not have much staining before but has massive staining now then consider switching foods. Also, you can do even better by stocking five or so foods at your home and switching every meal. That way your dog’s body will not develop new allergies and will not be lacking in any nutrients or minerals that any one food may be lacking in.

[jlake88]

Hi all,

I am overwhelmed by all the dog food options out there and need some help. I have a yellow lab who will be 8 in February. He is currently 95 lbs and needs to get down to 85lbs asap, as he has developed arthritis. The vet said losing weight is the best thing to make it better. To address this, I have cut his food down to 1.5 cups, 2 times a day, adding greenbeans at night, and walking him several times a week.

He has been eating Purina ProPlan Senior food, but the research I’ve done shows it’s not a good food. However, I can’t spend $60+ dollars per bag on dog food, I simply don’t have the money.

Does anyone have experience or suggestions that may help? I would ideally like to find a grain-free food, as he’s had problems with allergies for several years, but I know those are pricey. I’d like a high protein, low fat, low calorie food that is designed for senior dogs.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Jess

[Shawna]

Hi Jesse82 ~~ several ingredients in dog foods are known to cause allergy type reactions. TotW is not a bad food but it does have potato and potato is one of the ingredients that can be problematic for a lot of dogs with allergies and sensitivities. Chicken is another if he’s eating TotW w/ chicken.

I’d try a food that uses a carb different from potato — Nature’s Variety Instinct and Brother’s Complete both use tapioca, Nature’s Logic uses millet, others use chickpeas/garbonzo beans etc.

I react the same way as your boy to dairy products. Itch my scalp til it bleeds in my sleep. Benedryl helps me for about 4 hours then the itching (and other symptoms) come back. Zyrtec works for much longer but unless I go dairy free it always comes back. Same thing happens with my dog Audrey. Her itching was between her shoulder blades and it would get crimson red she was so inflammed.. Until I eliminated the ingredients (4 total) she had issues with it NEVER completely went away.

[sophia]

Hound Dog Mom-
really just anything healthy she can chew on that a sort of picky dog might like. She has allergies, and I am working with my vet to treat these, but the bone seemed to take her mind off of chewing on her feet. She is older so she’s not extremely active, so giving her something to keep her occupied was a treat as well.

I will check all of your suggestions. I honestly don’t know anything about bones or dental sticks, in all the years I’ve had her she would never chew on any bone I’d given her, so I was surprised when she took such a liking to this one (plus I don’t eat meat myself, so figuring out what parts of animals has more fat and what part doesn’t has been a learning process for me). I’m sure in the options you’ve listed we can find something though! Thanks so much for the help!

[Linda Trunell]

According to The Institute for Natural Healing –

While most of the world seems to be touting the benefits of whole grains these days, a few people are insisting that grains are not as healthy as we think.

One of the reasons grains may be a problem in human nutrition is because they contain lectins, a class of molecules called glycoproteins (molecules that contain a protein and a sugar).

While dietary lectins are known in the scientific and nutritional communities, most lay people and even many medical professionals don’t know about them.

Lectins are involved in food allergies/sensitivities, inflammation and autoimmune disease, just to name a few. For instance, lectins are linked to celiac disease. Even weight gain and low energy can be linked to lectins.

Whole grains, peanuts, kidney beans, and soybeans are high in lectins. Cow’s milk, nightshade vegetables (like potatoes and tomatoes) and some seafood also contain fairly high amounts of lectin. In fact, estimates are that about 30% of our foods contain lectins, and about 5% of the lectins we eat will enter our circulation.

Lectins are problematic because they are sticky molecules that can bind to the linings of human tissue, especially intestinal cells. In so doing, they disable cells in the GI tract, keeping them from repairing and rebuilding.1 Therefore, lectins can contribute to eroding your intestinal barrier (leaky gut).

Because the lectins also circulate throughout the bloodstream they can bind to any tissue in the body ­— thyroid, pancreas, collagen in joints, etc.2 This binding can disrupt the function of that tissue and cause white blood cells to attack the lectin-bound tissue, destroying it. This is an autoimmune response. The lectins in wheat for example, are specifically known to be involved in rheumatoid arthritis.
http://naturalhealthdossier.com/2009/07/lectins-a-little-known-trouble-maker/