[stephanie b]

We just found out our Boston has some severe allergies to specific foods (sweet potatos, green peas, barley) we were looking to start on Darwins raw diet but also wanted a good quality kibble (pref grain free). Any suggestions?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Barbara-
I’m not sure of what the allergies are, but have you looked in to Nature’s Variety or Natural Balance’s Limited Ingredient foods?

[Barbara P]

My 4 year old golden, Colby, has been allergy tested and has several food allergies. The two dry foods recommended were Blue Seal Natural 26 or Perscription Diet d/d potato and duck. I’ve been feeding him the BS Natural 26 since June but his face is turning white since starting this. Can anyone tell me if the Perscription Diet would be a better choice? There’s not a lot of info on limited ingredients dry dog foods. He is only 4 years old and he’s beginning to look like he’s 7. I’m open for suggestions.
barbwp1054@gmail.com
<Golden allergy foods>

[nilockhart]

Susan, I would love to have the recipe for the Oatmeal Apple cookies you feed/fed Patch. We have an 11 1/2 year old English Bulldog (Memphis) with IBS for about the last year and kidney failure (diagnosed from an ultra sound and monthly blood work which has been holding pretty steady for awhile). He has also suffered with horrible skin allergies for about the last 8 years, and we’ve had several allergy tests done on him which aren’t worth the money you pay. Memphis has tried Royal Canin potato/venison for about a year, then Purina E/N (both at the suggestion of our vet) for quite some time, with Purina Gentle Snackers for treats. He did great for a while, but then he started with constant diarrhea and vomiting, and for the last 6-8 months “gagging” like he’s choking on spit, and even vomiting large amounts of thick spit, so our vet suggested 10 mg Pepcid every morning. I’ve been cooking a mixture of rice, boneless, skinless chicken breast and little mixed veggies for him for quite some time (again, at the suggestion of our vet), but he’s still having serious problems, with terrible bouts of diarrhea off and on (mainly on). We recently weened him to ground turkey breast (99% fat free) instead of the chicken because our groomer thought it could be the chicken, still no improvement. Memphis is still not doing well. He takes Metronidazole off and on when he has blood in his feces, but that has to be the worst medicine ever invented. He is lethargic and barely eats the entire 10 days he’s on it. Then, he’s only good for another 2 or so weeks again before we have another horrible bout of diarrhea. He also takes 5-7 units of Pro-Pectalin (probiotic) 2x a day when he’s sick, which does wonders for him, but we’re supposed to stop when his diarrhea stops (usually 2 days). I’m strongly considering (a) a new vet, (b) leaving him on about 5 cc’s of probiotics every day, (c) switching his food to Canine Caviar or Victor’s Ultra Pro, and (d) wondering whether he has an allergy to rice or corn. We realize he’s on the older end for an English Bulldog, but if it wasn’t for the stupid diarrhea, he is fairly healthy, even for only having one functioning kidney! We just want the diarrhea to stop; our poor little guy has to be miserable!!! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Nut – I guess I could do that. She always ends up on steroids in the winters because her back flares up. My parents probably couldn’t afford them year round. My dad got a new job a took a significant pay cut, so nice things are somewhat unattainable. Would the regular glucosamine chondritin supplements work? And if so what strength?

@ Dog Obsessed – All four were actually on Victor Grain Free Yukon River formula, but it ended up being too expensive. My parents went back to Beneful, but I’ve just about talked them into buying Evolve from the local HEB. It’s a 4 star food with no corn, wheat, or soy, which seem to trigger one of the dogs allergies. The dogs won’t eat Merrick for some reason. I haven’t looked at the Pure Balance though. Thanks for the suggestion!

[theBCnut]

Ear infections are strongly correlated with food allergies, so that’s really good that your vet is jumping on this. Most vets just keep treating the ears and never look any further until there are serious problems. Good luck working this out.

[christine p]

My dogs are itching. What are the best grain free dog foods for allergies?

[theBCnut]

Not DF but, food allergy test for dogs are known to be inaccurate, giving both false negatives and false positives. This is because the tests only test for one type of immune response and dogs actually have several different immune responses to allergens, and they can have the one type that is tested for for more than one reason. If you go to the websites of the various companies that put out all these tests, they all post the disclaimer that their tests are not accurate and the standard for diagnosing food allergies is a properly run elimination diet. If the companies that make the tests suggest you do a food trial instead of using their test, I would listen to that bit of advice.

[theBCnut]

The article today is about food fraud in dog and cat food. I don’t know how we people with dogs with allergies survive getting our dogs fed.

[LindaW]

Would love to see info published/discussed about the above topic title. I’ve been informed about how most dog food companies use synthetics that are *usually* from China or India. There are only a handful that have whole food vitamins. For instance, sodium selenite used for selenium, is derived from drain cleaner and lye. There was a great article in Dogs Naturally magazine that blew my mind. Never knew about the premixes before. Quite a lot of food allergies, the article stated, are actually not from any one food but from the chemicals used in the vitamin/mineral premixes. Good to know.

[Susan]

Hello Tabitha, Patch was dignosed with Lymphocytic Gastritis, Helicobacter infection & also suffers from skin allergies from food & environment, When I googled Lymphocytic Gastritis the helicobacter infection & Celiac disease comes up, you can only find L/G for humans & its suppose to be rare, I’m putting Patch on a Gluten free & grainfree diet, I found a vet diet Royal Canin “Sensitivity Control” its just Tapioca & Duck, & is only 9% fat he also can’t have too much fat… Ive also been researching “Lectins” as Lectins can cause heaps of health problems especially the GI tract…With the Tapioca would Tapioca be high in Lectins It says that Tapioca is Gluten free,
I always thought Patch was allergic to Starch cause he’d get real bad diarrhea & break out with a rash all over chest & stomach area & itch after eating potatos, sweet potatoes made his ears itch, peas, rye, barley gave him bad wind & sloppy poos but now Ive read that Potatoes, peas, rye, barley are high in Lectins, so he probably wasnt allergic to starch, its the lectins, do you know much about Lectins…. I’m trying to find foods that are lectin free & alot of foods have lectins in them…How do I find out if Tapioca is high with Lectins….
I just read the link that u put up for Naturella, Its sounds like ur girl Keva has acid refux, my boy was doing the same thing 12am-3am he had a Endoscope + biopies done 3 weeks ago, that’s when vet found the Helicobacter infection & has been put on antibiotics & Zantac for 3weeks, maybe try Keva on a lower fat diet & a small feed around 9pm so the acid doesnt come into her throat early hours of the morning, thats what Ive been doing also the Zantac has helped… by the way I love ur Fat Protein & Carb converter..

[T]

Skin issues can be so frustrating! If he’s chewing the skin, it’s most likely itchy. Causes for itchy skin can include: inahalant or food allergy, food sensitivity, gastrointestinal imbalance, external parasites, or less commonly autoimmune disease, liver disease, etc.

Skin problems are one of the most common presenting complaints in the patients I see. I’ve had some good success with concentrating on optimizing gi function, feeding whole foods, using acupuncture and herbs. Avoid strong meds unless it is a real emergency. Steroids and antibiotics may suppress symptoms for a while, but the problem is still there! Symptoms are the body’s way of telling us there is a problem and we want to address the problem, not just suppress the symptom.

Hope that makes sense… I have some articles on my blog about food, allergies, and skin if you’d like to check it out: http://naturalalternativesvet.com/category/blog

I’m a holistic veterinarian in Bloomington, IN and food/skin issues are one of my obsessions! Best of luck to you.

Tabitha

[Naturella]

Dog_Obsessed, he usually stops chewing on it when oils are on it. And it literally looks like clear, healthy skin – is that what hot spots look like? I don’t know much about them. I just looked them up actually, and they look nothing like Bruno has – in fact they look like something Snowy has, on both her sides of the thighs, red, irritated, almost raw, skin, on the fold between the legs and the torso, and hers clear up very well with coconut oil, but her family is not very consistent with it and they come back.

As for foods, we started transitioning today, so it can’t be from that. Other than that, no change in his normal food routine. Until today he was on Back to Basics Open Range with usual THK and BDN toppers, plus fresh food toppers. Today we began introducing Castor & Pollux Ultramix GF with Duck, Turkey, Lamb, and Salmon meals. But the spot was there before, I saw it yesterday actually.

As far as seasonal or environmental allergies, it may be that, not sure. When he had the scrotum spots, I did see one flea on him, and there may have been more, but so far I haven’t seen any on him around the leg spot… But there MAY be some? The oil treatment helped last time, and I will try it again I guess, and if he gets another itchy spot, I will ask a vet.

[Dog_Obsessed]

It sounds like a hot spot, which can be due to various different things. It can be due to allergies, though if he is not showing other symptoms then that isn’t terribly likely. Have you tried any new foods lately? The most important thing right now is getting him to stop chewing on it, which unfortunately may require him to wear a cone or cone-alternatave. You could try a soft or inflatable cone if he doesn’t try to reck it and it stops him from going at the spot. You could also ask the vet for advice. If this reoccurs or if he shows other signs of being itchy or hair loss, then allergies, either food or seasonal, are likely.

[tecknik]

What some don’t realize is that your dog’s allergies may not be food related. That turned out to be the case for my dog. Here I was trying all different food concoctions, then the useless Dinovite and it turns out my dog has many environmental allergies including Wool, willow, dust mites, mold mites and about 20 other things.
I’ve always had her on a raw diet (Abady) which is helpful and keeps her coat nice and shiny. (less poop as well due to minimal carbs, too) I also add unrefined coconut oil for more nutrients as well as a good dog vitamin.
As for dog treats, I buy $3.99lb london broils or stew beef then grill it medium rare, then cut into bite size pieces. I will buy in bulk and freeze the remaining. It’s a little work but not that much and if you look at the ounces of a bag of good dog treats, you will find that you are paying over $10 a pound! (usually $4 to $5 for a 6oz bag of treats) It’s the best type of treat to give your dog and you know exactly what is in it.
For my dog’s treatment, we first had the allergy testing done. Yes, it is expensive and thank God I have insurance so I get reimbursed. ($500 because dog has to have anesthesia)
Second step was to remove as many of her allergens as possible from the environment. That meant giving up my two brand new wool carpets. :/ Now I clean an extra day a week as well to ensure there is no dust.
Third step was medication to cure her symptoms. She had ear infections, yeast infections and sores from all the scratching. The doctor prescribed a slew of medicines including prednisone which really stopped her scratching. Unfortunately, this can not be used long term because it can be harmful to the liver and other organs.
Fourth step (and this is where we are now) Allergy shots. It started every other day and now we are at once a week. The scratching is down to a minimal and hopefully over time her immune system will work against her allergies and she will be a happy dog for good.

[CockalierMom]

My dog has environmental and pollen allergies, and I have recently discovered any food with tapioca starch causes her to have severe scratching at her ears, eyes, chin and neck, and chewing on her legs. I was beginning to think she was allergic to almost all foods until I realized the common ingredient was the tapioca starch.

[Akari_32]

I recently had the same issue with my older lab mix. It was to the point where I would run my hand down her back and come up with literally a handful of hair. And I could do it over and over and get the same results. Having a collar on just for a walk would also result in a bald ring around her neck. I finally took her to the vet thinking maybe it was a thyroid problem, and it turns out it was only seasonal allergies. Thankfully he didn’t charge me to tell me that! He prescribed prednisone, which I filled just in case but never picked up. She doesn’t do well on it, so I didn’t want to give unless she continued to get worse. I upped her fish oil from one pill a day to two pills a day, and it cleared up on its own in a week or so. I would take your girl to the vet just to be sure its nothing serious, and go from there.

That said, Eukanuba isn’t the greatest of foods, and I can assure you there is much better for the same price, and even less. Its also made by the same company that makes your candy bars (Mars), and before that, a chemical and “etc” company (P&G). I use a lot of Wellness, all varieties, and I couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve also used NutriSource Super Performance and certain Nutro Natural Choice formulas in the past and was happy with both of them. Breeders an interesting lot. They tend to use foods that have a lasting reputation, rather than foods that are actually healthful. Don’t let him force you into feeding a something you’re unsure of.

[zhiba]

Ever since my dog’s allergies became a big factor in his life, we’ve switched to freeze dried and limited ingredient treats (as well as food).

We get treats from Orijen Singles, Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch, Sojos Simply, Etta Says, Whole Life, PureBites, and Vital Essentials.

Recently I discovered the VE cat food on Chewy. It makes for excellent training treats! They are smaller nibblets than the dog food, with a few additions that I like. Comparison –

Turkey Nibblets (dog)
Ground turkey with bone, turkey heart, turkey liver, herring oil (natural source of vitamin D), mixed tocopherols (natural antioxidant), d-alpha tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Turkey Nibblets (cat)
Ground turkey with bone; turkey heart; turkey liver; boneless skinless turkey breast; raw organic goat’s milk; raw organic apple cider vinegar; herring oil; mixed tocopherol; d-alpha tocopherol

[Juliet C]

My border collie has skin issues. The vet was of no help and order £100’s on blood test etc. Apart from keeping him free of fleas obviously I went down the line of possible food allergies. Plus when we bath him we use ordinary dandruff shampoo. After 6 months of constant scratching, rolling and the rest an incredibly itchy dog does. We settled a cheap brand of supermarket dog food out of desperation and their also cheap mixer. It turns out our boy can’t handle all the the fancy additives and supplements that the expensive brands contain. He comes from a long line of farm dogs. That were basically fed on what was available. Table scraps, sheep pellets. Rabbits shot on the farm. So sometimes its ok to go back to the basics. We thought we were doing right by the poor dude by giving him the high life food wise. Instead we were hurting him. I threw out the stuff the farmer gave me thinking it was crap. I learnt a lesson!

[theBCnut]

Responsible people are perfectly capable of preventing unwanted puppies. They don’t neuter over much of the rest of the world. And for every health benefit, there is a health detriment.

Irresponsible people are the problem and neutering by responsible people won’t cure that issue, and the irresponsible people still won’t do the responsible thing and neuter their dogs.

Betsy did the right thing and neutered her dog with an undescended testicle and I did the right thing by neutering my dog with food allergies, but that will not affect the over population problem, because neither dog is running around loose to go breeding puppies anyways.

[Jan T]

Hi,
I’m new here and need some help with all these ratios, etc. I have an 11 week old GSD who started out on Fromm Gold large breed puppy. She had some a bacterial infection in her gut that we had to treat while she was on this. The vet suggested we try Eukanuba large breed puppy, but she doesn’t like it so much. She is always scratching, so think she may have allergies. So question: should I get vitamin supplements, leave her on Eukanuba or go back to Fromm or something else? Whatever we do, it will be gradual. If supplements, any suggestions?

[Dori]

Akari the reason I think she may have an infection is the sudden teeth chattering, acting anxious and distressed and also Ginger suddenly wanting to be very cuddly with you. And let’s not forget the poop incident. Some of those symptoms looking at them separately might be explained away but they’ve have all come on together. A sign that something is going on internally. Before refilling her antibiotic I would take her into the vet or at least call in and speak to vet and let him know what went on. Vet may tell you to just refill that antibiotic or recommend a course of a different one. Most vets will want to see the dog but since your vet knows about Ginger and has already seen her a few times you may get away with a phone call. Remember there are different antibiotics for different infections. Having worked at the vet you know that one antibiotic is not a cure all for all infections. Don’t you wish it was that easy? I sure do. Do you happen to have The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form at home. If you do I would start adding 1/8 of a teaspoon into each and every meal of hers. The recommended dose says to add more but I find that their recommendation is way to high. I’ve never given the girls anymore than 1/8 tsp. and sometimes just a little sprinkle. I find it works much better than pumpkin, or anything else out in the market. When Katie was at her worst with the food allergies and everything and the constant diarrhea (what a friggin mess…..I feel for you girl having to have cleaned up that mess) I used it all the time. I think through the years with Katie I had tried everything on the market until I came across The Perfect Form.

I’m glad you’ve taken her off canned food. The canned food may simply have too much fat in it for her. Also canned foods generally have guar gum and/or carraggean (sp?) which may be ingredients that she also can’t deal with. I’m glad her poops are better today. I’d keep her off canned foods forever and ever. Like I said, if she does well long term on the Wellness Small Breed Salmon and Potato then I would just keep Ginger on that and forget about rotating foods with her. It’s really not worth it in the case of a dog like Ginger. It’s, no doubt, much too difficult on her gut which I’m sure is in bad shape due to her previous owner or owners and what they fed her.

Even if her poops are better today I’d still get her checked out just to rule infection out but somethings up with all those sudden symptoms coming on at once. Again, please post her progress. Worried about Ginger.

If you don’t already have my email address this is it. dora@hassett.com If you want to email me and send me your address, I have a few extra dog beds around that I haven’t been using. (I’m a bit of a dog bed addict). Dog food addict. All things dog addict. You get the picture. They’re in good condition and since I have small dogs that would be the perfect size for Ginger. : ) They can all go in the washer and dryer.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[Nancy M]

Thank you Susan, and theBCnut……I will take all of that into consideration. For right now, and following an allergy shot today at the Vet’s, the plan is to let the medication give relief and keep her on her current food. If the itching doesn’t stop or doesn’t last more than a couple weeks, then most likely it’s the food. Then I’ll need to start switching over to something else….another obstacle…..which one????? Not an easy task, as we all know about when we have a dog with food allergies. Vet says to try switching to a fish or duck based food; although if it’s got any of the other ingredients in it, we’ll be in the same boat. For the time being, I’m seeing a noticeable decrease in the “itchies”.

Susan, no I have not noticed a yeasty smell at all, but I’ll be checking that out more. I’ll definitely check into the shampoo you recommended and see where I can get some. Where do you purchase it? For now, I won’t add or detract anything for the next week or two, until I see how long the relief actually lasts, which might help identify the cause, food or something else. We’ll see…….

Thanks all!

[aimee]

Hi Vicki,

Yeast infections are nearly always caused by Malassezia, a fat loving yeast. Yeast infections are usually secondary to something that is altering the surface of the skin such as food allergy/adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, hormonal conditions, and parasites. If an underlying primary problem isn’t controlled the problem continues.

Food’s primary role in yeast infections is if the food is causing an adverse reaction. The proportions of fat/ carb or protein in the diet has never been linked to Malassezia dermatitis nor been found to help control it in any way. A food elimination trial could be done to identify if that is playing a role.

This article is a but technical but hopefully you can find it helpful http://www.pinnaclifeanimalhealth.com/sites/default/files/research/Malassezia%20Matousek.pdf

[Vicki R]

I have her on coconut oil and a antifungal shampoo and than I’ve been doing an AVC rinse. The rinse in one gallon water and one cup of AVC or you can use lemon juice or 20 drops of peppermint. The rinse seems to really help a lot and I am letting the shampoo sit on her for 10 minutes. She’s been only getting broccoli, frozen green beans and cucumbers for treats. Right now she is on Fromm Gold. I’ve had her on Nature’s Variety Instincts before too. I don’t think I could think I would feel comfortable putting her on a raw diet. I don’t know enough about it yet, but I would feed her raw you can purchase at a pet store or order online. Which probiotic do you guys use? Thank you for the advice you’ve already given me. Oh…..and I just figured out on my own it was yeast infection and not allergies just two weeks ago. I’ve been searching for a food since than and also joined some raw feed groups.

[Rebekah R]

Thank you everyone. Titan has been playing all day and is eating, drinking, going to bathroom as normal. He has not had another seizure. I was so afraid for him to take a nap, but he did and no seizures. I hope it stays that way throughout the night. He’s really very tired, as am I. I have been stressed all day and haven’t eaten a thing.

I am thinking about taking them off the flea meds and heart guard in the cold months. Not sure yet what to do in the spring and summer. I just am not comfortable with these poisons.
My dogs all eat a dry food by Natural Balance. It’s salmon and sweet potato and has no fillers, bi-products, etc. Two of my dogs have severe skin allergies, so this is what we have found works. I wonder now if the skin probs could be due to the topical flea treatments. We stopped giving them the heart guard bc it is beef flavored and beef was one of the first things we excluded when trying to determine what was causing the allergies. But the advantage multi is supposed to have the heart guard in it combined with flea meds. An all in one thing. I’m thinking it’s just too strong for my sensitive pups. Although the others have never had seizures that we know of, there are some suspicious things that go on after they get this topical.
We have him a bath this morning and tried to wash it all off his skin. I don’t know if it helped, but I hope it did.
I have unplugged the scented plugins, am not going to burn scented anything, gonna watch on the volume of tv, etc. just things in general that stress me, I’m going to take into consideration for Titan and try to keep it calm.
Doing research online, we ran across something. Have any of you heard of canna companion or canna pet? Two companies that have created non-Thc meds for dogs with seizures, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, etc. I’m going to talk to my vet, but we may try it.

[Dori]

Hi Michael H. I’ve never fed any Orijen food because all of their foods contain way too many different proteins and one of my dogs has a ton of food issues. All three of my girls used to have yeast issues until I switched them to raw and mostly commercial raw foods. I feed a rotational diet and do include freeze dried and dehydrated in rotation. BDN air dried is also in rotation and none of my girls have ever had an issue with it. I rotate with their beef, tripe and fish, no poultry in our house ever because of high allergy with Katie. As for freeze dried foods that I like and my dogs do very very well on are Primal Freeze Dried, Vital Essentials Freeze Dried and Nature’s Variety Instinct Freeze Dried. I know that Stella and Chewy’s is popular but I’m less than thrilled with it so I no longer have it in rotation.

The only kibble I use at times in rotation is Nature’s Logic Sardine Formula. It is grain free with the exception of millet which is a pseudo grain. My one dog with all the allergies, sensitivities and intolerances to food, environment and pretty much life in general and was always the one with the most amount of yeast problems does really really well on this food. It is an expensive kibble but I note that you are feeding Orijen which is pretty high up there also.

I would suggest that you find a few foods (as many as you can find anyway) and rotate through the proteins that do not bother your dogs and also rotate same way with different brands and their acceptable proteins. I’ve been feeding this way for almost three years now so my dogs are at the point that I rotate with each and every meal. I have found that allergy girl Katie can tolerate a lot more ingredients if only exposed to it sporadically than she could before. No more yeast, gas, bad breath, scratching, doggy smell, loose stools, diarrhea, constipation, etc. etc. No more of all the things that comes along with a dog that has food issues. It took me years to get to a point that I could feed multiple foods. Trial and error. To this day I’m always adding and detracting foods in rotation.

Best of luck to you and hope your dog is on the mend. Sorry about the high fever. That is really scary.

Is it possible that she got into something in the yard or on a walk that you don’t remember? Some treat or food that some “kind hearted” person thought he’d like? Some “kind hearted” people used to cause many issues with Katie. I now watch everyone like a hawk. Everywhere we would go, even the vet, wanted to give her a treat. No Way!!!

[julie o]

just finding this post now, hope your pup is doing well. i too, have a dog with food allergies who is prone to pancreatitis. wellness core reduced fat is a life saver, literally. comes in wet and dry formulas. my dog literally CANNOT eat anything else. pricey, but higher quality ingredients than rc, and honestly if it saves your dog’s pancreas and skin, its worth it. good luck.

[Ryan K]

My dog has recently been having issues with his anal glands and I have been constantly having to have them expressed at the vets office. This is no problem to me but I am wondering if there is a better food I could put him on that might alleviate those issues and make him more comfortable for longer periods between those expressing sessions? He is currently on California Natural’s Grain Free Salmon Meal & Peas. I do not know of any specific protein allergies although he does get itchy with some foods *lamb, chicken*. Please let me know if there is a brand or food that is recommended for better anal gland health in pups.

[Talia B]

Hello,

I have a golden with a bunch of allergies and to keep them in check she gets a pill. She is allergic to peanut butter and shouldn’t have cheese bc of chronic yeast ears (We are x plowing different food options also). The treats that we have used are not that nutritious and dry out over time even if sealed correctly or they crumble when your pushing in a treat. So has anyone found the perfect dog treat or does anyone have a recipe. We use to use cream cheese (before we knew it was contributing and would love w similar consistency 🙂

[Donna S]

So many times allergies are food related.
Some breeds are more sensative to some ingredients than others.
But I have found after 30 years of breeding and showing dogs, when people approach me with an issue, I look at it from a holistic viewpoint, and one of the main things I focus on is nutrition, specifically allergies.
Some dogs do better on Glutten-free diet.
Some don’t do well on Chicken.
Its good to talk to a breeder of the dog you have, they may be able to give insight

Endless Mt. Labradors
http://www.emlabradors.com
#emlabradors
#endlessmtlabradors
#endless Mt. Labradors
#labradors

[Susan]

Hi Jennifer, my boy has also been diagnosed with IBD, he was put on the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic first as he suffers from skin allergies aswell, he didnt do too well on the R/C HP cause the fat% was 19% & the kibbles didnt digest, he’d vomit up his kibble 7-8 hours later all undigested..I live Australia & our Vet diets have different ingredients to the American vet diets, I dont know why.. then we tried the Royal Canin Sensitivitity Control that just has Duck & tropica, I think he still felt sick on the R/C SC, so now he’s on Vet diet Eukanuba Intestinal low residue kibble, this kibble breaks down & digests easy, less work on their stomach & bowel …Ive tried commerical diets against my vets advice & we always have to go back to his vet diet Eukanuba Intestinal in the end but the best kibble that I tried was the “Wellness Simple” Lamb & Oatmeal & Duck & Oatmeal these kibbles weren’t hard to digest & broke down easy like his Euknauba Intestinal but the Wellness Simple has peas & he’d get bad wind & pain at night, so I had to stop feeding it..ur girl mite be OK with peas..
I started an elimintion diet in March & found he cant eat Potatoes, he gets bad diarrhea & had rash all over chest, Sweet potatoes he had itchy ears, Peas gave him bad wind, boiled rice makes his poos very sloppy… vet said that boiled rice can irratate the bowel..but he can eat grounded rice thats in kibbles….

Have you join the “IBDogs” group on yahoo, a few ladies are feeding the “Natural Balance” Kangaroo & Potatoes or the Rabbit & Potatoes limited ingredients but you have to look at all their LID ingredients as different flavours have more ingredients, like peas that can irratate the bowel…. the Kangaroo & Rabbit have the least ingredients which is needed with IBS or there’s the Sweet Potatoes & Bison or Sweet Potatoes & Fish ..or do home cook foods like I did with the elimination diet..that way you find out what foods she can eat, so when you looked for an kibble, you’ll know which kibbles will agree with her….here’s the Natural Balance link, just click on “Dog formulas” top left, then click on the limited ingredient link.. start with a kibble that just has 1 protein & 1 carb if u can find one..less is best..
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/product-category.aspx?&#8230;
I cant get the Natural Balance in Australia..

May I ask does the Omeprazole (Losec) make ur dog do green/black poos, Patch was put on the Losec (omeprazole) 2 weeks ago & his poos were greenie/ black & softer, I have stopped his Losec 2 days ago & his poos are back to normal firm & brown..

[Naturella]

BCnut and Dori, thank you for taking the time to read through and answer my hidden question! I thought they are fatty formations too, but I didn’t think they could disappear like that! By the time they took her to the vet where she gets her grooming, they were gone and he had nothing to feel for! I am so happy that they trust and let me feed their dog as I see fit – I am very appreciative of it, and I try to be very cautious with what I buy for them, as long as it’s fairly good and a good deal. Basically I wouldn’t feed her something I wouldn’t feed Bruno. To my knowledge she has no known allergies (but she does have fleas and they use a topical… Yuck) but I prefer to give her grain free for as long as I can. The Wysong bag is not grain-free but I like the overall makeup of the food, so I hope she does well on it. I have also brought her a bunch of chews and she loved her lamb ear, and is now working on a stingray tail. She also has a split antler laying around. I am pretty excited she is responding so well to everything so far.

As for Zach, I don’t know much about bumps but I would do as the BCnut suggested. Just get them checked out.

[Dori]

Hi Gloria. So glad you figured out how to get pics done. Mickey is such a cutie. Did the shelter or your vet have any idea how old he might be? I don’t think he has any Maltese in him but he definitely looks like he’s got terrier in him for sure. Anyway, welcome to DFA it’s lovely to meet you and Mickey and sorry you had such a tough time with the avatar.

Oh, since your new I just wanted to say that I have three toy dogs. My avatar is a picture of Hannah my 15 year old Maltese that weighs 7 lbs.. I’ve had her since she was 16 weeks old. Katie is my 5 1/2 year old Maltipoo that weighs 6 lbs. and then there is Lola who is a 5 1/2 year old Yorkipoo that weighs 5 lbs. We adopted Katie and Lola both when they were 9 weeks old. Katie is my food sensitive girl. She’s got tons of food intolerances, allergies and sensitivities. She also has outdoor environmental allergies. Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself. The regulars know me and my girls so thought I’d catch you up on me.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[Susan]

Hi Gloria, read the ingredients in the science diet, they are not good, have a look at the “Wellness” range they have small breed complete health with better ingredients & I think that Wellness small breed gets 5 stars on the Reveiws site, here’s a link to have a look at all the Wellness foods & their ingredients…..Wellness has just brought out in their “Simple” range a small breed grainfree limited ingredients kibble thats if ur dogs has allergies itchy skin etc…
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#Complete

[Bobby dog]

Tanya W:
An elimination diet is the only accurate way to identify food allergens at this time.

I am sure other posters will stop by with help, in the mean time check out this thread for a unique tool that is still a work in progress, but may help with your search.

/forums/topic/so-i-made-a-tool-for-dogs-with-allergies/

Some online retailers offer searches for pet food by proteins etc. Chewy.com is one site that offers this kind of search. Other than reading labels I don’t have any advice on finding foods without the ingredients you listed. Maybe some other posters will be able to share the names of kibbles they feed without those ingredients. Good luck!

[Tanya W]

I am new and have been scouring the forum for info, but not really finding much.
My dog has numerous food allergies found by elimation diets as our vet will sedate him for testing as last time his kidneys shut down. Also with Kidney issues we have to be careful of his diet to try to keep the stress on his kidneys at a minimum.
So far we have found he is alleric to anything with feathers including eggs and chicken fat, pork, peas and alfalfa, possibly beef not sure yet on this one are in the process of testing and more than likely having issues with other grains and such.
I have him on raw diet now in hopes this will help, but becoming limited for proteins available as I cannot feed the above.
So I am looking for a grain free kibble that does not contain any of the above to try and with a limited ingredient.
Please feel free to point me to other threads with the info I am looking for.

Thanks,
T

[Pat G]

Hi everyone, I have a Cavalier who has 25 different allergies and I have gone through many foods trying to find the right combination for her. This included Raw, Dehydrated, Kibble, Canned, you name it. When I got her at the age of 2 1/2 she was on a food called Dynamite Super Premium and had no problems, she was born and raised in Arizona. When I brought her to California her allergies exploded. Veterinarians say this is common. Had her tested and found she is allergic to 5 different foods, so the search began. Now I only took her off the the food she was used to because you get it from a Distributor and the shipping was killing me, I have since found a Distributor here in California. Since putting her back on that food and some of their supplements she has stopped itching, eye watering minimized, coat again shiny. All of my dogs are now on it and I am pleased with the results. I think taking a look at their website would be of benefit to you. http://www.dynamitespeciality.com. You can then decide for yourself. Their customer service is terrific and will answer any question you may have and can also help you find a distributor or maybe become one.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Melissa,

TOTW is one of Diamond’s house brand’s of food. If you aren’t familiar with Diamond, they’re a sketchy company with a reputation for cutting corners and recalls. I don’t believe we’ll ever see any Diamond products on the Editor’s Choice list.

It could be that the probiotic formula change is the cause; but like Marie, I would tend to think it unlikely that you got a hold of product that has just been manufactured.

Ruling out environmental allergies is tricky. It could be something like laundry detergent, Febreze or new flooring, but could also be something seasonal like ragweed or leaf mould. Steroids are just a bandaid and mask symptoms, and can cause plenty of problems themselves. I’d definitely avoid further steroids use if at all possible.

Even if the problem isn’t food related, three years is an awfully long time to be on the same food. I rotate every bag of kibble I feed. I buy different brands with different proteins and binders. Subtle ingredient changes don’t generally affect my dogs because they’re used to switching. One of my dogs has food intolerance issues, so it’s hard to find things he can eat, but I’ve found a few that are good quality, that he likes and does well on.

So while it may or may not solve their immediate problem, a food change could prove beneficial to their overall health.

[melissa m]

Hello! I am new to this forum and am seeking some help. 3 years ago we switched our bulldogs to Taste to the Wild to help with skin/allergy issues, and have had nothing but great success. We have raised a number of foster puppies on TOTW, encouraged friends to switch, and bragged on the product. However, at the end of this summer 2 of our dogs developed horrible allergies resulting in itchy raw skin and hives. We have tried everything from switching laundry detergents to cortisone shots and prednisone — and nothing seems to help. Yesterday when I was at my local pet store the owner told me that he had been receiving a lot of complaints about TOTW because they had changed their formula, now using fewer quality ingredients and more “filler” or low-quality items. He said the change occurred in late July, which coincides almost exactly to when my dogs allergies began to escalate.

However, I haven’t been able to find any reference online to anything other than a change in the probiotic they use that would suggest a big different in allergens control.

Before I spend the time and money on switching my dogs off of a food I had loved for years to another I would like to know if you have found any differences in TOTW recently. I was a little surprised not to see it on your list of favorites as I thought it was a top food. Now I’m really concerned. Thanks!

[Amber M]

I have a 4 year old lab that has allergies (scratching jaw, itchy body, sore/irritated paws that she chews, licks, and bites) and I have been looking at alternative diets to kibble. From researching and speaking with many dog food companies, I have found that even high quality kibble is not the best option for dogs.

I have looked into freeze dried diets, dehydrated diets, raw diets, and spoke with many different companies for each type of diet. I am still very unsure of what to do and would like to get input from people other than the dog food companies.

I have mainly been looking at Sojos, Grandma Lucys, The Honest Kitchen, BarfWorld, Vital Essentials, and Nature’s Variety. I am currently feeding Back to Basics dog food, which is a dry kibble. I am planning on giving a probiotic and fish oil, but cannot decide what to feed. Or if I should just keep her on dry kibble.

[Susan]

Hi Dee, maybe take her to a vet, for a few test & meds.. she may have an under lining problem, could have bacteria of the stomach (H-Pylori bacteria virus) or bowel (SIBO) parasites, IBD etc…it could be a health problem causing her sloppy poos, vomiting & grass eating…she definitely has a Gi problems……when I first rescued my boy 2 years ago, he was doing the same with vomiting, diarrhea rumbling bowel noises, always eating grass…..when I took him to vets he was put on metronidazole, its an antibiotic for their bowel/stomach, the Metro helped my boy a few times…..
Vet has told me he probably was feed a very poor diet from a pup & probably not feed daily & starved some days….the vet said he sees it alot with rescued dogs in the end they are diagnosed with IBD due to the dogs having either bad parasite infections when younger & poor diets … Patch was 4 years old when I rescued him, the crap food that they are feed must do something to their bowels & stomach after years & years of eating it day in & day out & having no other foods in their diet, so when I’d give him any good foods
higher in protein or fat % he’d become ill..

I’d also put her on a good dog probiotic, Patch has been on a Veta Farm Dog probiotic now for over 1 year also he eats his vet diet Eukanuba Intestinal & does real well now, but when I tried commerical premium kibbles they just didnt work for him I just tried the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal & Lamb & Oatmeal he was doing real well, I was so happy, I thought the vets wrong, 1 month after being on the Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal Patch had his sloppy poos, bad gas, waking up 2am to poo.. so he’s back on his Eukanuba Intestinal Low residue kibble that breaks down real easy & is easier on his stomach & bowel & its low in fiber 1.70% & fat 10%…In America you have Iams but the ingredients are different to Eukanubas ingredients I dont know why…..

what about home cooked or a kibble with ingredients like Beneful without the by-product meats & some of the other nasty ingredients like Gluten meal, animal digest, propylene glycol, sugar, meat & bone meal, soy flour & all the preservatives…
Patches Eukanuba has corn grites & corn apparently corn grites are low residue that breaks down easier so less work on their bowel & smaller poos, we often see corn & people say oh it has corn but corn grites grounded works for some dogs with bowel problems….so maybe she’d do better with a kibble with corn but better ingredients then the Beneful..

My boy also has bad skin allergies & ear problems & does real good on his Eukanuba Intestinal no itchy ears no scratching no sloppy poos, he has his hive like lumps at the moment but its spring so its from the environment grasses & pollens, he loves to run thru tall grass & bushes….but he cant eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas..he gets diarrhea, bad gas & itchy skin & ears..
I’d take her to a vet & find out whats happening …she may just need a course of the Metronidazole to clear what ever happening with her stomach & bowel..something is wrong, poor girl..

[Dee J]

HELP! I adopted my 6 year old Puggle from a family that had her since she was a puppy. They were kind enough to give us a big bag of her dog food – BENEFUL. There’s no way I’d feed a dog Beneful. I fed it to her for a week or two while trying to figure out the best food for her. I have another dog who has food allergies and I feed him Wellness Simple Canned Duck & Oatmeal formula. That keeps his skin from getting red and itchy and keeps his ear infections to a minimum.

I started her on a dry Wellness Simple. She didn’t like it – literally spit it out. So I tried Taste of the Wild. That made her sick – vomiting and diarrhea. Then I tried Natural Balance. We came home to poop in the living room. I let someone talk me into Sprout, the Fleet Farm brand. She was fine for a few weeks and now she has diarrhea again.

I always transition her slowly from one food to another, so I know that’s not the problem. She eats a lot of grass which may be an issue. I’m wondering if too much protein upsets her tummy. The weird thing is, she’s usually fine for a few days (even a few weeks) and then boom – poop everywhere. The only dog food she hasn’t had any issue with is freakin’ Beneful. Any suggestions?

[Dori]

Hi Rachel, thanks for making the “unchecked” change. I just did the “advanced” search because Katie has so many intolerances and allergies to foods and ingredients. Out of the 16 foods it said that she could eat, 9 of them contained potatoes. She’s fine with sweet potatoes but not white potatoes. It’s the white potatoes that keeps coming up even though I do the advanced search and have potatoes checked. Just thought I’d let you know.

This is a huge undertaking you guys are doing. Congrats. I’m assuming it will take quite a while their will be more brands in the tool. Thanks for sharing.

[Victoria W]

They say the choco lab has healed up quicker from her allergies this year b/c of the malasab. I think she has some kind of yeast infection b/c the malasab helped a lot and its for gram + – infections. They all did good at eating pb without a long transition, I know thats not recommended but Ive switched my own dogs over in one feeding before also and Ive seen none have stomach problems. They have a vet apt with the other vet in town Fri maybe he will know what to do with their teeth problems. The sardines I feed are in the largest can I can find and I feed them pink salmon occasionally b/c I think you said to b4 also, I just dont rotate them out regularly. I went to the fish market yesterday and got some of their packaged mix and match catch, sardines, a little salmon, some whitefish and some other species that the market actually sells for pet food ( since I dont think all the bones are small enough Ive been pureeing it in the blender) The next door neighbor who also has hunting dogs gets that for his dogs and recommended it. Were lucky to have a local meat shop that sells hearts and other organ meat so I picked some of that up too. How much should i feed of the organ meat and how often should they get it? Would a rotation of every other day with the fish be okay or too much of a good thing? None of the dogs are allowed chews as my relatives think they will choke on them….I asked to give them some braided bully sticks and I was able to only to have the black lab seem to choke on peices b/c he doesnt know how to properly chew the treat. Im headed to Petco after this post and Im going to pick up some Prudence Absolute Immune Health Powder High Potency for Dogs or whatever they recommend b/c they dont have any of the ones you suggested I think and then Ill use that until the Dr. Langer’s probiotics come in. What will happen if the two dogs with bad teeth end up having to have them pulled or partially removed, can a dog make it without teeth I assume a soft diet would be their only option and is that healthy???

[Bobby dog]

I am glad you stopped by with an update! It sounds like you are doing everything within your means to help these dogs. Other than a change in diet and seeking medical attention for their teeth, I still recommend probiotics if it is feasible. I listed some suggestions for them in my previous post.

Were the dogs able to transition to Pure Balance without any digestive upsets?

Does she have yeasty skin or just itchy from allergies?

What is the can size of the sardines you are feeding? About how many cans/week are you feeding each dog?

Healthy teeth and gums are very important for all of us; when they are unhealthy it can lead to other diseases. I would certainly address the situation in my dog. The only suggestion I have are for the owners to seek medical care ASAP. Do they have trouble eating kibble? Are the dogs given anything to chew?

I really recommend Steve Brown’s download, “See Spot Live Longer the ABC Way.” It will help you with what you are trying to achieve for these dogs economically. More importantly, it is specific as to the quantities/types of fresh foods to feed and keeping the diet balanced; it would also benefit your dog regardless of the quality of kibble he currently eats!
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

Here’s a DFA thread about adding toppers:
/forums/topic/toppersadded-nutrition/

Too many raw egg whites can interfere with the absorption of biotin; egg whites contain avidin which binds with biotin preventing dogs from absorbing it. Lightly cooking some of the eggs you feed or just the whites can remedy this. Dogs the size of Labs should probably be fed about 4 – 5 eggs per week depending on their body condition and weight. Check out this thread for some suggestions from theBCnut on feeding eggs:
/forums/topic/how-many-eggs-shell-or-no-shell/

Other canned fish you can feed is mackerel or wild pink Alaskan salmon; avoid tuna due to possible contaminates. Be sure to feed only fish packed in water with no salt added.

You can try foot baths & rinses. Below are links to several different baths & rinses that would help with skin and coat issues. If you decide to try the povidone iodine solution foot bath or rinse, since the dogs go outside, rinse with clean water afterwards because it makes the skin sensitive to the sun:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/25/dog-foot-bath.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/16/thirty-seconds-to-relieve-your-pets-itchy-paws.aspx
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html?pg=3

Ol’ Roy is definitely not my choice for a healthy food, but it sounds like it’s your uncle’s. Keep encouraging him to rotate and hopefully feed a better food. Other places to look for affordable dog food are whole sale clubs, hardware, large animal feed, and garden supply stores.

If your uncle will not invest in better food, maybe you can try to research some kibbles that are in the same price range that don’t contain as many undesirable ingredients, chemicals, and dyes. One brand that comes to mind is PMI Nutrition; they make three grades of dog food. I often read comments from people on hunting dog forums recommending their Red Flannel line, their lowest grade of food. I don’t recommend this food, but perhaps it (or another similar food) could be considered the lesser of two evils.

Here is PMI’s website with a store locator:
http://www.pminutrition.com/main.html

DFA review:
/dog-food-reviews/red-flannel-dog-food/

[Tammy C]

Kristin,
That and pheasant is what I am trying next. There is some great information regarding food and environmental allergies. She’s only developed these allergies in the last year. She’d been allergic to fleas but it has evolved into so much more.

[Susan]

Has anyone had their dog tested for skin allergies such as hive like lumps all over their body, itchy ears, sore swollen throat, running nose, sneezing etc, I know that these are a enviornment allergies as we have just come into spring here in Australia, a season I’m starting to dislike, I dont believe in blood test for food Allergies BUT are enviornment allergies test done..
Has any dog owners had environment allergies test done or is it the same test as they do for food allergies & what sort of test were done on their dogs & about how much did it cost & was it worth doing, as we cant stop all the pollens, grasses etc outside..
I’m just curious as Im seeing his vet this afternoon as there’s been something wrong with Patches throat since friday morning after having a morning spew of acid, at first I thought that the stomach acid had burnt his throat making it very sore, when he brought up all the yellow acid but its Wednesday he should of gotten better by now, he’s been waking me up thru the night & making these wierd swollowing noises like something is stuck in his throat & just starring at me like something is wrong…. Ive put him back on his Losec 10mg daily for the stomach reflux again, The Losec has stopped him eating grass every morning like he’s been doing all last week…but he’s still got his sore throat….
Do enviornment allergies cause swollon throat?? I know foods can cause these symptoms, so I’ve stopped all extra foods & put him back on his vet diet only since Friday….has anyone experience these symptoms with their dogs? If so what did you do?

[Zach M]

Nothing bad here. Ginger has allergies to pollen but no food allergies, thankfully.

[Victoria W]

So I thought I would give an update……the choco lab with the skin allergies is doing better still not 100% but better.Unfortunately they have only been fed a good food ( pure balance ) 1.5 months and since my uncle picked up ole roy this weekend to replace the dwindling bag of pb I guess my hope of them having seen the improvement with the food change was unrealistic. I now feed all the dogs coconut oil on top of their kibble and I stocked up on sardines from the local Aldis. Currently they each get 3 sardines every meal and 1 or 2 raw eggs cracked over their food at supper. I bought a small bottle of the malasab to use on all of the “itchy” dogs and it helped…until it ran out 🙁 I brush all the dogs every night and I’m doing my best to keep them clean and as flea free as possible ( since they are hunting dogs who routinely go out into the woods this is proving very hard to do ). All the dogs seem happy and are at least recovering some of their hair. My other concern is that the black lab 8 y.o. and the golden retriever 4 y.o. both have lost almost all their teeth, I mean they have worn them down to the point that all that is left of some is the red inside part and they are even with their gum line and their canine teeth are only half left ….I don’t know how long theyve been like this but I’ve been with them for 7 mo. now and I can only assume they have had no teeth ( maybe from all their chewing on themselves ) for several years now. It looks so painful and Im worried its a way for dieseases to enter into their bloodstream. Their vet says its no big deal but what Ive found online says this is something that should be taken care of immeadately. I think its also the reason they are lethargic, they just dont feel good. I see a bleak road ahead and if you have any advice I can pass on and implement while I am here I would again greatly appreciate it.